Electric to Hydraulic Jacks - anyone done this?

[slmayor]

After spending the weekend with a friend and their new Titanium, we are wondering about changing our electric front jacks to hydraulic.
Has anyone else done this or thought about it? Seems to be not a tough thing to do, but wondering if we need to get a bigger pump and reservoir or would the other one work for slides as well as landing gear.
Any suggestions? Does the Landmark have Hydraulic jacks?

 

[jbeletti]

Deb - yes, Landmark is standard with Hydraulic front landing gear.

Not sure anyone on the forum has tried to convert but you are on the right track (pump, reservoir, manifold, switches, lines, jacks, driver rods etc.

Consider call Lippert - I'll be it can be done.

Jim

 

[Delaine and Lindy]

As Jim suggested call Lippert. On our 5th wheel it comes standard with 6 Hydraulic Jacks. Two are for side to side leveling, the front is for raising and lowering the front the rear are for support. I do know that Lippert has upgraded some other 5th wheel to the Hydraulic system.

Also you can contact Big Foot in White Flint, MI also installs the Hydraulic systems. I went there in 2006 to have the Hydraulic leveling system added to our other 5th wheel, but due to the design of the front corners to our 5th wheel I decided not to have the system installed. At the time we had a on board Generator and out Propane tanks were mount on each front corner and we didn't really have the room to install the Big foot hydraulic system.

I can assure you when you use the Hydraulic Jacks with a side to side leveling system you want go back to the electric system. Our system can lift the entire 5th wheel tires off the ground. Out 5er has much less movement than any 5er we have owned. I no longer use the King pin stablizer or the Roto Choks. And set up is a breeze, takes very little time. The only caution I would have is the size of your frame, ours is a 15". But Lippert and or Big Foot should be able to tell you. Our system is designed by and installed by Lippert. Good Luck with your choice. GBY...

 

[slmayor]

Thanks guys, just something Ray and I are tossing around. We had Bigfoot jacks on the MH and loved both the product and the customer service. Should have ordered them on the BH, but at the time were watching weight carefully. The leveling is one thing I hate as compared to the MH, even tho we're getting much faster at it.
The jacks on the Titanium are basically the same as our electric, but much smoother and faster. We were thinking that the LM had the hydraulic system, so might be an easy changeover. I'll call Lippert this week.
He's got about a dozen things he wants to do to the trailer, and now with the new power reel option on the BH, he's looking at that as well. We'll never get to go on vacation if he doesn't stop modifying it. I kind of wish he'd just start on the rebuild of the '39 and leave the trailer alone. LOL

 

[Dragoon]

Please post what you learn from Lippert, and can this be a diy project? We're interested and am sure others would be also. Thank you in advance...

 

[bsummit]

You can look on Lippert's web site and they have a kit that you can buy to convert to hydraulic system. It comes with the hoses and fittings and I think you use the same pump. They have the instructions on the web site.

Bill

 

[bsummit]

http://www.lci1.com/LIP/0081.pdf
This is the web site for the kit I mentioned above.

 

[bsummit]

http://www.lci1.com/index.php?optio...ticle&id=61:lip&catid=40:lip-sheets&Itemid=68
This web site has lots of information pertaining to Lippert.

 

[slmayor]

Thanks for the link! I looked this morning on the lippert site but couldn't find anything about the hydraulic jacks. (probably didn't use the right search terms) I'll check it out and post back.

 

[Dragoon]

Great information!! Now the cost???

 

[leftyf]

Great information!! Now the cost???

You would have to bring that up.None

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Bob & Christina Seaman (Seamo) have the Big Foot levelers with the automatic leverling on their Landmark and the last I talk to them they love them. They had them installed just before the Heartland rally in Goshen in 2007.

 

[jayc]

Wouldn't it be nice if Lippert would agree to come to the rally in Goshen and do installs? They might get more business than they thought if this is possible.

 

[slmayor]

I still have not received a reply on cost, but will call again next week.

 

[ultrafarmer]

What does it cost for the complete install............... Does anyone know

 

[Niles]

I think if you wait just a few hours Lippert is going to post a rally special. Last year I think it was around the $2500 mark. Bigfoot has a special right now they will install for $100 making the price $4207.50 with tax. This I know for a fact because Tuesday it will be on the BH.

 

[jbeletti]

What does it cost for the complete install............... Does anyone know

For the conversion from Electric to Hydraulic front jacks, I believe MSRP costs are:
$2000 if you have no hydraulic pump now (all electric slides) or
$1100 if you have a hydraulic pump now (hydraulic slides)

This is not the leveling system - this is just the front landing gear conversion MSRP costs.

Not sure what standard street pricing is on either but you can contact Kara Hunt at Trailair to find out - 800-998-4238.

Jim

 

[jbeletti]

I think if you wait just a few hours Lippert is going to post a rally special....

Niles - the rally promo will be emailed to rally attendees only and is a benefit to rally attendees only. ultrafarmer is not registered for the rally. Though he should be since he lives one state over

Jim

 

[Lance & Jo]

If anyone still interested I have heard from a couple places now on priceing:

Trailair was total $2,148.17 including $450 labor, still not sure if it could be DIY but does require modification of existing pump. Contact Kara Hunt (thanks Jim)

HWH was total $1975 and is a DIY project and provides a new pump and tank for jacks alone. At least on our rig it appears to require welding new brackets. Contact Jeff Wallick

Venture for the dual motor mod is $350 with possibly an additional $125 to replace existing motor/clutch, is entirely a DIY and looks to be about 2-3 hours work. Contact Patty Everling

In the meantime still stuck in La Paz, MX with slipping clutch and 2 bottle jacks!! Guess on travel days will just write it off as my new exercise program.

 

[tom p]

My name is tom p and we have a2009 bighorn 3670rl. We had the electric landing replaced with hydraulic alon with the level up system. Workes great and they replaced the pump with a bigger capicity.The work was done in Goshen. See the e-mail Jim sent and look at the lippert site. Good luck and we will be at the ralley site 236?