Landing Gear Jack Breaks on the 2nd Trip!

SWAPilot

Member
I've gotta tell ya, I probably shouldn't be posting right now, I'm so mad I could chew nails and spit tacks! I bought a 2009 3110DS and was getting ready to take it on the 2nd trip. As I raised the landing gear to the stop the right one falls back to the ground! I try to raise it but the switch is dead, So I start digging and find the 30amp fuse blown. I proceed to replace the fuse and now just the passenger side jack works. Of course I'm hooked up to the truck and now have a one legged set of landing gear. After digging 10 plus inches into the dirt to pull the bad leg out I find the Gear has sheared off the pin at the top of the leg. I put in an emergency call to lippert. Lucky for me they call back but with horrible news. I need a new Jack! He says there's a slipper clutch and a shear pin to protect the drive gear. How in the H E double toothpicks does the main shaft still manage to break off at the gear??? I cannot believe that: 1.there's not a limit switch to this system. 2. The shear pin didn't protect it. and 3. the fuse didn't protect it. Now what am I supposed to do?

Very Frustrated in Colorado
 

Cyncwby

Active Member
Don't blame you at all for being pi----- off, I would be to. From what I've been reading on this site this same problem seems to be happening to a lot of owners. Sounds like you're still under warranty (hopefully) so give your dealer a call to see when you can get it replaced.

With all these problems I just can't see why Lippert doesn't upgrade their landing gear to something that really works instead of having all these warranty issues.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Gentlemen, not to make light of the situation but. Our Bighorn is our 2nd 5th wheel. When I bought my 1st one several years ago, my dealer was very specific when he pointed out the potential of having problems with the landing jacks if I didn't stop short of raising them up to the point of stalling out the motor. At that point I put a mark on the legs and never raise them above that mark. It prevents stress on the motor and the gearing system. That being said, there should be some sort of fool proof or preventative measure installed in that system to prevent problems rather than relying on the user to remember. I hope it all works out for you in the end.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
OHM's LAW

Ray, I totally agree. The motors should have a built-in circuit breaker like automobile window motors. Also a circuit breaker should be installed inline to the motor not a fuse. Everybody should understand that an electric motor, be it 110V or 12V, is a DEAD short until it start's to move or stops moving and still has power being applied. If you hold a button after the motor stops moving or in a bind, it will blow a fuse or melt a wire every time. Plain and simple, it's the amperage draw that blows fuses or melts wires and a stalled electric motor draws a lot of amps. How many you ask, install an amp meter across the motor leads and take a reading with the button pushed until the motor stops. Could be pulling a 100 amps. Better example, ever tried to jump start a car with a really dead battery or a bad starter and watched the jumper cables jump when the key is turned to the crank position. I could go about this, but you are very smart people here, so just use common sense when applying OHM's law to things. My 2 cts. Bob:D
 

Cyncwby

Active Member
Like I've said before....I'm new here and trying to learn about the Heartland products and I'm very sincere in saying.........with all due respect to Bob And Ray's reply.... which were very informative and makes complete sence.....But that doesn't eleviate the fact that numerous owners are having problems with the Lippert front landing gear. As Ray said his dealer was very specific about using the landing gear, obviously all dealers don't do this.

Why doesn't Heartland or Lippert put a ***WARNING*** decal or some type of sticker next to the landing gear switch explaining the maximum extension allowable. Maybe a paint stripe on the leg, "Don't raise beyond this line" or even better yet, A landing gear system that is up to the task and won't break the first time you try raise your rig. Lets face it, most folks don't know or care about amperage draw or OHM's law. After spending $40-$50K they want to push that button and have the system work, it's that simple.

