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Old 03-11-2019, 03:10 PM   #1
Jingle
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jack damage

First time out with our 3121 and the RV fun has just begun! While turning in to fuel up I hit a curb followed by a crater followed immediately by another curb. DW said I must be looking for a hobby because I have one now. lol.



I have two questions:
1. The jack is not damaged, only the bracket that supports the jack is bent. I am thinking about using a come-along to straighten the jack is there a more elegant method?


2. I have a six point system. The front Jack's have one hole showing and (as you can see from the picture) the rest four jacks have four holes showing. How far up should I move the jacks to provide adequate ground clearance and still maintain rig stability when the jacks are extended. ( We do not boondock or park on unimproved sites.)


Thanks again for your help. Y'all have saved my bacon many times already!


Jerry
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Old 03-11-2019, 04:40 PM   #2
Montana Man
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Ouch! You guys sure have a great attitude.

The number of holes showing is irrelevant. What matters is how high off the ground the pads are in travel position. All trailers could be different in this regard. I would measure them against other units as a starting point. The higher the better and staying mostly in more civilized spots will help. You could always use blocks if you needed to.

I wouldnt put any force on the jack. Perhaps bolting some steel to the mount then pulling on it. Watch for cracks when done. Good luck!
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Old 03-11-2019, 06:03 PM   #3
DQDick
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I would take it to a frame shop and have them straighten it.. Personally, I wouldn't raise the jacks unless I planned on doing curbs again.
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Old 03-11-2019, 06:32 PM   #4
Mikendebbie
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Bent jack

Welcome to the club. I joined about 6 months ago. Clipped a curb turning into the Cracker Barrell in Waco. My jack still works...no fluid leaks. I beat the shoe back flat. The bracket is bent. The jack has a very slight bend in it...it’s hard to see. I used a sledge hammer to bang the bracket back a bit (front to back). I do not have an impact wrench and I can’t break the nuts to remove the jack so I can try to bang the bracket back plumb. I previously posted about this and someone suggested to bang the bracket out as much as possible then use washers to shim it plumb the rest of the way...which sounds good to me.

I sent an email inquiry to Lippert and they said the best option was to have a new bracket welded on. I took it to a dealer for an annual required state inspection and asked they to look at the bracket. They gave me a cost range of $650 to $900. I’m going to take my chances a bit longer. I am still planning to try to shim it back plumb.
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Old 03-11-2019, 11:32 PM   #5
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A hammer will certainly go a long way. Since you are hammering along the fringes of the pad i don't see any harm in that. The weight is more at the center of the pad but you need to beat it down as evenly as possible. I think it will wind up being more cosmetic than anything but the more of the pad on the ground the better.
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Old 03-12-2019, 05:38 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikendebbie View Post
Welcome to the club. I joined about 6 months ago. Clipped a curb turning into the Cracker Barrell in Waco. My jack still works...no fluid leaks. I beat the shoe back flat. The bracket is bent. The jack has a very slight bend in it...it’s hard to see. I used a sledge hammer to bang the bracket back a bit (front to back). I do not have an impact wrench and I can’t break the nuts to remove the jack so I can try to bang the bracket back plumb. I previously posted about this and someone suggested to bang the bracket out as much as possible then use washers to shim it plumb the rest of the way...which sounds good to me.

I sent an email inquiry to Lippert and they said the best option was to have a new bracket welded on. I took it to a dealer for an annual required state inspection and asked they to look at the bracket. They gave me a cost range of $650 to $900. I’m going to take my chances a bit longer. I am still planning to try to shim it back plumb.
Take your rig to a welding shop or have a mobile welder come to you.
Your dealer is bending you over!
A new bracket could be fabricated and put on for less than half that.
Guess maybe I shouldn’t have retired and sold my rig if they’re getting that kinda money.
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Old 03-12-2019, 09:05 AM   #7
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bent jack

Thanks for the good advice!
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Old 03-12-2019, 09:23 AM   #8
jeffba
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buy the bracket and have a certified welder replace it

Don't ask me how I know
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:31 PM   #9
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If it were my brand new one I’d order this and find a local welder. I’d say for maybe $200 tops you cou9d get old one cut off and new one welded on.

https://store.lci1.com/jack-mounting...on-134989.html
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Old 03-13-2019, 01:38 PM   #10
LaydBack
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They sell new foot pads reasonably priced on the LCI site too...just 1 bolt holds it on.
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Old 03-17-2019, 05:13 PM   #11
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First, get it fixed what ever that takes. Second, stay away from curbs. Always make wide turns, don't cut your corners too tight - you're not driving the family SUV
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Old 03-17-2019, 09:19 PM   #12
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I was worry about my front legs, so I raised them all the way up, but then I do like to boondock. I did make 8 " blocks for the legs.
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:42 AM   #13
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Looks like it is one of the rear jacks. When I took delivery of a 2018 I noticed that the four rear jacks were lower than what I had on the 2016. I raised all four one bolt hole, thought about two but considered the hoses could cause an interference.

I didn’t consider the front jacks to be a problem, although it was front jacks on a dealers RV that caused me to check all of mine out. Situation was at a camping show, the dealer was leaving and his jacks hit a speed bump. Root cause of this incident was stabilizer struts add been fitted, these were clamped around the bottom of the jack leg and restricted the jack from fully withdrawing. (Was a Columbus)

With regard to the fasteners being excessively tight, try unscrewing the bolt rather than the nut. The nut has serrations, the bolt does not.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:46 AM   #14
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Just an FYI if you decide to replace it. I had to replace one recently and bought one direct for $450. Then paid a shop their hourly rate to install, about an hour.
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Old 03-18-2019, 03:05 PM   #15
sme1950s
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Following up a comment above, need to fix it. Ok First time out I did not lift my rear stabilizer and moved the RV to level it up and like advertised that was not good idea. Then panicked and tried to raise the back up to take pressure of the legs so I could straighten Stabilizer legs, that was not a good idea. Crushed the rails for the stabilizer legs to slide. I am getting to know the Rig with my adventurers and believe you should enjoy working on stuff or this hobby could get expensive before you learn what you need to know. I am looking for some stabilizer parts for a Montana High Country. Any ides other than Amazon? Love my Rig and I am not questioning the light weight construction every pound of weight save is appreciated by my truck and my gas budget. Thanks
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:21 PM   #16
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If your levelling jacks in front of your
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:11 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Jim Homer View Post
If your levelling jacks in front of your
Understood front jacks rear are stabilizing correct?
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Old 03-19-2019, 03:55 AM   #18
DebNJim B
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My rear jacks were what I thought too low. I did clip a couple times both in soft ground. No damage except slightly bent one pad. Decided to raise them. Raised the rear two holes and the center one hole. Left the front as is. I did get the Anderson blocks to maintain stability when parked but most just use home made blocking. If you extend the jack alot you may get rocking. I have much more peace of mind now with the clearance I have.
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Old 03-19-2019, 09:15 AM   #19
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We had the same thing happen to us last year ...actually bent it a good 45 degrees...we used a come-along to straighten it out somewhat. Then we found a local welding/fabrication shop near Houston. Rather than having them fabricate the new bracket, we bought the bracket from Lippert for around $150...then had the welder use that for the final fabrication...all told we only paid around $500
or so to fix it all.
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Old 03-23-2019, 04:11 PM   #20
Mikendebbie
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Removing the jacks

Just curious - those of you who have removed or raised a jack by a hole or two - what did you use to break the bolts loose? Does it take an air tool or can you break it with a ratchet with a cheater bar? I had no luck with my longest ratchet.
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