Shore Power Reel troubles

[teasac69]

My 2014 BH has the power reel Uptake and she is trying to quit. Push the button to reel it up and nothing but you can hear a light buzz inside. I've learned to pull the cord out a bit and then it will take up; like it's hitting a flat spot on the motor, etc. It's also getting weaker about pulling in the cord. I've never let it have much of a load while retrieving the cord but now it's trying to let me down.

I've done a little searching for this but nothing yet. Sounds like new reel motor to me? Need the brain trust to advise me again.

thanks guys (and Toni)

 

[ATLJOHN]

Try to pull the cord all the way out and rewind. Mind had that problem the cable was to high in one area


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[porthole]

I've done a little searching for this but nothing yet.

Your search yielded little as there seem to be very few issues with these reels.

Is your reel wired to allow power in both directions?
If so, does it sound ok from fully retracted to fully extended?

One extra hump on the cord and the reel can slow down or stop.

The reels are built to Heartland specs which differs from the normal reel that is available. I don't recall the exact number, but the Heartland reel is about 1" lower in overall height. So having the cord retract flat across the reel is key.

 

[Dumboldles]

Sounds like your having the same problems that I had with my reel that eventually quit ...I had to tie off the cord to my latter in order to get it into the dealer for a fix. The dealer did find the problem (wish I could remember exactly...something had come lose or broken) but was fixed.

I find that reeling the cord in is a two person operation. I put on gloves to guide the cord, while DW operates the control button. So far seems to be working.

Good luck in determining the problem.

Dumboldles

 

[teasac69]

sorry guys, didn't mean to ignore your posts and comments.

My reel does not power both ways, only the take up. I toggle the switch to take up and nothing happens, but a buzz. if I pull the cord out a bit, then it will start up again. seems like a flat spot on the motor stator. My question is really how big a deal is it to replace and where do you find one?

I've always guided the cord back on the reel so keep it snug but also tried to reduce the load on the pull. should not be going out now.

thanks always

 

[BigGuy82]

My 2014 BH has the power reel Uptake and she is trying to quit. Push the button to reel it up and nothing but you can hear a light buzz inside. I've learned to pull the cord out a bit and then it will take up; like it's hitting a flat spot on the motor, etc. It's also getting weaker about pulling in the cord. I've never let it have much of a load while retrieving the cord but now it's trying to let me down.

I've done a little searching for this but nothing yet. Sounds like new reel motor to me? Need the brain trust to advise me again.

thanks guys (and Toni)

I can't answer your basic question about how to replace this thing, but I share your pain. Mine never had a lot of guts to it - starts ratcheting easily. I keep the windings flat, without humps and the cord never hits the two cross bars. If it's cold outside (making the cord stiffer), it will ratchet unless I feed it in while the spool is turning, meaning that it becomes a two person job. Under normal conditions, I wear gloves and guide the wire so it doesn't bunch.

In engineering parlance, this thing is not a robust solution. The motor is weak, is susceptible to cold weather and even the slighest winding imperfections. The dealer told me this was "normal". All that said, it still rolls up the cord and is a whole lot easier than humping around a large coli of heavy wire.

 

[danemayer]

Over 6+ years I never had a problem on our 2011 LM. I've pulled the cord in at -2 (F) without any motor problem pulling in a stiff power cord.

The whole assembly was changed out last Fall due to a problem at the plug, and I notice some differences with the new style reel. It's slower to retract for one. But it works fine.

 

[BigGuy82]

Over 6+ years I never had a problem on our 2011 LM. I've pulled the cord in at -2 (F) without any motor problem pulling in a stiff power cord.

The whole assembly was changed out last Fall due to a problem at the plug, and I notice some differences with the new style reel. It's slower to retract for one. But it works fine.

I must have one of the newer ones.

