Grease Landing Legs Gears!

[royando]

Just checked my 2003 3280RL. Street side had lube, curb side was dry as a bone !

[sreigle]

Thanks for the tip, John. I'm going to check ours.

[rickfox]

John,

Yesterday, the landing system sheared the driver-side 1/4-20 screw that connects to the square tubing that provides connection to the passenger side jack.

Today I replaced the screw with a no-name 1/4-20 screw - the only one I had. It quickly sheared as it apparently was not hardened. At the same time, the shaft that connects to this square tubing that protrudes from the reduction gear also sheared. I then put a cresent wrench on the square tubing to see if I could turn it to adust the passenger side jack up and down. It was more difficult to turn than when using the manual wrench through the reduction gear, but seemed to turn making the jack go up and down, and certainly did not shear anything on the passenger side.

Here are my questions. Is this the same shaft that extends through the reduction gear and also extends through the landing gear? Also, what holds the reduction gear assembly in place? And finally, where/how did you get the parts? We are currently setting in a campground spot broken down.

[H. John Kohl]

quote:Originally posted by rickfox

John,

Yesterday, the landing system sheared the driver-side 1/4-20 screw that connects to the square tubing that provides connection to the passenger side jack.

Today I replaced the screw with a no-name 1/4-20 screw - the only one I had. It quickly sheared as it apparently was not hardened. At the same time, the shaft that connects to this square tubing that protrudes from the reduction gear also sheared. I then put a cresent wrench on the square tubing to see if I could turn it to adust the passenger side jack up and down. It was more difficult to turn than when using the manual wrench through the reduction gear, but seemed to turn making the jack go up and down, and certainly did not shear anything on the passenger side.

If you are moving the landing gear on passenger side with no load on it it should move with just your hands.

Here are my questions. Is this the same shaft that extends through the reduction gear and also extends through the landing gear?

• If this shaft is the one that is connected to the square rod, then yes it is connected to the driverside landing leg.

Also, what holds the reduction gear assembly in place?

• The shaft to the drivers side leg holds the reduction gear and motor in place. The reduction gear does torque when starting.

And finally, where/how did you get the parts?

• Doug Olson V.P. Engineering Venture Mfg. Co.Dayton, OH 45414
  Ph: 937-233-8792 ext. 27
  TF: 866-365-1957 ext. 27
  Fax: 937-233-8485
  I strongly suggest you talk to Doug and get accurate answers then relying on me to assume your question and give you an incorrect answer. Doug just got finished helping David and Jo-Anna with their landing leg problem up in Mackinaw.

We are currently setting in a campground spot broken down.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
I hope this has helped and pointed you in the correct direction.

[rickfox]

John,

Thanks for the quick response!

Right now, the trailer is sitting on its landing gear - currently too low to be connected to the tow vehicle. I belive that I can slowly raise the passenger landing gear by rotating the square tube with the cresent wrench, and then by lifting the driver side landing gear with the manual tool. So, I can, with quite an effort, raise the trailer back onto the truck. But, we are 2,000 miles from home.

It looks like what I need is the shaft that protudes out the side of the landing gear, the one that that also extends through the reduction gear and connects to the square tubing that drives the passenger side.

I will call Doug tomorrow morning, but my guess is that it will take some time to get the parts from him. I am hoping that I can purchase a complete leg from an RV dealer - there are two within about 50 miles of my location.

Stuff happens sometimes! Oh well!?

Rick

[H. John Kohl]

You can buy two 6 to 12 ton bottle jacks and two three ton jack stands.
Use the two bottle jacks on the frame and with two people jack up the trailer equally. Make sure the bottle jacks are centered on the I beam. Once the bottle jacks are at their limits rest the trailer on the jack stands, again making sure they too are centered on the I beams, to put more blocks under the bottle jacks to raise high enough to hitch on your truck.

Maybe other 5th wheelers in your park have bottle jacks and jack stands.

Since you can raise one leg with a wrench you may be able to use a bottle jack on the other side as another option. Try to raise both sides as close to equally (level) as possible. You want to keep the good leg as close to vertical as possible so it is not warped or sprung.
Normally RV Dealers do not stock those part but order them from supplies. Doug shipped two legs out of Dayton Ohio to MI for David and Jo-Anna.
Please keep your safety as the utmost concern.
Good luck.

[Countryfolks]

If you have a hydraulic jack and some wood blocks you can put the jack under the frame by the front jack leg and lift it that way also. After the foot is off the ground several inches, pull the leg lock pin letting the leg extend until the lock pin re-engages and repeat as necessary. I had to to that three weeks ago when the cogs stripped. I was able to lift it about 2-3 inches at a time as I switched from side to side.

Note: Be sure the rear stabilizer jacks are up.

[firetrucker]

Remember that the front of the trailer only weighs about 3000 pounds up by the front, so a smaller jack should work okay. When you put the jack in place, use 4x4's crossed in pairs, like lincoln logs, to make a much more stable support. Make sure you chock the wheels, of course, and raise the rear stabilizers.

