replacing hydraulic lines

[Sparkie]

I have a 2006 Landmark Shenendoah. Because the fittings are leaking going to the slideouts I need to relace the hydraulic lines. More Chinese crap. Since I'll have to drop the bottom to access the lines I've decided to replace all the lines. I have three front jack lines leaking also.

Help! If any of you have any knowledge on how to replace the lines or even the best way to drop the bottom please pass it on to me. Any tidbits of information or ideas of any kind that will make the job easier and safer will be greatly appreciated!

I've always been grateful to the help you all have given me in the past so please accept a sincere thank you once againNone.

 

[trdeal]

Sparkie,Replaced all my lines back in the spring and here is what I did.First pull all the slides in and the landing gear up.The landing gear are not that bad.Take down all the under belly from the axles back.Find a crossmember and cut the cardboard there.By cutting the cardboard on a crossmember you will of course have something to screw the cardboard back into.You will also need a piece of metal,steel ,something to put over the seamto help hold the cardboard in place and to help seal.I had my fresh water tank reinforced at my dealer so mine was already cut.Also take the cardboard loose up the off door side to have access to the lines. I made a diagram of where each line was connected.I took the lines loose and tied a string to the end of each one. I then slowly pulled each line out and left the string attached.If I felt the line stop I went underneath and found where the line was snagged so I would not pull a wire or something else loose.The install is the opposite.Get some Great Stuff to fill in the big holes and some caulking for the smaller openings and to seal .Can't remember what I used but if you go to Lowes or Home Depot and tell them what you want to do they can help you.I believe Heartland should use a better grade of hyd. line in this critical hard to get to area.Hope this helps.If you have any questions please pm me and I will try to help.

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Terry and Sparkie,

Are the lines leaking or just the fittings? If it is the fittings why not just replace the fittings with better ones? I have a leak on the ODS slide and was thinking of just replacing the fitting.

 

[jmgratz]

FYI, if your unit is still in warranty this work could be done by the dealer. If your hydraulic cylinders are leaking it would be a Lippert issue. Mine, (cylinder leak) was fixed and covered by Lippert under warranty.

 

[trdeal]

My lines were not leaking. The fittings were seaping fluid, some worse than others.Some were making a bigger mess than others.My pump was replaced eariler under the Lippert warranty.I am not sure about just replacing the fittings. Someone else will have to weigh in on that one.

 

[jmgratz]

I am not a hydraulic man so if I had to replace fittings I would take the line to a hydraulic repair center and let them do it. These are high pressure hoses and it takes some expertise to do it.

 

[dewwood]

Are the crimped on fittings leaking around the crimped area or are the fittings on the end with the threads on them leaking? Have you checked to be sure they have not worked loose a little with time and just need to be snugged up with an end wrench? Does it appear there was teflon tape used when they were screwed together? If it is the actual crimped portion you will need to pull them and get them fixed or replace the entire hose with new fittings on it. The above post explained how to pull them with a string to make putting the new hose back in easier.

Good luck!

 

[jmgratz]

Also FYI when the slides are in the are not pressurized. They are pressurized when they are out. So if you remove the line while the slide is out you will have a mess.

 

[Sparkie]

My fittings are leaking between the crimp and the stationary nut so I have to replace the whole line. I would consider myself insane to remove the Chinese made lines, put a new fitting on and put them back in. I want some REAL hydraulic lines.

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

I fixed one line before by just cutting the fitting off and replacing with a new one. I did not notice if the lines were Chinese or USA. Will have to check and take appropriate action, no or very little Chinese crap for me.

 

[Sparkie]

Tom

Is it possible to replace the fitting without pulling the lines out? I've been told I have to pull them out to have a new fitting put on. I'd be willing to take a chance on that if it can be done. Please advise! Thanks!

 

[katkens]

We had a lot of hydraulics at work and we used reusable fittings for repair. It will make a solid repair and we had no leaks after use, here's a link to type we used......Kenny

http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/R1_Hydraulic_Hose_Fittings_s/64.htm

 

[slaytop]

After seeing nearly half of my hose fittings seeping I decided to replace all the hydraulic hoses on my Shenandoah. It didn't matter how tight they were drawn or who did it, they still leaked. I even had the technicians at the rally in Elkhart tighten them. Well, anyhow, it's a challenging job to get them all off and back but not impossible if you keep notes, measure each hose length and are not afraid to take the belly down..

I took the hoses to an area shop and they remarked at how thin the hose walls were and how easy it is to fold the hoses when bent. They didn't think the original hoses were good for crimped connections but better for a type of connection used by truckers. They were made in the USA but the printing makes it difficult to know exactly what they are. When I took them off and cut one across I noticed that the inside diameter was about 1/32" larger than 1/4" and probably fit the end loosely before being crimped. The walls were thin as described by the technician. It's obvious that they are a less expensive version of the Parflex hose we used for the replacements.

The business made new hoses with Parker Parflex 518C-4 Nonconductive hose, SAE 100R7, 1/4" 3,000psi. It is a sturdier hose with thicker sidewalls, a tighter inside diameter and colored orange. The hose states to use 55 series fittings. The fittings they installed needed a 5/8" wrench rather than the 9/16" size for the originals. they are definitely more heavy duty and were easy to tighten.

I'm happy I took the time to do this job but I'm disappointed that Heartland permitted cheap hoses to be used on their "high-end" model product. It's a lot of work for something that shouldn't have to be done so soon on this coach.

 

[RollingHome]

Slaytop, Thanks for sharing that info. I copied and pasted your post into MS Word and put it in my "Maintenance" file just in case. I've done this with many post from the forum. I have a 2011 BH, I wonder if HL still uses the undersize hose, do you know ? Also, by chance did you keep a log of hose length/s ? It may help others with your model LM.

Kenny, ditto, I saved to my favorites, your hotlink you posted last year on this.

Tom

 

[slaytop]

Tom,
I can only speak for myself and my "classic" unit. I don't know if the hydraulic hoses used now are of the same type as mine. Other members can verify if the current hoses are better. The lengths of the hoses would be different for each model. Since the Shenandoah is a shorter model, the overall length of hose used is probably shorter than all the other Landmark models.

I'm not sure how useful this information is but, since you requested it, here are the lengths I ordered. Front landing gear: 2'; 3'; 10'2"; and 8' 2". Front bedroom: 6' 3"; 6' 3"; and 14" between slide valves and pump. Rear slides: 29' 4"; 26' 6"; 22' 8"; and 8' 2".