2011 Elkridge jack repair.

[Westernlife]

Got a 2011 Elkridge 5'er with electric Jack's upfront, last summer I moved the trailer a few times and each time even with the truck idling for extra juice through the 6pin (camper battery charges off truck) healthy deeo cycle in the trailer and even being plugged into shore power the Jack's seemed slow once under load and like they were straining. Maybe I'm not use to electric Jack's idk.

last year at my property when I unhooked it the camper was slightly unlevel so I put maybe 2" more of board under one jack than the other to help level with the front and rear Jack's.. I know not best idea. Anyway sat like that for a couple months. Went to go hunting and while I was hooking up it good thing I had my truck partly backed under when I got out realizing I had to go up another inch or two... Crawled under hit the button and the Jack's lifted a bit then got worse than usual and before I could stop there was a bang and the trailer dropped onto my truck box...

I took the top caps off the Jack's and looked down and in and took pictures and non of the top gears or spiders look broken, and the gearbox looks alright when I opened it up and I was not able to free spin any gears. So what likely let go? Jack's also fully retracted when the trailer dropped. So whatever let go was in the movement of the extending parts. If I have to replace them can I buy just the landing gears, and re use my gearbox motor and crossbar etc? If so what brand do yous recommend.

 

[david-steph2018]

E-Trailer has several different types.

https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Electric+Rv+Leveling+Jacks&furl=-vw-1-pg-Camper_Jacks

 

[sengli]

The electric jacks are super slow, because they use a small motor that is really geared down. I had several RVs with the hydraulics, and compared to that set up...... these electrics are super slow!

 

[david-steph2018]

Westernlife, check and look for a pin/bolt in the motor gearbox connection area. Sometimes these bolts do break.

 

[Gary521]

You have to know how these things work. There is a central jack screw that turns to raise and lower the legs. There is a large captured nut down in the unit that the jack screw turns in. This captured nut will raise or lower the inner leg as the screw turns in it. This nut will eventually seize on the screw because it does not get lubricated. It is supposed to be lube free but it is not. Putting grease or lube on the top gears does nothing. Yes, there is a motor that turns gears in a transmission that will turn those top gears that turns the jack screw. Either replace the leg or tear down the leg to lube the screw. somewhere in this forum, I have shown how to fix this to lube the screw and nut. Good luck.

 

[wdk450]

Use the You Tube search bar to find videos on repairing these 5th wheel RV electric landing gear legs.

 

[Westernlife]

The electric jacks are super slow, because they use a small motor that is really geared down. I had several RVs with the hydraulics, and compared to that set up...... these electrics are super slow!

I know they will be slow due to gearing, but the amount they slow down and the motor bogs once under load seems a bit extreme lol, although again maybe I'm not use to rv Jack's, I'm use to electric Jack's on bumper pulls and big heavy ones on goosenecks.

 

[Westernlife]

You have to know how these things work. There is a central jack screw that turns to raise and lower the legs. There is a large captured nut down in the unit that the jack screw turns in. This captured nut will raise or lower the inner leg as the screw turns in it. This nut will eventually seize on the screw because it does not get lubricated. It is supposed to be lube free but it is not. Putting grease or lube on the top gears does nothing. Yes, there is a motor that turns gears in a transmission that will turn those top gears that turns the jack screw. Either replace the leg or tear down the leg to lube the screw. somewhere in this forum, I have shown how to fix this to lube the screw and nut. Good luck.

I have taken apart a few tongue Jack's on bumper pulls before, and semi trailers just wasn't sure if these had the same principle although I should have figured. personally this is the first 5'er camper I have owned myself, always had bumper pulls or just helping others move or hitch up the theirs, and again personally I have only ever helped hitch up one other 5'er that had electric Jack's and it was so long ago I don't remember how they sounded/performed.

I bought this trailer at the start of last year. But to me, I don't believe it's a seized issue because the entire summer (I moved it a few times between my house and my gf's while cleaning and getting it ready after buying it, then a time or two at my property) they were decently quick and moved seemingly freely up and down with no load on them, and they went down quick with the camper weight on them.

But as soon as they would start to get a load on them (pads touched the ground unhitching) the motor would bog right down and they would get slow. Maybe that's just normal and I have never experienced it to know? I do agree that lubing Jack's is a good idea just hadn't got around to these. Also as I lifted often times there was popping and creaking I always attributed to trailer/frame flex shifting etc. They went down nicely while I was trying to hitch the last time but when I went to go up a bit they got slow even compared to usual, almost came to a complete stop then BANG and it fell, I had blocks under the pads and because the trailer wasn't on the hitch it did drop low enough it fully retracted the jacks, and then they wouldn't move at all, the motor would run and I could crank by hand with the backup crank any direction with no movement. I'm thinking something completely let loose in one and the sudden strain on the other broke that one too, although supposedly from Google each jack should be rated for around 5k lbs? Front of the trailer definitely can't weight that, that's way too much pin weight for most trucks. I believe this camper is about 2,300lb pin weight, so really I should be able to lift the entire trailer from one jack? So even if one was under more load than the other from uneven terrain it shouldn't have broke? Unless it was faulty or too dry and binding I would think?

 

[JohnDar]

Lifting with only one jack risks twisting the frame. Not a good thing.


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