80 amp breaker for Level-Up?

[remoandiris]

Twice in the past month the Level-Up on my 2014 Cyclone has failed at an inopportune time. I believe the stock 50 amp fuse just got too hot and quit working the first time. After about 10 minutes, the system worked again.

The second time I believe another electrical glitch caused the stoppage. I could hear the solenoid click while pushing the landing gear retract or extend as well as when I push buttons on the control panel. Finally started working again after I jumped the motor to check whether or not the motor was fried. Thankfully it wasn't.

I have read about some owners using an 80 amp breaker in place of the 50 amp breaker/copper plate. I just woner if the 80 amp will fix the problems I have experienced or if operator error is the primary culprit.

Being stuck 50 miles from the nearest city isn't fun.

 

[TandT]

I would place a call to Lippert and explain your problem.
Over fusing something is not always a good idea, as you want the fuse to go before something else burns up.
That would be similar to putting a penny in an old fuse box. Yes, it would work, but you may burn down the house.
You may have a loose connection somewhere, or another problem that is causing the system to work too hard. Trace

 

[danemayer]

Hi remoandiris,

After about 10 minutes, the system worked again.

Most of the time when the 50amp breaker for the hydraulics is tripping, it resets in a couple of seconds and then the leveling computer restarts in less than 20 seconds. The key is that when it trips, the control panel shuts off and as power comes back on it restarts.

If you were pushing buttons on the leveling control panel and heard clicking, I don't think it would have been from the breaker supplying the hydraulics because the control panel would have gone dark and everything would have stopped.

When slideouts reach their limit, if you hold the button down the hydraulic pump has some type of clutch that sometimes slips, making a ratcheting sound. That may be what you're hearing. There may be a bind in the system, or some crud in the pump that's causing slippage.

 

[porthole]

Lippert has been telling people to replace the 50 amp breaker with a 80 amp, including me.

Quality breakers can make a difference.
As well as better, larger wire.

I changed my breaker to a marine grade Blue Seas brand and replaced the main pump - solenoid wires with marine grade 2 gauge wire.

 

[Gizzy]

I had the same problem only it was when bringing in the slides. Ended up just being breaker that went bad. Got a new breaker (and spare) and all is better now. I would not take a chance with a 80 amp breaker.

 

[pegmikef]

I had the same problem only it was when bringing in the slides. Ended up just being breaker that went bad. Got a new breaker (and spare) and all is better now. I would not take a chance with a 80 amp breaker.

Where is the breaker located? Is it on the bus bar in the battery compartment? I would like to at least get a spare in anticipation of a problem. Thanks, Mike

 

[danemayer]

Where is the breaker located? Is it on the bus bar in the battery compartment? I would like to at least get a spare in anticipation of a problem. Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike,

It's on the buss bar near the battery. Here's a link to one on Amazon.com.

 

[Becci]

We had the same problem. We bought our Landmark used in Portland & had it inspected & the guy said it needed an 80 amp circuit but only put in a 70. When we got to Yuma we were still having issues getting our slides in & the legs up. We had it checked there & the guy said it only had a 50amp in it & needed an 80. He came to put it in the day we left. He only put in another 50. ugh! Then in Huachuca City we had we had a grey tank split. We asked them to check the hydraulics again... When we finally got the grey tank seven weeks later, they finally addressed the hydraulic issue & showed how the motor was getting way hot. But again it was the night before we were leaving. When we got back to Portland we had yet another guy check it & he put in an 80 amp. It has worked great since. no more shutting off & having to wait. The motor doesn't get hot. We have moved 9 time since with no problems.

 

[danemayer]

We had the same problem. We bought our Landmark used in Portland & had it inspected & the guy said it needed an 80 amp circuit but only put in a 70. When we got to Yuma we were still having issues getting our slides in & the legs up. We had it checked there & the guy said it only had a 50amp in it & needed an 80. He came to put it in the day we left. He only put in another 50. ugh! Then in Huachuca City we had we had a grey tank split. We asked them to check the hydraulics again... When we finally got the grey tank seven weeks later, they finally addressed the hydraulic issue & showed how the motor was getting way hot. But again it was the night before we were leaving. When we got back to Portland we had yet another guy check it & he put in an 80 amp. It has worked great since. no more shutting off & having to wait. The motor doesn't get hot. We have moved 9 time since with no problems.

I would think that the motor getting hot would be a symptom explaining why the breaker was tripping. Might be hot because there's a problem causing it to draw too much power. Under those circumstances, changing to a bigger breaker seems like it would just allow the motor to continue overheating. I don't understand why a bigger breaker would cause the motor to run cooler.

 

[remoandiris]

Hey Dan,

The sound I heard was a click at the solenoid, not the breaker. Regardless of pushing the extend/retract toggle at the front of the coach or using the control panel in the basement, I heard the click. There wasn't a slippage of components, the motor was simply stuck somehow...no hydraulics for the slides, either. After disconnecting the cables from the motor, I used jumper cable to apply power directly to the motor. That cleared the jam. It is not something I recommend, but as least I found out the motor was still good.

As for calling Lippert's customer service/leveling techs, I have spoken to 3 of their techs to help resolve the 2 problems I've had. I don't get a warm fuzzy from those guys. I have no doubt they want to help, I just don't think they have the hands-on experience to help. One guy was adamant I should have a nearly full reservoir of fluid with all legs and all slides extended. No, that is NOT haw the system works. With all slides and legs retracted, yes, the reservoir is nearly full, but not with everything extended. And there was no mistake about him thinking I said everything was retracted with the full reservoir. Apparently he thought all coaches had "horizontal" reservoirs vs. vertical reservoirs.

Hi remoandiris,


Most of the time when the 50amp breaker for the hydraulics is tripping, it resets in a couple of seconds and then the leveling computer restarts in less than 20 seconds. The key is that when it trips, the control panel shuts off and as power comes back on it restarts.

If you were pushing buttons on the leveling control panel and heard clicking, I don't think it would have been from the breaker supplying the hydraulics because the control panel would have gone dark and everything would have stopped.

When slideouts reach their limit, if you hold the button down the hydraulic pump has some type of clutch that sometimes slips, making a ratcheting sound. That may be what you're hearing. There may be a bind in the system, or some crud in the pump that's causing slippage.