50 amp power cord reel quit working

[jetlag]

Today I spoke with a very nice gentleman at shoreline reels. He immediately knew the pins had fallen off the mechanism. He indicated the part was cast out of very hard plastic, and the minute it was cast and hot, the pins were dropped in and as the plastic cooled it was supposed to hold them in place. Obviously it does not work as well as it should and the have a new improved part to replace this mechanism. The Part number is "CRRK-01". He would send it to me, but under warranty and prefers I go through Jayco or dealer first.

[onthegulf]

Sounds good I recommended you call manufacturer because I thought I remembered someone saying there might be a fix. Having thought I fixed mine for good I forgot about that possibility. Your still have to get to the sprocket cover for any fix. The sprocket cover is behind the wall on right side of the unit facing to the rear of the RV.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by onthegulf

Sounds good I recommended you call manufacturer because I thought I remembered someone saying there might be a fix. Having thought I fixed mine for good I forgot about that possibility. Your still have to get to the sprocket cover for any fix. The sprocket cover is behind the wall on right side of the unit facing to the rear of the RV.

Thank You. Do you know how to access the darn thing? I have no clue, lol. If I can talk the dealer into getting the part and letting me or someone else here install it, it would be great. I read on this thread where someone got in theirs and gave details that went over my head

[Sola123]

Mine quite working on my Pinnacle as well….the motor would run both directions but not wind up cord….accessed behind wheel, removed cover and the clutch bearings fell out…did a work around with two screws and has worked fine since …..not exactly easy but very cheap to fix…took about 2 hours….

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

Mine quite working on my Pinnacle as well….the motor would run both directions but not wind up cord….accessed behind wheel, removed cover and the clutch bearings fell out…did a work around with two screws and has worked fine since …..not exactly easy but very cheap to fix…took about 2 hours….

Thanks, can you tell me how you accessed the wheel? as In what did you have to remove to get to it?

[Sola123]

On my 2018 pinnacle…..between the cord reel and rear tire under the camper between the frame and siding is a shield held by 2 screws….take it down and there the cover for the cord reel will be exposed….that cover has like 7-9 screws holding it on….you will need an extension to reach them all….once off you will see the gear with a chain on it from the motor….the clutch is behind that gear…..there is also an end plate that is in front of the chained gear….I realized that the motor worked both directions…but the chained gear did not move but the exposed plate did….so I simply used a couple of self taping screws to screw the exposed plate to the chained gear…..that forced the chain gear to move the cord reel….yes…my bearings fell out on the ground once I removed the cover….but no big deal apparently….after my fix I just cannot free wheel the cord to extend it…but hey…for a 20 cent fix I will push the button to get the cord in and out….good luck….

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

On my 2018 pinnacle…..between the cord reel and rear tire under the camper between the frame and siding is a shield held by 2 screws….take it down and there the cover for the cord reel will be exposed….that cover has like 7-9 screws holding it on….you will need an extension to reach them all….once off you will see the gear with a chain on it from the motor….the clutch is behind that gear…..there is also an end plate that is in front of the chained gear….I realized that the motor worked both directions…but the chained gear did not move but the exposed plate did….so I simply used a couple of self taping screws to screw the exposed plate to the chained gear…..that forced the chain gear to move the cord reel….yes…my bearings fell out on the ground once I removed the cover….but no big deal apparently….after my fix I just cannot free wheel the cord to extend it…but hey…for a 20 cent fix I will push the button to get the cord in and out….good luck….

Thank You, my dealer mentioned that someone else had done a "direct" drive similar to what you describe. Maybe it was you. I will talk to him later today.
Rene

[jetlag]

I was unable to talk to dealer yesterday but I had emailed him the information given to me with the new part number. Last night he emailed me and said part was ordered!! How about that? very impressed. The Rep at shoreline Reels also left a message saying he had spoken to the dealer. There appeared to be some confusion between them, but part is ordered. Rep mentioned the difficulty of installing the new part and wants me to call him back today.

[Sola123]

Yes…I expect it to be somewhat difficult….either on or off the rig….but mostly time consuming ($$$$) than actually difficult….at today’s labor prices ….might have been better to buy a new reel….but even the labor for that would be somewhat costly….good luck….let me know how it goes….

After rereading the thread I see your unit is under warranty…I would have them fix it as well…..if they can work it in within a reasonable time….week or two but not months….

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

Yes…I expect it to be somewhat difficult….either on or off the rig….but mostly time consuming ($$$$) than actually difficult….at today’s labor prices ….might have been better to buy a new reel….but even the labor for that would be somewhat costly….good luck….let me know how it goes….

We have some cosmetic items dealer needs to address, and while waxing the unit, I found a small area near the top of the front cap, passenger side, where the paint has what looks like small ridges in the paint, and you can feel it. This may become a bigger problem, so I sent pictures to him and it may be wiser to let him do all the work including the reel under warranty. The only caveat is that he is 325+ miles away but maybe he can schedule us this winter and get it all done?

