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Old 10-25-2016, 10:26 AM   #1
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Ultra-Fab Deluxe 5th Electric Landing Gear

I finally got around to replacing the under powered Atwood single motor landing gear that Lippert originally installed on this frame. This inadequate jack has been my biggest complaint ever since I bought this trailer. I just finished installing my new Ultra-Fab dual motor landing gear jacks this morning...

Ultra-Fab Products, Inc.| - Deluxe 5th Wheel Electric Landing Gear

So far, I've only used the jacks to pick the camper up off the jackstands I had it on while swapping out the jacks, but they raised the trailer effortlessly. My first trip with the new jacks will be next week.

As an added bonus, I can now fine tune my leveling by running one jack at a time.

I've been looking forward to this day for three years.
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Old 10-25-2016, 03:04 PM   #2
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Nice work, etex. How complex was the install?
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2013 F-350 CC SB 2WD 6.7PS
2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS
-SOLD- 2012 X23B
-SOLD- 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4, Bilstein shocks
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Old 10-25-2016, 05:44 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by RedHorse1 View Post
Nice work, etex. How complex was the install?

The install was very straightforward. To access the driver's side leg, I just had to remove the propane bottles. To access the passenger side leg, I had to remove the left wall from the front storage compartment. That wall had been removed by the dealer before when they replaced the leg on the original jack.

The kit comes will all the wires soldered to the switches. All you have to do is route the wires and hook them up. They are all color coded. The kit also comes with two inline fuses, one for each jack. I chose not to use those. I bought some standard automotive 30 amp breakers and installed those in the battery compartment. I drilled two half inch holes in the wall of the battery compartment and put grommets on those to run each pair of wires through.

Six of the eight wires were not long enough for may camper, so I had to lengthen them. No big deal.

The stops on the Ultra-fab jacks fit my existing brackets perfectly. I had already measured those before ordering, so I knew they would. That was what forced me to choose the Ultra-Fab jacks over the similar Bulldog jacks.

Fully retracted, the bottom of the leg is about 4 inches up in the hole in the opening in my camper, so my jacks will be extended 4-6 inches at all times. The jacks have 21 inches of stroke, so this shouldn't be an issue. The only way to remedy this would be to cut off my brackets and weld on the provided brackets in a lower position. I have zero interest in doing this.

I installed my two switches on the front wall of the camper, under the overhang. I put a piece of sheet metal between the switches and the camper wall, just to give the fiberglass wall a little more rigidity. I didn't use the switch housings provided by Ultra-Fab. I just drilled two half inch holes and mounted the switches directly to the wall. The switches have rubber protective boots over the toggles.

I see that your fifth wheel is the exact same model as mine, a 2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS. An install on your camper would be almost identical to mine, unless you have an onboard generator.
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Old 10-26-2016, 04:02 PM   #4
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Thanks, etex! I looked at the Ultra-Fab via the link you posted and noted there were weld-on brackets. Very interesting that you could use the existing mounts. Where did you place the jack stands? I'm guessing the frame behind the original landing gear. No genny in ours so access sounds pretty straightforward. Have examined the propane side leg and figured the opposite side access would be thru the basement wall or the front compartment.
Do the motors synchronize with each other or run independently via the 2 switches?
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2013 F-350 CC SB 2WD 6.7PS
2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS
-SOLD- 2012 X23B
-SOLD- 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4, Bilstein shocks
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Old 10-26-2016, 04:25 PM   #5
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Yes, I put the jack stands under the frame a few inches behind the landing gear legs.

The two jacks are completely independent. You can raise both at the same time by pressing both toggles simultaneously, which is how they would normally be used. You can use one at a time to fine tune the side to side leveling.

I believe the side wall in the front compartment comes stapled in place from the factory. Prying it loose without breaking it is probably the biggest challenge presented. After that, it can be put back in place with screws. Mine had 6 screws in it after the dealer had previously replaced the leg on that side.

One of the diagrams on the etrailer site shows the spacing for the stops on the jack. You can measure the brackets on your trailer rather easily on the left side just in front of the propane tanks. The 13.5 inches from the bottom of the top bracket to the bottom of the lower bracket fits one set of stops on the Ultrafab jacks perfectly. I'm betting that 13.5 inches is a fairly standard measurement on Lippert produced frames, and Ultrafab put stops on their jacks accordingly.
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Old 10-26-2016, 04:28 PM   #6
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One thing I did forget to mention is that bolts clamping the leg to the bracket on the right side can not be removed without cutting two access holes in the battery box. I discovered that the dealer had already cut holes in mine when they replaced that leg previously, and then just sealed the hole with tape. It was just a matter of removing and replacing the tape when I installed that leg.
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