Mor/Ryde question

[Garypowell]

There have been a lot of post about this pin system and it seems most fairly positive. If I decide to buy/install this item I have a question.

How do you do the "Pull test"?

after hooking up, putting the truck in gear, and then putting "pressure" on the hitch do you watch those white plastic things to see that you get forward motion and hence hooked properly?

i have a hydraulic landing gear and unlike the old electric we watch the gear "lean forward" but if the inbox takes up the slack in the system will the legs still lean?

thanks

 

[NWILSON]

The legs will lean long before the pinbox starts trying to absorb the motion.

 

[danemayer]

The pull test is a final check, after your visual checks, to make sure the hitch really holds.

After you're sure the hitch is locked into place, retract the landing gear about an inch off the ground. Tailgate should still be down. Trailer connector should be plugged into the truck receptacle. Safety cable should be connected.

Pull forward while holding the brake controller manually to maximum. The trailer wheels should lock and hold the truck and trailer in place.

If the hitch turns out be not be locked, the truck will pull forward, the pin will come away from the hitch and the trailer will drop 1 inch to the ground, without damaging your truck bed rails. Then you get to figure out why you thought it was locked when it really wasn't.

If you have a Hensley BD3 or TS3 hitch, looking at the jaws is not sufficient. You also have to verify that the locking block at the front of the hitch has slid into the locked position.

 

[Garypowell]

When we had eelectric landing gear we could raise them an inch and use the trailer breaks to pull forward to chech. But now with hydraulic one foot stays on the ground so we have to look for the "lean". At least on my 4 previous rigs we would move forward about 6" before the breaks would grab.

With the hydraulic and one leg still on the ground......well better put one leg all the way up and the other one 1" off the ground I was not comfortable moving the rig.....if the pin did come out of the hitch my thinking is that with only one leg down there would be an unacceptable pressure on the one foot and torque on frame.

So we do the pull test now with both feet on the ground and some weight on the hitch. And as stated look for the legs to lean forward.

And yes we do all the visual things too.

I guess what I have learned from nwilson is that the spring is stronger than I though.....and it makes sense.

If others want to chime in about how they do pull test with a hydraulic front I'd be happy to hear.

 

[porthole]

Gary, the pull test is still simple to do with hydraulics.

1) Raise the legs, as soon as one leg is off the ground there is very little if any weight supported by the other leg. Pull test.

2) When one leg starts to come off the ground, step on it (or have someone if you can't reach), the other leg will then lift. The legs move with whichever leg has the least internal resistance. Pull test.

3) Raise the legs all the way, once home, set them back down. Once one leg bottoms the second will follow, let it jsu about touch. Pull test.


I have used all three methods above and always do a pull test.

If you have standard electric breaks and they don't grab right away they may need adjustment.
Either way, decent wheel chocks will hold you in place to do the pull test.

If you leave some weight on the jacks it will be much easier to do the pull test as there is not the full friction load on the saddle. That friction load is what gets most of us in trouble. Just enough friction to maybe pull forward of the campsite, but not enough to make that first turn out of the site.

 

[Garypowell]

Porthole,

i sort of understand hydraulics but not fully. It makes sense that when one leg pulls up the other is fully extended but not really holding any weight. It always seemed strange to me that the farthest leg went up first....one would think it would have the most resistance.

But Linda could be over there to step on it and once the other leg comes up and the switch is let go they will be locked where they are and able to hold weight. Part of my problem is that I did not want to "drag" the down leg but your way solves that!

On the new 3010 we have the self adjusting brakes but since I have never raised the front legs to do the pull test I don't know if this rig moves the 6 inches my others have. Before we hit the road full time I am going to have the bearings inspected/repacked and it will be a natural time to adjust the front brakes too.

Thank you for helping me think this through.

 

[porthole]

Keep us posted.