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Old 08-17-2011, 06:06 PM   #1
lasater
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I am a leg man!

Actually, I am referring to the legs of the front landing gear. I recently had the motor and plastic gear transmission replaced. But, I still occasionally get the dreaded clicking sound when extending the landing gear.

I am considering adding a second motor to the curbside landing gear and then use 2 motors to level and stabilize.

What are the pros and cons of adding a second motor to the landing gear?
 
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Old 08-18-2011, 01:43 AM   #2
The Old Fogies
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I get that clicking sound when the legs are not under a load. Mine sounds like slop in the connecting rod.
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Old 08-18-2011, 02:10 AM   #3
Illini Trekker
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I'm not sure I'd like to see the twist that would put on the front of the camper? I level with wood under rear wheels then drop the adjustable legs on landing gear, and then maybe add a small thickness of wood so not to twist the front of camper. But adding the second motor would add picking power if they would move together. That clicking noise most be in the top gears right under the black plastic cap?
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Old 08-18-2011, 03:15 AM   #4
Mrs. CountryGuy
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We have the 2nd motor and are happy as can be with the set up.

wrote a long piece about it when we had it done, in Goshen, by Lippert. They replaced parts, legs, motors, I don't remember all what now, but, everything they could I guess. Still clicking away.

one must remember we have one of the heaviest rigs when it comes to pin weight.

short story, we added 2nd motor and no more clicking.

if you put the legs up and down at the same time, twist is not an issue in 95% of the set ups. We did have that issue 2 times during our 8.5 months of THE Trip. We got rid of the twist by carefully and slowly adjusting each motor. Too high, came down on that side, just a little, then went to other motor, other side and pushed it up a little. Al thinks the twist was caused by the way we had shoehorned Tana into the campsites and that we were off balance on the hitch when we unhooked. That is a crummy description, forgive me, I need more coffee.

Yea, I know, there will be doubters. Especially since I am not going into all the bloody details. That's ok, we are thrilled with ours. It was a great decision and addition for us.
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Old 08-18-2011, 03:47 AM   #5
Cyrus
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I know we like our Montana's but a friend has a SOB, that is less expensive then a Montana but has hydrylic legs (he said it was standard) and it is really nice. One leg comes down and touches the ground then the other leg comes down. When they have equel weight they start moving together no shims and all that not fun stuff. He can drop legs unhook and be level before I can get legs down. Did I say a less expense unit?
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Old 08-18-2011, 08:06 AM   #6
jjackflash
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Ditto on what Carol said,We've had dual motors over a year now without any problems. If you stop and think about the weight thats up front,it's amazing what that little motor has to accomplish,the bedroom and all the stuff we load in that front compartment,especially if you have a generator up front! Oh yes,no more clicking for us either!
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Old 08-18-2011, 05:01 PM   #7
mojavemike
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Cyrus

I know we like our Montana's but a friend has a SOB, that is less expensive then a Montana but has hydrylic legs (he said it was standard) and it is really nice. One leg comes down and touches the ground then the other leg comes down. When they have equel weight they start moving together no shims and all that not fun stuff. He can drop legs unhook and be level before I can get legs down. Did I say a less expense unit?
My 85 Alpenlite was like this. I was disappointed when I got the Montana. Thought that was how all 5th wheels were.
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Old 08-19-2011, 02:16 AM   #8
twindman
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I had a lot of problems with the legs not going down under weight. They would move about 6-8 inches fine but then hung up and started to chatter. I took one apart and could only turn it down about 10 inches. I cleaned and lubed it as best I could and it was a little better but still would not fully extend. I think max is about 20 inches. When I got home I ordered a new one. I have not had any problems since.
Some advice... I used to use plastic chucks (?) to stop the Monty from rolling when it was raised up. I think I actually bent the front struts a bit one time. We were on a sloping driveway and as I was hooking it back up to the truck, it started to glide forward while the struts were still down. So the solution: I have one of those locks that go between the tires for one side. For the other side I always pull a little too far up (or down) the hillside when leveling and then put the chuck under the tire and coast back into it. This makes a very firm and solid connection to the ground (along with the chuck between the tires). Now when I hook back up, the trailer never (or barely) shifts forward or backward.
Oh, as mentioned on other posts, I started using some gear oil down the top of the struts once a year or so to keep the worm gear working smoothly.
Good luck!
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