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Old 07-06-2015, 05:50 PM   #1
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Landing Gear Issue-Opinions Please

We are currently in the midst of our Yellowstone trip and, wouldn't you know it, the other landing gear shear pin has failed. This time, it's definitely on the curb/battery box side. We replaced the one on the other side a few months ago.

What I've been doing as a "work around" is getting the camper close to level with the street side landing gear, then coming up about 1.5 more holes. I then lower the "bad" gear down, then lower the good gear so that the weight is shared between the two landing gear and the fifth wheel. I have not unhitched since discovering this problem.

Ok, so here's the dilemma. If I try to get it fixed here in Montana, it could eat up several precious vacation days. If I leave it hitched, I have to rent a vehicle for sightseeing or be consigned to the campground.

The question is whether or not it is safe to un-hitch in this condition? The landing gear does not appear to collapse any, and it would be pushing against the gears. I just don't want to turn the camper over, but also don't want to have needless complications merely from being overly cautious.

Thoughts???
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Old 07-06-2015, 06:03 PM   #2
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My rear stabilizer had a screw head shear off and it is making the reliability of the motor for those two stabilizers questionable in terms of how often they will work. I need to get it in for service.
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Old 07-06-2015, 06:35 PM   #3
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Northmeck where are the shear pins you are talking about? Are you talking about the spring loaded pins used to lock the front stabilizers after sliding them up or down?
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Old 07-06-2015, 06:57 PM   #4
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Northmeck where are the shear pins you are talking about? Are you talking about the spring loaded pins used to lock the front stabilizers after sliding them up or down?
It was a screw that popped out while trying to retract my rear stabilizer from the ground after camping for 4 days. This was its maiden voyage. I don't know nor can I see where it came from. The motor didn't seem to "catch" after it came out. After several minutes of back and forth it began to work. I will have to take it in for a look with the local servicer.
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Old 07-06-2015, 07:42 PM   #5
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If its new call your dealer and jayco and see if they can fixit at the camp site thru like route66 or goodsam
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Old 07-06-2015, 08:23 PM   #6
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I'm talking about the shear pin that connects the cross drive bar to the gearbox. It's a grade 8. 1/4x20 bolt. That part's easy. It's getting to it that would entail a lot of disassembly.

The street side shear pin was easy, as it's accessible from the propane compartment.

This is another thing altogether. The batteries are in the way, plus we have a generator in the front compartment.

I'm trying to find a reasonable, safe way to put off repairs until we get back home.
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Old 07-07-2015, 09:03 AM   #7
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I would call mobile repair man even if Jayco won't reimburse you. I would not let replacing a bolt ruin my vacation.
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Old 07-07-2015, 05:52 PM   #8
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I went and got some grade 8 1/4x20 bolts with nylock nuts, in various lengths. Tomorrow I'm going to dive into it and see if I can access that shear pin hole. I'm first going to try going from the storage compartment by removing the fwd bulkhead.
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Old 07-08-2015, 05:14 PM   #9
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Ok, so the dealer forgot that I have a genny in the front compartment. Either it or the battery box will have to come out to access the shear pin. I think I'll just keep using my "work around" until we get home from this trip.
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Old 07-08-2015, 05:55 PM   #10
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A grade 8 bolt is a very hard bolt. They call it a shear pin for a reason. Its suppose to be the first thing to break to protect the gear box and drive train. I would think by putting in such a hard bolt, you would be putting the landing gear in jeopardy by making the shear bolt so hard that other components will break before the shear pin.
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Old 07-08-2015, 10:34 PM   #11
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When the other shear pin broke, the recommendation here was for the grade 8 bolt. That's why I chose it. I mentioned it to the Jayco service rep, and he didn't voice any concern.
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Old 07-08-2015, 11:15 PM   #12
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The best solution would obviously be to get it fixed. In not sure i would want to do this every night but a hydraulic jack and some blocking lumber would also work in a pinch. I've used my heavy duty floor jack to set the extension leg pin that was not completely engaged.
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Old 07-09-2015, 06:04 AM   #13
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A jack was my thoughts. Or if you can get to a parts store you could get a relatively inexpensive jack stand to hold it.
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Old 07-09-2015, 07:09 AM   #14
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How would I jack it up without making it more unstable?? It seems to me that with the leg and footpad down, putting a bottle jack under the foot and jacking up would make it "wobbly". I'll give it a try, though. Fixing it properly isn't an option at the moment. I'm 2,000 miles from home, and Im not prepared to remove the generator here at the campground.

Thanks for the help, guys. I appreciate it!
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Old 07-09-2015, 08:50 PM   #15
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I would use the bottom frame rail. There is a huge I beam on each side that the flashing and plastic underbelly attach to. Tha cross beam is pretty stout but I would go with the side I beams.

A bottle jack will work but you need to make sure the rig is chocked so the jack won't tip. I would use a jack stand or wood or something solid to support the frame once it is of the truck.
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Old 07-10-2015, 06:04 PM   #16
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That sheer pin just disconnected the motor from the jack. It will hold the trailer just fine the way you described it. Unhook and enjoy your trip with the truck
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Old 07-12-2015, 10:30 AM   #17
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We had the jack on our Pinnacle go bad and it made an awful grinding sound. According to Camping World, the housing broke. So as not to ruin our vacation, I manually cranked the front landing gear up and down. I also purchased a king pin stabilizer just to be safe.
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Old 07-12-2015, 10:01 PM   #18
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Dave,
Thanks very much. That's exactly what I did.
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Old 07-13-2015, 10:15 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ela1948 View Post
A grade 8 bolt is a very hard bolt. They call it a shear pin for a reason. Its suppose to be the first thing to break to protect the gear box and drive train. I would think by putting in such a hard bolt, you would be putting the landing gear in jeopardy by making the shear bolt so hard that other components will break before the shear pin.
I agree grade 8 is way to hard to use as a shear bolt. Find a grade 2, one with no markings on the top.
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Old 07-13-2015, 07:23 PM   #20
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Ok, will do.
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