Something Everybody Needs To Check!

[jrlebaron]

Thanks for the heads up will be pulled out within a week. I checked my bolts one nut was missing the other ok. I puts the nylons on the one that was missing and carrying extras in case i happen to across someone with the same problem. The bolt size is 1/4 -20 just for general info.
Jim

 

[Jimmyt5]

Just for info Mil-Spec for bolts is you should have three threads showing tru the nut.

Just some Navy shipyard info.....


Jim

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Hold on now, I hope we speaking of the same issue. I am talking about the front jacks landing gear on the bighorn. When you drop the landing gear down halfway, then pull the pin out, to drop the interior jack to the ground, around that pin was the loose nuts that hold the jack on. I also noticed when we picked it up from the RV Outlet in Fresno, that when they originally hitched us up to leave it bent the front jack a little, but enough to make it difficult to pull that pin to drop the landing jacks, and then resecure it.

 

[jpmorgan37]

Just open the front storage compartment and at the top there is a square shaft running the whole length. If you look , feel , at each end the is a bolt that goes through that connects the shaft to the motor and gearing on the the other end. The bolts on mine took a allen head wrench and believe the nut was 3/8's.......Ken

Larry;

This is the area that the others are referring to. If I understand you correctly, you are referring to the landing legs themselves. On my legs, I just have pins and safety clips retaining the feet, no bolts and nuts.

John

 

[Larryheadhunter]

John,
There is one bracket per side at the top of the legs held on by 2 nuts and bolts. Mine were so loose on one side the leg was wobbly. This is right above the pin that is pulled to release the interior legs to set the height. I think this could occur during the hitching up process, when too much pressure is put on those legs while backing the truck into the hitch pin. At this point the rear stabilizers are still up.

 

[jpmorgan37]

Larry;

I understand what you are saying, and those bolts should have been tight. That was a good catch. That's a different place from what the others are referring to. Going back to what you were saying about putting pressure on the legs when hitching, you should have your wheels blocked then you won't be putting much or any pressure at all on those legs. If you are using the Ford built in brake controller, if yours is like mine, you can't apply the trailer brakes so you will have to depend on the wheel chocks to restrict trailer movement.

John

 

[Larryheadhunter]

I understand John, I didnt do it. the rv outlet in fresno hooked me up the first time and they are the ones that bent them, while they were hitching up the first time for me. btw, how do u lock the trailer brakes? by pushing the brake controllers rabbit ears in the truck?

 

[Goldenwingers]

That is the way I hitch up. I hold the lever on my Prodigy brake controller and the trailer is not going to move. Be sure the pigtail is hooked up before hitching up.

Don

 

[cdbMidland]

John,
There is one bracket per side at the top of the legs held on by 2 nuts and bolts. Mine were so loose on one side the leg was wobbly. This is right above the pin that is pulled to release the interior legs to set the height. I think this could occur during the hitching up process, when too much pressure is put on those legs while backing the truck into the hitch pin. At this point the rear stabilizers are still up.

I looked at mine yesterday, but the only place I could see these was through the propane cylinder doors. I'm glad this is the place as I have the "gen prep" which completely blocks the door side of the front storage unit.

Fortunately, mine were tight.

 

[caddojay]

We have a generator installed in the front compartment. Is there a way to see the bolts and nuts if I come from the other side of the compartment? I wonder if I can see them through the battery compartment and propane compartment? I'm not where I can get to the unit until next week and I'm certainly concerned.

 

[cdbMidland]

We have a generator installed in the front compartment. Is there a way to see the bolts and nuts if I come from the other side of the compartment? I wonder if I can see them through the battery compartment and propane compartment? I'm not where I can get to the unit until next week and I'm certainly concerned.

Look at my post just before yours. Hopefully, you have one cylinder on each side of your 5er which will give you a door on each side.

 

[caddojay]

Got it! I must have been speed-reading and read only the part that you can't see past the gen-prep. Occasionally, I only have one eye that works at a reduced reading capacity. Maybe I should wear my glasses more often.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Chuck thanks for the heads up. I also have a gen prep on my 3400RE and couldnt tell where to look for the loose nuts and bolts, so when we go out on our third trip since we got our rig 3 weeks ago, whee we are having fun, I will check it out through the propane doors.

 

[Bob&Patty]

The Dreaded Nuts

We took a little jaunt to spend this weekend at the youngest grandsons 1st birth party. Stayed at a nice CG in Carlsbad, Ca. Had a good time even with the wind blowing off the ocean about 100 mph saturday. We also had a great thunder and lighting show all night. I heard they got hail in San Diego. This is Socal??? Everything went well until I went to put up the landing gear. It started up and then nothing. I opened the front compartment and what the &#@^. Guess WHAT, the nuts were gone and the bolts fell out. I had never heard of this before HAHA, and I have checked them several times. Well I did find the bolts, the nuts, I guess went into the abiss or black hole. AH HA, duct tape, I put the bolts in place and wrapped duct tape around them and shaft. They held together until I got home and unhooked. You guys and your talk about this put a jinx on me. Off to Lowes and get some nylocks and reassemble the beast. Bob