Retaining pin on Landing gear broke - Montana Owners Club

sfretts · 03-14-2010, 12:28 PM

Hi All,

Snuck out to relax for a couple days. When setting up the 5vr, I was extending the landing gear and the spring loaded pin on one side broke. I didnt realize what had happened as I heard it, but could not find the problem till I saw the pin a couple feet from the pin. I left it alone as it was still holding the trailer which was unhooked. When I went to hook up the trailer, It raised with no problem and hitched up. Raised the legs and then disassembled the pin holder to find the reason it held the weight. I saw a small portion of the broken pin went in between the slide piece and outer sleeve. The leg raises and lower, but the bottom of the slider is stuck and will not budge. I tried a hammer to see if it would pop loose, but it didnot even give.

I imagine I will have to replace the entire leg, but I dont think I will have the clearance to get it out. I am still hitched to the truck and trying to figure out what to do. Any suggestions?

exav8tr · 03-14-2010, 01:45 PM

I helped a fellow in Goshen jack his up using two bottle jacks, one on each side and both of us jacking in unison. We had to use several blocks to get it high enough to fit on his truck. Perhaps this might help......

Crossthread · 03-14-2010, 01:53 PM

sfretts, I wish that I hadn't read this. It seems every thing that I read here happens to mine within a month.
Is there any way that you can place a jack, with blocks between the bottom of the frame and the top of the landing gear foot?( to push the stuck leg down) Good luck, Bill

sfretts · 03-14-2010, 01:59 PM

Hi,

Yes I should be able to. I just need to figure what clearence I need to be able to remove the jack.

H. John Kohl · 03-14-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sfretts

Hi All,

Snuck out to relax for a couple days. When setting up the 5vr, I was extending the landing gear and the spring loaded pin on one side broke. I didnt realize what had happened as I heard it, but could not find the problem till I saw the pin a couple feet from the pin. I left it alone as it was still holding the trailer which was unhooked. When I went to hook up the trailer, It raised with no problem and hitched up. Raised the legs and then disassembled the pin holder to find the reason it held the weight. I saw a small portion of the broken pin went in between the slide piece and outer sleeve. The leg raises and lower, but the bottom of the slider is stuck and will not budge. I tried a hammer to see if it would pop loose, but it didnot even give.

I imagine I will have to replace the entire leg, but I dont think I will have the clearance to get it out. I am still hitched to the truck and trying to figure out what to do. Any suggestions?

If you are going to replace the whole leg then you can cut the lower section off with saws-all or something like that or worse case a hacksaw.

To free the frozen piece:

One option is to try raising the trailer on just the one leg. Be careful and watch the tipping angle of the trailer. The extra weight may break the wedge loose. But too much weight on just one side may do other damage.

I would Call Venture and see what they suggest.

Let us know what you find and how you solved it.

Tom S. · 03-15-2010, 03:39 AM

I love working on stuff like this (as long as it's not mine!) because it makes you think. Obviously, the weight of the trailer has created the problem by jamming things together. The first thing I would try is to reverse that. To do this, you would need to figure out a way to hold the bottom of the leg securely while trying to raise the leg with the motor or the hand crank. Holding the leg would be the part of the solution that would require some creative thinking. I do have some thoughts that would involve a chain, some bottle jacks and a 4x4, but liability issues give me pause in posting them on the net.

At any rate, once force that is counter to the force that caused the initial jam to occur is applied, the judicious use of a hammer may be needed to coax the leg loose enough to remove the remainder of the pin (if that's what is holding it).

sfretts · 03-16-2010, 01:30 AM

Update:

Got home from work and went the bottle jack route. Put the pad down on the other side and braced while jacking the right side. This worked well and I added another brace for good measure. After I lowered the leg a little, I was able to hammer the tube down. Not sure if I have enough clearance to drop it out or does it have a catch preventing that. If so, its sawzall time. Dealer quoted about $340.00 for a new leg. My inexpensive weekend is getting pricey!

Tom S. · 03-16-2010, 02:50 AM

There is no catch to prevent the tube from coming all the way out (don't ask how I know this!). Once you get it out, you may be able to salvage it (if it's bent) if you have access to an arbor press or a BIG vice. Try to find something that will go inside to help keep from bending it too far back in the opposite direction!

8.1al · 03-16-2010, 04:23 AM

Steve,
The price quoted by your dealer is way too high. I purchased one a few years ago for about half of that. If you think just need some parts contact the manufacturer, Venture at 937-233-8792. If you need a whole leg you can find a list of rv salvage places here http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/rvsalvage.htm
I purchased our new leg from Colaw

sfretts · 03-31-2010, 01:56 PM

Update:

I was able to free the lower leg with a bar and hammer. Bought a new spring lock and tried to flatten out the bulged leg with no success. I called Lippert and they had me check the number on the cap. Confirmed it was their lag and they shipped me a new one. Cost was about $260.00. Pricey but at least now I wont have to worry about the pin not engaging all the way. The wife is excited and wants it installed now so she can go camping again! I dont think that will happen soon as they have just issued high wind and rain alerts for the area and I melt in the rain!

Trailer Trash 2 · 03-31-2010, 03:55 PM

When I bent mine and it would not go up I took some 2 x 12's and nailed them to make two 8 inch high pads and the I made another set that was 4"s and the a set of 2" what I made was a ramp for the rear wheels of the truck and with the Monty hooked to the truck and driving up on the 8" high block then in park and parking brake it gave me the heigth to remove my bent leg from its bracket dont forget to lock the trailer wheels with your Roto Chocks, then repair them legs.

grampachet · 03-31-2010, 07:18 PM

Wouldn't you be able to just dig a hole under the landing jack to give room to remove it?

sfretts · 04-11-2010, 05:16 PM

Well, a whole lot worry for a very quick and easy replacement. I tackled it Friday as the weather finally got nice enough to go out side. I un bolted the power cross member and unbolted both brace bolts. Gave it a tug and it was loose. I had enough clearance in the storage area to pull the leg up and out. Just over 5 minutes and it was out. Everything went back together with little effort till I got to putting the JT stabilizers back on. Noticed they drilled out the 2nd hole a little to allow the brass inserts to go into the leg. Then it was only a matter of moments and I was gently lowering the legs to support the trailer. It was a little nerve racking the first time, but now it is no biggie. Gotter done in time as they are forecasting clear and 60's next weekend and we will have to head out and start enjoying the trailer again! Thanks for all the input!

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