Leveling Adjustment For Front Landing Gear -Key Largo
- Thread starter MaxOwner
- Start date
porthole
Retired
This is a test for maximum extension - no blocks and fairly level ground.
So heres my story for this time........
The axles are level.
The wife wasn't around telling me to hurry up so I messed with the front. Took the weight off the hitch of truck with landing gear. Got the level out and checked the bathroom floor (linoleum) and on the counter. Counter was close to level while the floor was out. Put the bedroom slide out, out. Checked the bottom of it and it was outta wack. Added a block under the drivers side and made it worse, again.
Removed block. Still out. Unhooked truck, ran the landing gear all the way out. Retracted. Nothing other than the feet moved while landing gear was almost all the way extended and shook the trailer.
Front still won't level up.............
Lippert will be getting another call Monday morning.
The axles are level.
The wife wasn't around telling me to hurry up so I messed with the front. Took the weight off the hitch of truck with landing gear. Got the level out and checked the bathroom floor (linoleum) and on the counter. Counter was close to level while the floor was out. Put the bedroom slide out, out. Checked the bottom of it and it was outta wack. Added a block under the drivers side and made it worse, again.
Removed block. Still out. Unhooked truck, ran the landing gear all the way out. Retracted. Nothing other than the feet moved while landing gear was almost all the way extended and shook the trailer.
Front still won't level up.............
Lippert will be getting another call Monday morning.
Sounds like the bedroom slide is twisting the frame. Were the rear stabilizer jacks down and snug before you extended the bedroom slide? The landing legs will not level the front. They only raise and lower the front as is. If the front is not parallel to the trailer axles the landing legs will not fix that. If you retracted the landing legs with the bedroom extended, the driver's side was pushed further off level and the landing legs just lifted the front as they should keeping the front at the 'new' off level.
Do you have a jack? Retract the landing legs. Jack up the driver side trailer frame under the bedroom to get the bedroom level. Extend the landing legs to level the trailer front-to-back and take the load off the jack. Remove the jack. The bedroom should remain level as the front is supported by the landing legs.
You checked bedroom level at the outside underside. Does that measure the same as the bedroom interior?
Do you have a jack? Retract the landing legs. Jack up the driver side trailer frame under the bedroom to get the bedroom level. Extend the landing legs to level the trailer front-to-back and take the load off the jack. Remove the jack. The bedroom should remain level as the front is supported by the landing legs.
You checked bedroom level at the outside underside. Does that measure the same as the bedroom interior?
In our last 2 fifth wheel trailers we never had a problem.
So I'm gonna make it Lipperts. Or the purchasing dealers problem.
The living area infront of the door was level before putting the landing gear down.
Lippert was to call me back on Friday. They didn't get back to me, so far.
So I'm gonna make it Lipperts. Or the purchasing dealers problem.
The living area infront of the door was level before putting the landing gear down.
Lippert was to call me back on Friday. They didn't get back to me, so far.
Any thoughts?
danemayer
Well-known member
MaxOwner,
Someone told you that there's a 4" plate for adjustment. A number of other people with landing gear like yours have commented and offered ideas, but don't seem to have any knowledge about an adjusting plate. You can't find one either. To me, the most likely reconciliation is that the first person was simply wrong about there being an adjusting plate.
I think you're going to have to take the trailer in to an authorized servicer to figure out what is happening and how to correct it. If there is an adjusting plate, the service tech will locate it.
"Took the weight off the hitch of truck with landing gear. Got the level out and checked the bathroom floor (linoleum) and on the counter. Counter was close to level while the floor was out."
Sounds like the trailer was level before sliding the bedroom out. Did you check the bathroom for level after sliding the bedroom out?
My hydraulic landing legs have no plate to be adjusted.
Time for a visit to the dealer.
Sounds like the trailer was level before sliding the bedroom out. Did you check the bathroom for level after sliding the bedroom out?
My hydraulic landing legs have no plate to be adjusted.
Time for a visit to the dealer.
Apparently our purchasing dealer has a tech starting Monday.
It was the service manager from the parent dealer shop that said there was this 4" plate. Seemed to make sense and figured this guy "should" know.........
Tried all the stuff that you guys were giving for advice and nothing was panning out so I'm pretty miffed at the moment. Trying to get the bugs worked out before we leave on hollidays in less than 2 weeks.
I do appreciate all the opinions and the time you guys took to post them. When I get an answer/resolution, I will post it here.
Sean.
It was the service manager from the parent dealer shop that said there was this 4" plate. Seemed to make sense and figured this guy "should" know.........
Tried all the stuff that you guys were giving for advice and nothing was panning out so I'm pretty miffed at the moment. Trying to get the bugs worked out before we leave on hollidays in less than 2 weeks.
I do appreciate all the opinions and the time you guys took to post them. When I get an answer/resolution, I will post it here.
Sean.
porthole
Retired
Max - hope your dealer figures it out. From all you have said and all the suggestions, I kind of have the idea you are not following the train of thought from the members.
Have you tried a cell video yet.
Something else to think about, blocks do nothing for "physical" operation of the hydraulic landing gear, the jacks are plumbed together and will lift the weight of the trailer equally. Blocks under one side will still have the jacks lift the weight equally, just at different extended lengths.