If you can't get enough height by dropping the leg, as Countryfolks said, just put blocks under the legs as needed.

Bob

[rickfox]

John,

I contacted Doug at Venture and had the repair kit for the driver side landing gear shipped overnight (Saturday delivery) to the poedunkville location I was in. The shaft was so swisted that I couldn't slide the reduction gear assembly off the shaft so had to disassemble things from the landing gear side, and then removed the reduction gear assembly along with the swisted shaft. I could then get the reduction gear assembly out and was then able to cut off the swisted shaft portion and remove the shaft.

After getting everything installed, I found that I had only repaired the secondary failure. Apparently the passenger side landing gear was the main problem. The screw shaft inside the landing gear somehow has become gaulded thus limiting the retraction and extension to only about an 8" range. I removed and disassembled the entire landing gear but was unable to get the screw shaft to properly work. Since the bevel gears on this landing gear were in much worse shape than the ones I removed from the driver side, I reinstalled them on the passenger side. Things are good enough for now.

We got back on the road and have had no more problems as long as I think ahead and make sure the passenger side landing gear is always operated in its limited range.

Unfortunately, yesterday one of the new Freestar tires that were shipped as replacements for the Mission tires, decided to blow on I-95 while traveling on a smooth blacktop road while traveling at about 62 mph.

DON'T TRUST THESE CHEAP CHINESE REPLACEMENTS EITHER - YOU WOULD THINK THAT KEYSTONE WOULD CARE!

[Crossthread]

Not to hijack the thread, what is the length of the leg extender? Bill

[HamRad]

RickFox,
I have checked two different dictionaries and I cannot locate the word "gaulded". Can you point me in the right direction to find the definition? Or can you just tell me what the word means?

What were the circumstances that led you to have the twisted mess with the landing gear? I've got a 2002 year model and have never even greased the legs or landing gear so I'm starting to worry since my rig is even older than yours. I've never had a problem with the landing gear but it's never too late.

And by the way --- If I had to give up everything that was made in China I'd have an empty house. I'd still have the house since it was built before we started trading heavily with China. Maybe your situation would be different.

Thanks,
HamRad

[Tom S.]

HamRad, I think he was saying galled. Galling is condition created when two metal surfaces rub against each other without lubrication and cause gouges, scratches, etc., to form on one or both pieces.

[rickfox]

HamRad,

I did mean galled. According to the landing gear manufacturer, it is a good idea to fully retract and extend the landing gear every once in a while - 4-6 months. That way, dirt and grim that might collect along the screw shaft can be pushed away, and not become a problem.

What happened in our situation was that during the leveling process after we disconnected from the truck, the trailer was lower (retracting the landing gear) more than we usually do. The screw shaft became very difficult to swist. The weak link was the shaft that connects from the driver side landing gear that provides the drive to the square tubing that in turn extends across the trailer to the passenger side landing gear.

[David and Jo-Anna]

Following up on Rick's point about periodically extending and retracting the landing gear "fully" to push contaminants away and spread lubrication, I was surprised to learn from the landing gear manufacturer that the full range of extension/retraction of our landing gear is about 19"-20". After trying to exercise my landing gear recently, I realized that I normally don't extend and retract the gear more than 12", which leaves a big stretch of the worm gear where contaminants can build up. An easy way to exercise the gear is to leave the drop legs fully up and run the landing gear up and down while the rig is hitched up, so the landing gear aren't seeing any load while trying to push the worm gear beyond its normal range of motion.

[simonsrf]

quote:Originally posted by David and Jo-Anna

............... An easy way to exercise the gear is to leave the drop legs fully up and run the landing gear up and down while the rig is hitched up, so the landing gear aren't seeing any load while trying to push the worm gear beyond its normal range of motion.

Great idea, Jo-Anna. Why didn't I think of that? Thank you.

[dsprik]

Will they come off the gears if you do this "exercise"? I take it there is a "stop"? Also, is this "stop" what people are hitting when they blow their fuses/breakers

[simonsrf]

quote:Originally posted by dsprik

Will they come off the gears if you do this "exercise"? I take it there is a "stop"? Also, is this "stop" what people are hitting when they blow their fuses/breakers

No, yes, yes.

It would be a good idea at that time to even-up the legs by unbolting the square shaft and running the gear on the opposite leg to match in length to the ground.

[dsprik]

quote:Originally posted by simonsrf

No, yes, yes.
Thanks, Robbie.
It would be a good idea at that time to even-up the legs by unbolting the square shaft and running the gear on the opposite leg to match in length to the ground.
Silly question: They did not do this at the plant where they mfr this $65K-$72K MSRP piece of equipment?

[simonsrf]

quote:Originally posted by dsprik

Dave, I have one of those adjustable legs, so it is important. Getting those two leg screws out of whack causes binding at the extremes of the screw threads.

[dsprik]

Thanks, Robbie. I will check my U bolts to see if there has been any movement. I can see how more pressure can be put on one leg if it is uneven. I carry a 1" board with me to try to keep things even when lifting off the truck.