Set camper on truck and the lift broke...

[Guvner]

I think... I was running up the automatic levelers in the front after getting camper on the truck when the 2 x 2 that holds the adjustable leveler with the springs that pop into different holes just came sliding down. I had to tie it up to get back to my house as I couldn't even put it back down I don't think. Did it come unscrewed or can someone tell me what needs to be done.

Thanks,

Gary

[stiles watson]

It helps to know what model and year your rig is. It sounds like something that needs additional equipment to disengage the trailer from the truck. Especially if you are still under warranty, you want to get it to your dealer for repairs.

[Guvner]

No warranty. It's a 2000 Montana, 34 foot with dual sliders. Someone locally told me I might have sheared a pin. No idea yet. Thanks... It's night and I'm hoping the web has an answer.

Gary

[H. John Kohl]

This link has a link to a photo shot here of my repairing my gears. It also show the schematic of the gears in the landing legs.
Hope this helps.

[Guvner]

I finally got it to load by trying a different computer. It loaded for a while but then quit. Is there a way to get the indivicdual pictures as when it does play the picture is too small and I can't read it fast enough to read it. Sure looks like you got into the meat of it though no doubt about that. Very nicely done video though. Anyway...

Thanks... Gary

[Guvner]

I now know how to pull my leg out. It is the passenger side so it doesn't have to take the motor out. I learned about greasing because this computer with Explorer 9 does open both of your links. My laptop with Windows 7 and Explorer 8 had problems and I finally figured out how to just copy and paste your link into the browser. My problem is that the inner 2 x 2 (maybe 3 x 3 never measured) has just dropped out of the main landing leg. Sort of a slight smaller sleave that has the adjustable leg in the bottom with pull pin to change heights. Anyone experience this?

Thanks again for all of the help on such short notice.

Gary

[Guvner]

I finally figured out how to use Photobucket and saw the individual pictures. Thanks again.

Gary

[ragdoll]

There are two bolts/nuts that hold the spring loaded pin in place did they fall off? If all else fails you can replace the leg as John described. Good luck Jack

[H. John Kohl]

Gary,
There are three part to the leg. The bottom part that has the pad on it and holes on the side for the manual adjustment pin. The inner(middle) part that moves up and down and then the top section that houses the gears and inner screw.
The Nut for the screw section is mounted in the top of the inner(middle) section.
If the part with the holes came out then you need to replace the snap pin.
If the inner(middle) part came out I feel something broke and it will need repairing or replacing.
You can pull the whole leg assembly out and take it apart to identify what exactly failed.
There is a splice on the horizontal shaft connecting the motor side. The splice is about 4 inches from the non motor leg.
Remove the propane bottle for access from the outside. There are two bolts holding the leg in place. Unbolt and then raise the leg up a 1/4 to 1/2 and inch and pry out to disengage the lip holding the leg in place.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

[dieselguy]

I'm not certain of your issue here, but the bottom tube with the holes in it just slides up inside the upper tube and is held in place by the pin with the bail wire on it that you use to adjust the amount of extension ... (some of us have a spring loaded shot pin). While hooked to your truck, if you are sitting on ground with a dip under the front landing gear legs, it is possible for the inner tube with the foot on it to drop out completely if you pull the pin and extend it down too far. Is your truck a 4WD that sits rather high?

On Edit ... what John said ... after re reading your post, it is looking toward the middle section being what you're talking about.

[Guvner]

It's the middle place. I'm going out to pull it out as it is still sitting on the truck. It is a 2500HD Silverado so it's not as low as it could have been. It looks like I can unbold it at the top and bottom. Not sure how much clearance will be needed to get it out though. I can see the collapsable rod coming over from the other leg that has the motor. That seems simple enough to unbolt and slide in out of the way. Will let you all know. Thanks again...

Gary

[H. John Kohl]

Gary, once you unbolt the leg from the frame in the propane compartment you can actually lift it up and out through the door instead of have to drop down. Either way will work.
Good luck.

[Guvner]

I have pulled it down. I didn't have to go into the propane compartment on this model. It has two large carriage bolts and two 1/4" plate steel sleeves you pull against the 3 x 3" tubular steel body. Then you can lift it far enough up to drop out the broken middle piece. It doesn't appear broken but the drift pin is laying there so presumably there is a shaft on the gear assembly that snapped. I cannot remove the pin on the gear attached to the shaft coming in from the other side. (gear motor side) I will have to find a machine shop since I just broke two of my punches trying to remove it. Probably should have heated it first but I don't know what that would have done to the metals strength getting it red hot. I'll leave this part to the professionals. Pictures later. I took them. I'd put them in now but I don't see an easy way to do it with this forum software. Am I missing an upload button or do I just need to put a link to my site with the pictures?

Thanks...

Gary

[Guvner]

It's fixed. I went to a buddy who drove out the pin in the gear. Then all that was wrong was either the factory or a later repair put a smaller then normal drift pin into a short shaft that drops below the top gear. There's two holes for two drift pins but the lower one needed to be full length or it would actually have the clearance to fall out and that's what it. the upper drift pin sits inside the gear and even though it is shorter it cannot fall out since it is surrounded once the gear sits on it. I'm guessing the factory did this. Anyway put the new pin in and reassembled. It works fine. The pin even though shorter really shouldn't have come out anyway but did.

Thanks for all the help.

Gary

Ps. Pictures later when I get a hint as to how.

[H. John Kohl]

Gary,
This link has many links. One is photos in signature.
Here is another on posting Photos.
Please remember to reduce their size to parameters set by the forum ADMIN.

[Guvner]

I run a different kind of forum for treasure hunters and I ran these through Photoshop and shrunk them up nicely. Here's the two pictures of the broken jack. First is just them laying here.

http://www.stlaware.com/jackrepair/pic1.jpg

Then just a closeup of the gear assembly that John mentiooned getting greased.

http://www.stlaware.com/jackrepair/pic2.jpg

What is not showing is the small shaft that has a gear that is spun by the gear attached to the other small shaft that is engaged by the horizontal rod coming from the other side with the motor. Unfortuately I forgot to take pictures of the final part of the repair but if I find a breakdown I'll follow up with a pic or I might just sketch it and put it up since the piece I'm missing is really easy to draw. Thanks for all of the help. The only thing not showing is the shaft hidden inside the top of the assebly just below the gear. The gear attaches to that long worm hear by having the pin in it sent through that socket looking assembly showing in the picture.

Thanks for all of the help. The washers were all laying around inside the 2 x 2 tube but if you looked inside you could put it all back together looking for wear marks and matching them back up to the size of washer you had.

Thanks again John. I've greased both sides and from now on I'll just put a safety rope to keep that lander from ever meeting the road since that would be a real mess on a long trip.

Gary

[Guvner]

John... Looking again at your pictorial it does show that small shaft that the 16t gear sits on. I really missed seeing the gears the first time I looked. Too colorful for me I guess. The pin attaching it to the long worm gear was the pin that came out.

All the best... Gary