New Cyclone - Hydraulic Failure

[Northstar522]

Just picked up 2012 Cyclone 3010. Everything worked fine at PDI. Got to campsite Friday night and left landing gear would not extend. I worked the switch back and forth and after some time it did extend. Broke down camp this morning (Sunday) - slides and landing gear worked fine. Got home: Slides would not extend and landing gear would not extend. There is what appears to be two major electrical lines connected to the cylindrical motor driving the hydraulic system. If I touched the one on the back of the motor, the motor starts and throws sparks (very scary - don't need a fire!) Motor runs then stops after a few seconds. I'm stranded with no way to get the unit off my truck.

I guess this kind of thing is the norm. It sure would be nice to buy a NEW unit and not have things breakdown within 2 days.

Any advice? I know nothing about hydraulic systems. Thanks everyone.

 

[TedS]

Sounds like you are in for a trip back to the dealer.

The problem is probably electrical not hydraulic. Disconnect the battery. Check for loose connections. Something may have shaken loose on your trip after the PDI. The hydraulic motor should not run if you do not push the switch. Pushing wires to cause the motor to run, something is not right.

 

[cookie]

Although you may have a bad motor, I think TedS is right on. Disconnect the battery and look for a loose wire.
I carry two bottle jacks just in case of a landing gear failure. They came in handy on my last rig. You never know.
Have you thought about attending the WI rally in August? It's just right up the road from you.

Peace
Dave

 

[hoefler]

Check for a loose connection. If you have a loose connection, it will arc and have carbon deposits that will insulate or have very high resistance and will not conduct electricity unless it is disturbed or removed. Remove the connection, clean or replace the ends and re-assemble making sure all connections are tight. Check you battery cables as well, they need to be tightened with a wrench, not just by hand.

 

[Northstar522]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. After some investigation you all appear to be correct: Electrical. There are no hydraulic leaks I can find, and I am able to extend and retract the legs manually with a drill. (Is it normal for one leg to extend before the other? When the right side leg hits the ground the other leg starts down.) The switch may be a problem but I can't tell without disassembling it which I am hesitant to do. It is quite a cheap switch. It will stick in either the down or up position which I don't believe is how a toggle switch is supposed to work. I almost wonder if my problem came about due to the switch getting stuck and something burning up. I checked all of the electrical connections I could see and everything appears solid. The main electrical lines to and from the electric motor appear tight and non-corroded. The good news is that with the drill I was able to extend the legs and get my truck disconnected from the trailer. The bad news is I'll likely be taking it back to the dealer soon instead of camping.

 

[cookie]

As far as one leg touching the ground before the other starts to move, yes that's the way hydraulics work.

Peace
Dave

 

[TedS]

Glad you have isolated the problem.

Yes, one leg moves before the other. The legs are hydraulically connected in parallel. The leg with the least resistance moves first and until it contacts the ground. Then the increased pressure pushes oil to the other leg until it contacts the ground. Then they move together to lift the trailer. It adapts the legs to uneven ground and then gives a straight lift.

The same is true of the slides. The one with the least resistance moves first.

 

[hoefler]

It sounds like you answered you own question. If the switch is sticking, it is bad. It sounds like the contacts may have welded itself at some time. This is usually caused by too high of a draw through it, or loose connections that cause a higher draw.

 

[branson4020]

In my case, both rocker switches (front landing gear and rear jacks) developed this same problem. It was due to corrosion. I replaced both switches with sealed marine-grade switches. Also, the switch sticking in the retract position caused it to cycle the auto-reset 12V breaker to death.