I'm sorry but I just don't understand the concept of installing substandard or questionable equipment on your product and then have to deal with pi----- off customers that may have to tow hundreds of miles to get warranty work done.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
CY, I totally agree with you. My post was not a put-down to you or anyone else having a problem with the front landing gear. We just have had a numerious posts about owners running the landing gear up and then holding the switch until it blows the fuse. This why I stated that an electric motor should never have a fuse. And yes Heartland and Lippert should get to the bottom of all the failures that have happened lately. Should we expect all the systems work as designed, yes. Do they always, no. But as people design and build things stuff just happens. I hope that you have contacted Heartland and/or Lippert to get this problem resolved. We all on this forum are here to help, not beat owners down. Bob:D
 

slmayor

Founding California Northern Chapter Leader
While I can understand SWAPilot's frustration with the issues he's having, (I'd be more than upset as well) Remember that these forums are where people come for help and advice. Most every post on here is sincere in the desire to help other owners with issues they may be having, and in some cases, preventing others from having problems.
That being said, I think readers also have to understand that I'm not going to post about raising the jacks on our rig hundreds of times and having no problems whatsoever. Any more than I'd post about our rig being trouble free for the last year and a half. Sometimes it seems like there is a rash of issues, but compared to the overall numbers that are produced by Heartland and others, the rate of failure is quite low.
Can they ever get the failure rate to zero? It's certainly a goal to shoot for, especially in units we all pay good money for, but highly unlikely.
I believe Heartland will step in and help resolve these issues, and if you have a dealer worth his salt, they should help as well. The way an owner's problems are handled by the company and their responsiveness to owner suggestions is what I believe to be the real benefit in owning a Heartland product.
Here's to a speedy resolution and a quick fix. :)
 

SWAPilot

Member
We're back from our weekend trip and we had a blast. With the exception of not being able to disconnect from the trailer because of the stupid landing gear. Of course Lippert says they can't warranty my gear because it's "damage". But he did go on to say that there's a clutch in the motor, a shear pin on the gear and of course the fuse. So I say to him " All of your limit devices fail to protect the shaft and you won't warranty it?" His reply is " experienced RV'ers will mark the gear to prevent full up or full down movement". I've been a professional pilot for 20 years and have never heard a more ridiculous solution to poor system design in my entire life. Is this 1922? I may just design and patent a limit switch system to fix this moronic problem.
 

talley

Well-known member
Gentlemen, not to make light of the situation but. Our Bighorn is our 2nd 5th wheel. When I bought my 1st one several years ago, my dealer was very specific when he pointed out the potential of having problems with the landing jacks if I didn't stop short of raising them up to the point of stalling out the motor. At that point I put a mark on the legs and never raise them above that mark. It prevents stress on the motor and the gearing system. That being said, there should be some sort of fool proof or preventative measure installed in that system to prevent problems rather than relying on the user to remember. I hope it all works out for you in the end.


How do you go about identifying the topmost or lower limit of the landing jacks in order to mark the legs?

About a year ago I felt the landing jacks were too low and ran them up a bit. When I arrived at camp site I pulled the pin to allow the legs to extend and then started lowering the landing jack; one of the legs fell completely out of the landing jack receiver and to the ground !! Apparently the adjustable legs are not secured in the receiver.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
How do you go about identifying the topmost or lower limit of the landing jacks in order to mark the legs?

About a year ago I felt the landing jacks were too low and ran them up a bit. When I arrived at camp site I pulled the pin to allow the legs to extend and then started lowering the landing jack; one of the legs fell completely out of the landing jack receiver and to the ground !! Apparently the adjustable legs are not secured in the receiver.
I've never tried to find a lower limit. When retracting the gear, listen very carefully for a change in tone of the motor/gear. Stop as soon as you hear a change in the sound. My S.O.P. for the gears is as follows. Once level side to side and chocked, I extend the legs about 3 to 4 inches. I then pull the pins and adjust one leg ( I have one of those level adjusters on one leg to help in case the ground isn't level) so that both legs are equal in distance from the ground. I continue extending until I can pull the truck out. I then retract the legs until the rig is level front to back then drop the rear stabilizers. Hope this helps everyone interested.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Our previous 5er had a sticker on the landing gear which say STOP in big red letters. Never had a problem with that one. Maybe a STOP sticker would help on these.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Once level side to side and chocked, I extend the legs about 3 to 4 inches. I then pull the pins and adjust one leg ( I have one of those level adjusters on one leg to help in case the ground isn't level) so that both legs are equal in distance from the ground. I continue extending until I can pull the truck out. I then retract the legs until the rig is level front to back then drop the rear stabilizers. Hope this helps everyone interested.

That is exactly how I level our trailer.. :D You are good..:p
 
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