Lead side inner tube landing gear

[Byron B]

Help please! The lead side inner tube of my landing gear slides up and down freely (when the weight is off) and will not support any weight so it is of no use to raise and lower the rig. I presume this leg is broken but I do not know what holds this inner tube in place and to the gears
The motor (single) is fine and I can see the gears turning inside so they are operating. I am on the road early into this trip and would appreciate any assistance y'all can provide. I usually repair 90% of what goes wrong on our 5th wheels. This rig we travel with (with the broken landing gear) is a 2009 34' anniversary edition we recently purchased.
I have read the previous posts referring to broken landing gear but they, and any available diagrams, are all referring to gears and power units. I don't have that problem with this unit.

Thanks in advance!
B

[Rondo]

It would help if we knew more about the unit--- Year? Model? This can help to analyze the problem and give you some answers.

[Overlord]

It is a stripped jack screw or jack nut. The same leg as yours went bad on my '09 the last trip out.

I am replacing my OEM original ones with Bulldog 10,000lb dual motor landing gear (p/n 500161) just as soon as they get here from e-trailer.com .

http://www.bulldogproducts.net/produ...7dlgnwgHUoQkc=

[WaltBennett]

quote:Originally posted by Overlord

It is a stripped jack screw or jack nut. The same leg as yours went bad on my '09 the last trip out.

I am replacing my OEM original ones with Bulldog 10,000lb dual motor landing gear (p/n 500161) just as soon as they get here from e-trailer.com .

http://www.bulldogproducts.net/produ...7dlgnwgHUoQkc=

Did the same two years ago and love them! Well worth the money to be able to level some with the front legs.

[Carl n Susan]

The landing legs are fairly simple in design and consequently, easy to repair if you are handy with tools. A couple of years ago, I spent some time communicating with Venture Manufacturing Company (the manufacturer of your legs) and as a result they sent me 12 PDFs with everything you ever wanted to know about their landing legs. The topics range from "Owners Manual" to "Landing Gear Rebuild Instructions" including parts lists and how to convert to dual motors (for the really heavy front-end Montanas). Everything you ever want to know about your landing gear is available in these documents.

I have made them available via DropBox. Here is the link to the list of PDFs and you can download any of them.
Venture Information
"X" out of the prompt to join or login to DropBox. You can get to them without signing up.

[twindman]

Several of us have replaced the whole leg ourselves (if you are talking a non-auto-level system). I think it is about a 1-2 hour job. Venture is great to deal with. I think the leg is $100-200 and shipping cost. Good luck.

[Phil P]

Hi

The cause of your problem may be one or two things.

#1 retracting or extending the legs to far.
There is not a stop in them if retracted or extended until the motor stops runs the threaded rod in the center of the jack to far in the nut and can induce striping of the threads. When I installed the last pair of legs on my unit before installation I by hand extended them all the way and then marked the inner tube with a black Sharpe 1 inch below the outer tube. I then retracted them by hand until they were all the way up and marked them then ran them back down 1 inch and marked the with a sharpie. I use a carpenters square to get the lines straight. Now I never retract or extend them past the lines.

#2 Keystones uses a different motor assembly than Venture.
It runs twice as fast as the one Venture uses. I found this out when I ordered the second motor to make mine a dual motor installation. I maintain that the higher speed causes heat buildup when you move the legs up and down. This also could induce striping of the threads.

Since I have change to the slower moving motor and marked the legs I have not had any problems with the landing gear system.

I carry a model steam locomotive in the basement that weighs about 750 Lbs. When we get to a location where my wife will be using this locomotive I extend the landing gear all the way out to the marks in order to lift the trailer so I can roll the locomotive from the basement to the TV using an aluminum ramp. For this reason I extend and retract my front legs to their fullest travel less 1 inch up and 1 inch down at least one a month from October to March of every year and in February we do this 4 times a week.

Phil P

[Byron B]

Thanks to all who replied.
Rondo, our rig is a 2009 2980RL 10th anniversary.
Overlord and WaltBennett, I had presumed that to be the case but did not want to tear into it without having any other options (it is summer, just after 4 July; most service departments busiest time of the year, etc.). I tried to find the Bulldog dual power system and simply replace the whole thing but there is not a single one available ANYWHERE. I found that "this item will ship in approximately 3 to 4 months."
Carl n Susan, I had found this information in a previous post of yours and got the same information from Venture. Unfortunately, there is no information or diagrams etc. that show the interior connection between the gears and the inner tube.
twindman, I ordered the lead landing gear leg from Venture this morning. Pam and Patty were EXTREMELY helpful. I also have the option of ordering the dual motor system later which is a good option.
Phil P, thanks for the suggestion to mark the legs. I will do at once the new leg is installed.

Once again, a sincere thank you to each of you for your replies. I am greatful to have found this forum.
My experiences on the road are both good and bad. We have been living in a 5th wheel and traveling with and without it for about six years now. We actually own 3 fifth wheel rigs: two are set up semi-permanently and this Montana that we bought last year to continue our travels in as I was tired of pulling our 16K pound, 37' Mobile Suites around the country. Our Montana is the first fifth wheel that we bought used and are not happy with it at all, but we will keep it for a while.
I truly appreciate this forum as a way to keep our rig on the road. I hope to be an active and contributing member of this group for many years to come.

Regards and safe travels,

Byron B

[CORattler]

Just a thought, could it be a cross locker shaft shear bolt? It just might be if one leg will extend/retract and the other won't.