Slide switch makes the landing gear retract!

When I push the slide out rocker switch to in to retract a slide out my landing gear retracts. My landing gear extend and retract button works fine. The unit has been without power for a month. I plugged in my 50 amp 5 hours before I tried to retract the slide outs to charge the battery. Is it the switch that shifts the hydraulic pump between the landing gear and the slide outs? I need to get the slide outs in now that there is a break in the weather and I've got all the snow off.

Hi Thair,

In normal operation, when you press either the slide switch or the landing gear switch, 2 things happen: 1) a valve opens allowing hydraulic fluid to flow to or from the target device, and 2) the hydraulic pump motor rotates, pushing or pulling fluid. Direction of rotation is determined by which way the switch is pushed.

If a valve is stuck partially open, anytime you start the hydraulic pump, for any purpose, from any control, fluid will move through the partially open valve, as well as through the one you want operating.

So your landing gear have an open or partially open valve. If no one has touched your trailer and you haven't adjusted anything, there could just be something keeping the valve open. Or it could be a bad valve.

Is it the valve that has two hydraulic hoses, one running to the slideout valves and one running to the landing gear? Mine is red. BTW I have a Big Horn 3670RL.

The valve layouts vary a lot by model and year. You might have a valve control like the one in the attached picture.

This is my switch, I think it does the same thing. Mine has an electic switch that I assume directs the hydraulic fluid to either the landing gear or the slide out depending on which switch is used. It must be stuck on the landing gear so that both switches operates just the landing gear.


I found this switch on line which looks like the electric solinoid on my RV. Do you think if I took it off and cleaned it that it would solve the problem or should I buy a new one, assuming that's what's worng. Thanks for your help.

Before replacing anything, check the position of the setscrew. I believe it should be fully counter-clockwise for normal operation.

Where is the set screw is it on the bottom of the selaniod?

Thair said:

Where is the set screw is it on the bottom of the selaniod?

Click to expand...

At the knob end, in the center.

Has the weather been extremely cold where you are? Could the selector solenoid hydraulic valve be frozen in place? Maybe water condensate in the hydraulic system freezing? You could try a heat gun (gently - be careful of any plastic or metable substances) to heat up the valve. You could also try to mechanically free the assumed stuck valve with gentle tapping with something like a screwdriver handle.

It hasn't been that cold but cold enough. I've tried the tapping with no results. I thought about the heat gun/hair dryer and might try that. I'm going to work on it this afternoon, first checking the check screw as suggested above and then the heat gun. If they don't work I'm just going to switch the hydraulic lines so I can get the slides in and then probably get a new solenoid switch. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll update on what works.

Before swapping lines, know that they are under pressure.

Consider hooking the trailer up to the truck and running the jacks up and the slides in. Then disco the lines. I know it's a pain to work on the hydro between the truck and the RV. Better to be safe

The results - The set screw was all the way counter clock wise so I swapped the hydraulic hoses and it worked! It was messy since the hydraulic fluid was pushed out as the landing gear settled but I caught most of it and poured it back in but all the slides are in so I won't be fighting the frozen mix we are due to get tommorrow. I did it before I read the reply above. When the fluid began to leak when I loosened the first connection it slowly settled so no problems. It was already parked and chocked so no danger. I still should have lowered it myself before I loosened the connection, it would have made a lot less mess.
Here is the strange thing, just for grins and giggles I pushed the extend switch on the landing gear, expecting the last slide that I pulled in to start out. Nope, the landing gear began extending as normal and I was able to re-level the unit. This, with the hydraulic hoses still swapped. I don't understand it but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Thanks for everyone's help.