[Sola123]

From where did you purchase?….might be near me if you bought in Virginia

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

From where did you purchase?….might be near me if you bought in Virginia

Bought from Charlie Obaugh Chevy Buick GMC Kia and RV, in Staunton, about 40 miles west of Charlottesville

[Sola123]

Yep….that’s where I got mine…they have been great so far….I had a couple of small issues…I made an appointment…showed up and they were on it within 20-30 minutes….but that was before Covid and the RV buying frenzy…so don’t know how they are now for quick service….I do believe they are good honest people and the best I have ever dealt with….J.W. Is the nicest man….he was our salesman….I believe they will treat you right….I know a couple other people who work there….we live about 45 miles from the dealership…

[F350guy]

Something else to worry about. I've not had any problems with my reel other than cold weather and a stiff cord. I've taken care of the stiff cord part by replacing it with a cold weather version but if it breaks while on the road the only way I can see to get the cord stored is to completely remove it from the reel and throw it in the storage bay. I had actually thought about bypassing it completely and installing a standard connector in the compartment near the reel. Not sure if it would be a problem but that compartment is not water proof from tire splash.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

Yep….that’s where I got mine…they have been great so far….I had a couple of small issues…I made an appointment…showed up and they were on it within 20-30 minutes….but that was before Covid and the RV buying frenzy…so don’t know how they are now for quick service….I do believe they are good honest people and the best I have ever dealt with….J.W. Is the nicest man….he was our salesman….I believe they will treat you right….I know a couple other people who work there….we live about 45 miles from the dealership…

This is great to hear. JW has been wonderful so far. One of their tech guys did the PDI and he was very helpful and said we should have no issue getting in for service. Thank you, will let you know why we determine once i speak to him today.

[Sola123]

Originally Posted by F350guy

Something else to worry about. I've not had any problems with my reel other than cold weather and a stiff cord. I've taken care of the stiff cord part by replacing it with a cold weather version but if it breaks while on the road the only way I can see to get the cord stored is to completely remove it from the reel and throw it in the storage bay. I had actually thought about bypassing it completely and installing a standard connector in the compartment near the reel. Not sure if it would be a problem but that compartment is not water proof from tire splash.

Jim….I thought about installing the same connector…if mine breaks again….on the road I will tie and wrap it around the ladder til I get home…I also carry a 50 amp extension cord from past needs…

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by Sola123

Jim….I thought about installing the same connector…if mine breaks again….on the road I will tie and wrap it around the ladder til I get home…I also carry a 50 amp extension cord from past needs…

This is fifth wheel number 6 for us and the first time I've had a power reel for the cord. I thought this would be the best thing since you know what but I haven't been exactly thrilled with it. We left Estes Park on a chilly morning last month and getting that cord rolled up was a real pain. On our last fifth wheel I had installed a SmartPlug connector that worked really well. It was much better than the twist version that came with it.

On edit: The more I thought about it the more I remembered how much I liked the SmartPlug on our last fifth wheel. I looked on Amazon and they had the trailer side connection in stainless steel in their "used like new" listing for $66, less than half price. I've bought a bunch of used like new stuff from them before with no issues and decided to get it. I may never use it but I have a fix on hand if needed. I will need to get the matching cord end at some point.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by F350guy

Something else to worry about. I've not had any problems with my reel other than cold weather and a stiff cord. I've taken care of the stiff cord part by replacing it with a cold weather version but if it breaks while on the road the only way I can see to get the cord stored is to completely remove it from the reel and throw it in the storage bay. I had actually thought about bypassing it completely and installing a standard connector in the compartment near the reel. Not sure if it would be a problem but that compartment is not water proof from tire splash.

Originally Posted by Sola123

Jim….I thought about installing the same connector…if mine breaks again….on the road I will tie and wrap it around the ladder til I get home…I also carry a 50 amp extension cord from past needs…

I had the brakes converted to Disk brakes a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards we took it for a test drive and I just wrapped the cord around the lower rungs on the ladder with no issues. For a longer trip, I am sure I would use a bungee cord or similar to secure. Just spoke to JW and he spoke just as highly of you and your bride. It appears, and I am waiting on their call, Shoreline Reels may ship the part directly to me instead of dealership. They have been great as well, had another voice mail from them last night. They caution, as we spoke about in a previous post, about the expense of installing it. JW said no problem scheduling it for this and other hopefully small issues needing to get resolved. They have been great so far, specially after reading all the horror stories on the forum, lol. Thanks for all your help.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Sola123

Yes…I expect it to be somewhat difficult….either on or off the rig….but mostly time consuming ($$$$) than actually difficult….at today’s labor prices ….might have been better to buy a new reel….but even the labor for that would be somewhat costly….good luck….let me know how it goes….

After rereading the thread I see your unit is under warranty…I would have them fix it as well…..if they can work it in within a reasonable time….week or two but not months….

They should be shipping the part to me at home. It retails for $70 so not bad if I had to buy it. He tried to explain how they improved it but the phone connection was horrible.

[F350guy]

I got the SmartPlug parts I needed to bypass the power reel and did the install this afternoon. It went much better than I expected and I was done in a couple of hours. The cable that attached to the reel to feed the Pinnacle was easy to remove and Jayco left enough slack to reach the new plug. This probably was not one of those mods that was necessary but I just didn't like the reel.