Low Hanging Jacks

[Serenity]

We are full-timers in a RW 427. The day we started off on our adventures, we encountered the 1st of many design flaws... pulling into a Love's Truck Stop to get diesel & gas, our 2 middle jacks were destroyed. No, we weren't off-road & no potholes- as we SLOWLY (it was a busy place) drove toward the pumps, our rig rolled over the manhole-covered fuel tank access - a GRADUAL few inches higher than the rest of the area - & I watched as the 2 middle jacks hit the concrete, bending them at both their connection to the bottom of the trailer as well as the disc-shaped "feet" that now have bent bottoms. I was horrified. It wasn't like we were on a questionable surface! The trailer design couldn't handle navigating a GAS STATION without damage???
~Sara & Devlin

 

[danemayer]

They might have been mounted too low at the factory.

You should call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready.

 

[jayc]

When we were at our dealer, taking delivery of our new Landmark, a couple came in with a LM that had hit a curb with the middle jack, bending the frame. Their insurance company is trying to decide whether to total the unit or try to repair it.

 

['Lil Guy']

On one occasion on my BH, I hit auto retract and the jacks in rear didn't fully retract. I wet to manual and completely retracted them. Is there a chance they weren't fully retracted? This only happened to me one time.

 

[jbeletti]

Like Frank, in colder weather, I've noticed one or two jacks not fully retracting and had to hit auto-retract again. Making sure all jacks are fully retracted before pulling away is a must.

Assuming this was not the issue Serenity, like Dan mentioned, the middle jacks "may" have been mounted too low. I suggest you take a picture/note of the bolt holes used so you can compare with the post-fix positions.

That all said, with leveling jacks and stabilizer jacks, there will "always" be certain circumstances where they will scrape or worse. It's rare, but one must be real careful. Though this was not the case in your situation, many times I've been in gravel lots at truck stops that have "real" deep potholes. These must be avoided when possible and gone over super-slowly when they cannot be avoided. Often times too, their true depth can be hidden when they're full of water.

I suggest you make a call to your insurance company "in addition" to speaking with Heartland as it's likely, this will be an insurance event.

 

[jbaltimore]

I know this is an old thread, but...

I agree with the original post about this being a design flaw. I have the 2021 Fuel 362. I bought it used.

The dealer tech who picked up the trailer from the previous owner damaged the two center jacks going over a railroad crossing here in NC. They replaced those before I bought the trailer. I made them raise the center jacks by 3-4 inches. I thought the rear jacks would be ok being closer to the wheels...I was wrong.

When I was taking the trailer home from the dealer, I damaged the door-side rear jack when I nicked a curb on a right turn. I know, I know, it's a poor musician who blames his instrument, but this is kind of silly.

These jacks, as factory-installed, skim the ground looking for something to catch on. It's really sub-optimal.

Part of the jack retraction sequence should be that each jack folds up for transport and deploys back for deployment.

Of course, this would increase the price of the rig, but I am paying US$1326.00 to repair ONE jack this week. The mounting bracket also bent on me. I would gladly pay more for a better product here.

So, now I must raise the rear jacks as well and deal with stacking blocks under the jacks to keep the jacks from over-extending during deployment.

My jacks also do not fully retract when I press "Retract All" on the Lippert system. I can still see about an inch of steel in the jack legs.

Makes me wonder how much money Lippert makes on replacement jacks.

I see the same design on nearly all the large 5th wheel trailers I notice. Grand Design looks no different.

Jim, as far as your insurance statement goes, it will be a collision claim, not a comprehensive one, so probably a higher deductible. I went through this with my agent just last week. I decided to just pay the $1326.00 for the replacement parts and installation. My deductible is $500 for collision, and making claims is a big deal in insurance these days.

 

[Kathi-27]

lippert spec is 7 inch min ground clearance when fully retracted on level ground

 

[jbaltimore]

lippert spec is 7 inch min ground clearance when fully retracted on level ground

Hi Kathi, Can you please share the source of that information? I would like to share this with my dealer. My jacks were at 4 inches off the ground at level.

 

[Kathi-27]

call lippert support 432 547 7378

 

[thewanderingeight]

I am about to raise all 4 jacks on ours. I have bent two so far and I also have dug into the dirt several times just driving through grassy areas with slight hills. Luckily when I bent the jacks, it only bent the jack support itself, and not the jack mount on the Fifth Wheel frame. They also still work, thankfully!

 

[jbaltimore]

Update: I elected to raise my rear jacks myself. In doing so, I managed to straighten the bent bracket a little bit. Tightening the jack on to the bracket at a different height did it. It works just fine.

I am going to save the $1326.00 for the next repair. -__-

I am making sure that each of my jacks has at least 9 inches of clearance on level ground. We'll see how that goes...

 

[ARTSTOY]

I am about to raise all 4 jacks on ours. I have bent two so far and I also have dug into the dirt several times just driving through grassy areas with slight hills. Luckily when I bent the jacks, it only bent the jack support itself, and not the jack mount on the Fifth Wheel frame. They also still work, thankfully!

RAISED ALL OF OURS, KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU RAISE THEM, YOU NED TO READJUST THE LINES GOING TO THEM, SO THEY ARE NOT SMASHED AGAINST THE UPPER SUPPORTS