You mentioned using the bathroom floor, counter tops etc and comparing "level". I would suggest you limit yourself to getting your "base" level in one spot, and don't use counter tops, unless you know your "base" is level.
Starting point? The center of the trailer, inside the door on the floor, and not carpet.
If you saw how these trailers were made, you would see that the main floor will be the same "level" as the frame of the trailer. So if you get your frame level - your trailer will be level.
Your jacks - that is a different story. "lets go to the video tape.............................."
Well...........
The tech says theres nothing wrong with the hydraulics. And apparently you can't level the front of the trailer with the landing gear. Last time out, the wheels were level side to side. The front was still low on the drivers side. And ofcourse I tried adding blocking to raise the drivers corner up and made it worse. So now I call Lippert and see what they have to say......
Pretty hostile with dealer because our service kept getting bumped back so new trailers could get delivered.
The tech says theres nothing wrong with the hydraulics. And apparently you can't level the front of the trailer with the landing gear. Last time out, the wheels were level side to side. The front was still low on the drivers side. And ofcourse I tried adding blocking to raise the drivers corner up and made it worse. So now I call Lippert and see what they have to say......
Pretty hostile with dealer because our service kept getting bumped back so new trailers could get delivered.
riverrat
Member
One thing that I didn't see addressed was side to side weight since both jacks have same pressure they lift the same weight and a little frame twist my be happening because of uneven weight. if you can find a scale like a closed weigh station pull to one side so one jack is on the scale and one off, lift and measure a point on the trailer then move so other leg is on the scale and the other off and lift to same measured point. compare weight. my .02
Thanx Riverrat.
When we were on hollidays we had intermitant luck with the jacks leveling up for us. We got lucky where we stayed for 5 nights (2 different times) and things leveled up. When we stayed single nights in our travells, we had to turn the bed around.
Once we get our generator install done, the landing gear will become priority.
When we were on hollidays we had intermitant luck with the jacks leveling up for us. We got lucky where we stayed for 5 nights (2 different times) and things leveled up. When we stayed single nights in our travells, we had to turn the bed around.
Once we get our generator install done, the landing gear will become priority.
Hey Max. Just a thought.
If you see the driver's side front jack deploy before the passenger side, and then both work together to lift the unit off the truck,I would suspect a pressure sensor is allowing the passenger jack to deploy too far before recognizing that it is grounded. Therefore it is lifting the passenger side too far before lifting the driver's side. Perhaps there is a pressure relief valve adjustment somewhere.
If you see the driver's side front jack deploy before the passenger side, and then both work together to lift the unit off the truck,I would suspect a pressure sensor is allowing the passenger jack to deploy too far before recognizing that it is grounded. Therefore it is lifting the passenger side too far before lifting the driver's side. Perhaps there is a pressure relief valve adjustment somewhere.
danemayer
Well-known member
Re: Give Heartland your feedback on the 2012 Landmark - what do you want?
The interesting part is that sometimes you have the problem and other times you don't.
Maxowner, the only possibility I can think of is that one jack has a SIGNIFICANT bind somewhere in its travel. Given that there's a couple of thousand pounds on those landing jacks, it would have to be a really significant bind.
IF this is what's happening, there might be times when the campsite slope doesn't require the landing jacks to extend as far as other times - and the jacks could extend equally without reaching the bind. In that case you'd be level. But when the jacks extend further, the bind is reached and you're off-level.
If you put blocks under BOTH jacks (6-12") they won't have to extend as far. If everything is ok with blocks, but is off level without blocks, you have a specific failure scenario that the tech can try out to replicate the problem.
I don't think there are any pressure sensors. The switch 1) opens the valves so that hydraulic fluid can flow and 2) runs the hydraulic pump. One jack will move first because it's the path of least resistance. When it touches the ground, the resistance increases and the fluid takes the new path of least resistance, which is the other jack. When both are touching the ground, the resistance should be about the same and both should extend at the same rate.
The interesting part is that sometimes you have the problem and other times you don't.
Maxowner, the only possibility I can think of is that one jack has a SIGNIFICANT bind somewhere in its travel. Given that there's a couple of thousand pounds on those landing jacks, it would have to be a really significant bind.
IF this is what's happening, there might be times when the campsite slope doesn't require the landing jacks to extend as far as other times - and the jacks could extend equally without reaching the bind. In that case you'd be level. But when the jacks extend further, the bind is reached and you're off-level.
If you put blocks under BOTH jacks (6-12") they won't have to extend as far. If everything is ok with blocks, but is off level without blocks, you have a specific failure scenario that the tech can try out to replicate the problem.
We have had the jacks extended at various lengths in our stays. One place the slope of the site had the drivers side completly retracted while the passenger side was extended by 5".
I usually put a 6x10 under the landing gear unless it seems like we really have to retract the gear to bring the front down to level.
Porthole, we are out this weekend. Will try and take pictures as I go. What are you hoping to see so I can try and capture this in the pictures?
Thank you to all. Still a work in progress........
Sean.
I usually put a 6x10 under the landing gear unless it seems like we really have to retract the gear to bring the front down to level.
Porthole, we are out this weekend. Will try and take pictures as I go. What are you hoping to see so I can try and capture this in the pictures?
Thank you to all. Still a work in progress........
Sean.
Similar threads
