Front Jack Faliure (Break and Fall) - Advice needed

[AZMac]

I have a 2010 Road Warrior and while lifting the front to mount to the truck the front right jack failed, causing the the camper to fall and hit me on the head!

Luckliy, the other side did not fail so the rig didn't continue to fall and crush the truck or me or me wife (who was scared beyond belief).

I have the rig in the shop but it looks like only some of the parts will be covered as I am the second owner and only the component supplier is stepping up to the plate.

Has this EVER happened to anyone out there and what should I expect / do / check / to make sure it doesn't happen again once repaired?

Should I have the left side replaced as well?

This is really scary as me, my wife, and kids are all lucky someone wasn't really hurt - I thought the jacks were / are fail safe?

Thanks for any info.

M-

 

[jimtoo]

Hi AZMac,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

You say the camper fell, but did not damage the truck...how far did it fall? I know 1 jack will support the trailer in an emergency. I think we would need pictures to give any help. Did the pin in the adjustable lower part of the leg bend and allow the adjustable part of the leg to retract or what happened?

Please give us some more information.

Jim M

 

[hoefler]

I would have both replaced. With one jack still supporting the load, it was put in a severe bind and could be bent or stressed. It could also suffer the same failure in the near future as the other one.

 

[AZMac]

Thanks for the response, Jim!

The truck was under the camper and within about six inches or so inches from the fifth wheel. I would guess it fell about four to six or so inches - not enough for the underside of the fifth wheel to hit the hitch or for the fifth wheel to hit the bed - or for the camper to hit the bed. It was quick - hit hard - then battle mode to get it stabilized. I have the hitch on highest setting (bed to camper clearance)...

Luckily, I was in an area with several campers and within minutes, we had the camper jacked up and blocked. After blocking and jacks, both leg extension pins seemed fine and the interesting part is that the jack that broke would slide up and down - wouldn't come out - and would eventually hit a hard stop somewhere up in the assembly.

The rig is at a dealer now so I don't have pictures (I will soon). The interesting part (ok distressing part) is that no one is interested in seeing what failed rather, only interested in what they are going to cover or not.

The reason I signed up is I have been browsing this forum for some time and I know that there is a wealth of information here - it's part of the reason I bought a Heartland!

I am going to have the whole assembly (left and right) replaced (thanks for recommendation hoefler).

Down the road, I am going to get a stabilizer and REALLY respect / keep clear / keep kids / otherwise be very mindfull of the area under the camper while on the jacks...

Down the road, I am going to get a MUCH better walk through and trial before buying a rig...

Thanks again for responding - I will send pictures when I get them.

M-

 

[jimtoo]

The jacks have a place on the side of the main frame tube that is pushed outward, this is supposed to be under the upper frame member where the jack in clamped in place with bolts and a strap across the jack. Do you know if the bolts broke or came loose and allowed the jack to slip up and not support weight?
Jim M

 

[JohnDar]

If I recall correctly from changing my jacks, the lift support brackets that Jimtoo mentioned are welded to the frame. Have you checked inside the front compartment (I'm assuming you can, like on mine) to see if anything is damaged around the jack tubes?

There are actually three sections of the standard jack post. The stationary outer one that is bolted (more like clamped) to the frame. Then the two inner ones that actually move, one within the other. The bottom or innermost one is loose and is what you're pinning with the retractable pins. The outer one of the two (middle tube, if you will) is what gets driven by the motor.

 

[bowhunt73]

FYI.....I have a Greystone 33CK and the dealer broke one of the snap pins on my landing gear. They were raising the rear of the camper and one of the front pins gave way and bent one of the legs. They replaced that leg and both snap pins. They have "NEVER" had that happen to them ever.

Randall

 

[wdk450]

I had one of my landing gear legs collapse a few years ago when a tire service guy was jacking my trailer (without having it sitting on the 5th wheel hitch, which I NOW know is required when jacking the trailer axles), and the front landing gear on the opposite side sheared the landing gear pin from the weight load, and the trailer collapsed down. I had problems with that landing gear for another year and a half (it worked, but barely). I finally put the trailer front frame up on jackstands on each side, and removed the landing gear, and rebuilt them. I found that the top thrust bearing on the side that had collapsed was frozen up.

The point of the story is to say that the landing gear needs to be disassembled and all components inspected at least on the side that collapsed.