 

[CoveredWagon]

The exact reason I bought a Mor/Ryder manual real. It's easy and never fails, unless I do 😱

 

[Lou_and_Bette]

Just helped another Big Horn owner whose real "made a loud popping sound and quit." He thought he had broken a sprocket and needed to pull the reel out to fix it so he was going to buy a 50 foot 50 amp extension cord so he could leave it rolled up ( did it manually) and get it fixed when he got back to home base. I was able to pull cover off nose end of reel and found the chain had jumped off the sprockets. Was able to get the chain on small gear and, after looping over top of the big gear, had him bump switch and slowly got chain back on and the reel working again.

 

[porthole]

Overall, you still rarely hear about problems with this reel.
I would contact the manufacturer.

http://www.trci.net/products/shorel...v-marine/50-amp-rv-power-cord-reels-rh54-rl54

 

[DickO]

Ours died on our first trip in our 2017 Bighorn.

 

[BigGuy82]

Overall, you still rarely hear about problems with this reel.
I would contact the manufacturer.

http://www.trci.net/products/shorel...v-marine/50-amp-rv-power-cord-reels-rh54-rl54

Thanks for the link - it will come in handy.

So, I went to the website, and the first bullet is:

• NEW! High torque motor provides 3x pulling power of previous design

and further down:

• Non-stiffening, super flexible power cords

Tells me everything I need to know about why mine is so anemic. As I said before, this thing is far better than coiling up a heavy cord and finding a place to store it, but it is far from "robust". In cold weather, it is an absolute dud, because the cord I have gets hard from the cold. Also, I obviously don't have the "high torque" motor (or, if I do, I'd hate to see the old motor).

I'll just wait until it dies then replace with a newer model or perhaps a better one from a competitor if available.

 

[CoveredWagon]

http://www.morryde.com/products/105-easy-reel-spooler-economy

- - - Updated - - -

Overall, you still rarely hear about problems with this reel.

That's not exactly what the maintenance techs told us when we picked up our coach

 

[teasac69]

Mine is dying and in fact rarely takes up the cord anymore unless I work with it and tease it and cuddle it, etc. In other words, mine appears to be dying quickly. But OMG that $500 price tag is killing me. Surely there is a market somewhere for all those cord reels that got pulled off those rigs that were totaled out. Does anyone know of a salvage dealer? They'll probably still charge $450 for it and know nothing about it.

Guess I'm going to have to spring for the new one with 3x pulling power and then hope it's not a beast to install.

 

[BigGuy82]

Mine is dying and in fact rarely takes up the cord anymore unless I work with it and tease it and cuddle it, etc. In other words, mine appears to be dying quickly. But OMG that $500 price tag is killing me. Surely there is a market somewhere for all those cord reels that got pulled off those rigs that were totaled out. Does anyone know of a salvage dealer? They'll probably still charge $450 for it and know nothing about it.

Guess I'm going to have to spring for the new one with 3x pulling power and then hope it's not a beast to install.

Assuming that the new one does, in fact, have "3x the power" as advertised. I still think this thing is not robust", (a nice way of saying "cheaply built") but the problem is there doesn't seem to be an alternative out there (at least not one I could find). I looked at the Mor-Ryde referenced in earlier posts, but it's a manual one.

Mine has been anemic from day one and the dealer says that's pretty much normal operation. Sadly, it appears to be the only game in town.

 

[porthole]

For anyone that may order a replacement or new installation reel check with TRCI first.
When I ordered my reel Heartland had a specific build for the trailers.
IIRC it was about 1" lower overall height.

 

[danemayer]

youRe: Shore Power Reel troubles

Also, check with Heartland Parts Dep't on price. If you're an Owners Club member, you're eligible for a 10% discount.

 

[CoveredWagon]

t. I looked at the Mor-Ryde referenced in earlier posts, but it's a manual one.

Mine has been anemic from day one and the dealer says that's pretty much normal operation. Sadly, it appears to be the only game in town.

Yes it is manual. It takes about that long to wind in a cord, which is no time at all. So far I've had no power failures 😉. Best of all it's only about $150.

 

[porthole]

Another thought on the reel. When you order it, it comes with about 34' feet of 6/4 SO flexible power cord.
If you don't need the cord see if you get get a reel without it. The cost savings could be significant.

Or, when you do order a replacement reel, order male and female 50 amp replacement ends and make a nice extension cord.