Landing gear greasy

Roadventure

Active Member
I'm getting a little concernicous about my driver's side landing gear. It is covered in grease, but I think it may be leaked hydraulic fluid. It has been this way since we bought it, but looking at it now gives me a creeping suspicion it will be a difficult or expensive fix. The housing for this jack is behind our genny and in front of our propane. Thoughts?

cb3bb3e6bfb6353feeba33c0a981d348.jpg
(Driver's Side)

549d4ca8b2c0e8aff761610ba81ba4eb.jpg
(Passenger side)


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Rollin_Free

Well-known member
I agree - Not positive but it looks very much like graphite grease to lubricate the landing gear.

Have you checked your hydraulic level? If you're losing fluid you should see the level lower and should need to add some if it's leaking. I always thought hydraulic fluid was almost a clear liquid.
 

Gary521

Well-known member
Lippert Hydraulic fluid is Automatic Transmission fluid. If your landing gear is electric, don't worry about it. If it's hydraulic, you may have a leak.
 

Roadventure

Active Member
Lippert Hydraulic fluid is Automatic Transmission fluid. If your landing gear is electric, don't worry about it. If it's hydraulic, you may have a leak.

So what is the quickest easiest way to tell if I have electric or hydraulic landing gears?


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Rollin_Free

Well-known member
So what is the quickest easiest way to tell if I have electric or hydraulic landing gears?


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Electric will have one or two electric motors on the top of the landing gear leg/s similar to this
 

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Lynn1130

Well-known member
Mine look like that and they are hydraulic. I am not positive on this but I think electric gear raise at the same time while hydraulic come up one at a time. I also have a fluid reservoir in the battery, electrical compartment for the gear.
 

Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn

Well-known member
Those are electric jacks. There is some grease place in the upper gear box when they were put together and over time with use and the heat of the summers the grease has thinned out and is running down the sides of the leg. really not a concern. You might have legs with grease fittings up on the sides toward the top of the leg, you should grease it ones in a while. Not all jack have the grease fittings.
Electric Landing legs
LC333964_11_1000.jpg


Hydraulic Jacks
hydraulic-landing-gear-leg-optimized.jpg
 

Gtoli

Well-known member
Looks just like mine and it looks like your fluid might be a little low in the reservoir.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Took a couple pics above my batteries. I'm 90% sure it's hydraulic.

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The pictures are clearly the hydraulic pump and hoses. But whether they operate the landing gear is a different question.

Do you have hydraulic hoses connected to the landing gear?
Does it take about 15 seconds to fully extend the landing gear when setting up?
When raising and lowering the landing gear, can you hear the hydraulic pump making the same noise as when slides are opened and closed?
 

Roadventure

Active Member
The pictures are clearly the hydraulic pump and hoses. But whether they operate the landing gear is a different question.

Do you have hydraulic hoses connected to the landing gear?
Does it take about 15 seconds to fully extend the landing gear when setting up?
When raising and lowering the landing gear, can you hear the hydraulic pump making the same noise as when slides are opened and closed?

Yes and yes. Same sound as the slides.

Is it a messy affair to add more fluid? Could it then be hydraulic fluid on the DS gear? And if so does it mean trouble?


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danemayer

Well-known member
Yes and yes. Same sound as the slides.

Is it a messy affair to add more fluid? Could it then be hydraulic fluid on the DS gear? And if so does it mean trouble?


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It's pretty easy to add fluid to the reservoir. But to understand whether it's necessary, you should evaluate the fluid level while hitched up, with landing gear retracted and slides in. As I recall, the level in that condition should be about 3/4" below the top.

To avoid a mess, you'll probably want a funnel with a push button release on the spout, or one with a long hose attached. That'll let you add fluid to the funnel out in the open. Here's one.

If the leg is leaking slowly, you'll want to get it fixed pretty soon. It could be a loose hose connection, or a leaking cyclinder. If you want to investigate it yourself, here's a link to some Lippert documents that will help.
 

Roadventure

Active Member
It's pretty easy to add fluid to the reservoir. But to understand whether it's necessary, you should evaluate the fluid level while hitched up, with landing gear retracted and slides in. As I recall, the level in that condition should be about 3/4" below the top.

To avoid a mess, you'll probably want a funnel with a push button release on the spout, or one with a long hose attached. That'll let you add fluid to the funnel out in the open. Here's one.

If the leg is leaking slowly, you'll want to get it fixed pretty soon. It could be a loose hose connection, or a leaking cyclinder. If you want to investigate it yourself, here's a link to some Lippert documents that will help.

So it looks like my fluid level after everything was retracted and hitched, was under 1/2. I at least need to improve the hydraulic fluid level.
 

Bones

Well-known member
That is definitely hydraulic
But is it for your landing gear or just your slides ?

Can we see a picture of one of your landing legs ?

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You can see his landing leg in the background. The orange tube goes into the return position to the leg and look further down you can see the bracket holding the leg.
 
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