Trouble with electrically operated front landing gear

[edatlanta]

The shipping time from order to delivery was two days. I have no complaints about that.

[etex211]

We took a trip this weekend, and this jack is still a piece of junk. The motor sounds like it's overloaded all the time, the breaker cuts out every few seconds, and the motor has started the clutching/ratcheting again.

I don't think Jayco will ever authorize the dealer to do what is necessary to fix it. It is time for me to start exploring other options.

[imjustdave]

Has anyone checked the wiring and batteries? under sized wire, crappy connections, low voltage can all play havoc.

I guess the ratchiting might point to jack VS what I said above but still worth looking into.

Also has anyone weighed the trailer AKA put the jacks on a scale to see what they are trying to support - pickup. I wonder if they replaced what you had for exact copies but the factory installed the wrong size to start with kind of scenario.

Also do you have anything heavy in the trailer? did you install a water bed you aren't telling everyone about

[etex211]

I've got two good batteries installed in the camper, but even beyond that, I never try to operate the jack without being connected to my truck's 12 volt system (with the truck running), or connected to shore power.

I suppose there could be a problem with the wiring, but I doubt that. The wire size looks fine.

I'd also like to know what this trailer weighs on the legs. I don't have anything heavy loaded in it. The representative from Atwood that I talk to told me the jack is a 5500 pound system. The weight of the trailer is supposed to be 12,000 pounds empty. Since most of the weight should be supported at the axles, I can't imagine that the weight on the legs would exceed 5500 pounds.

I used to have set of electronic scales that I used for my race cars. I sold them when I retired from racing a couple of years ago. I've thought about borrowing another set from one of my friends. I may also contact Jayco again to see if they can tell me what this trailer weighs on the legs empty. They should know that.

[namusmc65]

If you live in an agricultural area there may be some co-ops around with truck scales. Most of them will let you use them sometimes even free if they are not busy. You might check them out. I use one of our peanut co-ops here in Georgia. I have found they leave their scales on all the time so it makes it convenient to pull in there on a Saturday or Sunday when they are close and be able to take all kinds of measurements.

[etex211]

I called the dealer a little while ago to report that the jack is still a piece of junk. He told me that when they replaced the legs a couple of weeks ago, they replaced the 30 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker.

My jack motor trips that 50 amp breaker every few seconds. That points right back to a bad motor, which I have suspected since the day I brought this camper home.

The dealer will continue to lobby Jayco for authorization of an effective repair. I won't bother taking it back to the dealer until they have something concrete from Jayco.

I also emailed Jayco this morning to find out the weight of the camper on the legs. We'll see what they say.

[imjustdave]

So I was under the impression that they replaced the motors and the legs, but I re read some old posts and it sounds like they replaced the legs and breaker only, and reused the old motor.

If this is correct?
Why would they replace the legs only, that sounds like the dumbest thing in the world, assuming they weren't bent or worn out.

[etex211]

Originally Posted by imjustdave

So I was under the impression that they replaced the motors and the legs, but I re read some old posts and it sounds like they replaced the legs and breaker only, and reused the old motor.

If this is correct?
Why would they replace the legs only, that sounds like the dumbest thing in the world, assuming they weren't bent or worn out.

That is correct. The legs were replaced two weeks ago. That is what was approved by Jayco. And they wanted the old legs back to inspect them. The dealer told me that if Jayco determines the legs were bent in any way, then they will charge the new legs back to the dealer.

Prior to the legs being replaced, a broken gearbox was replaced.

I believe the dealer changed the breaker on his own.

I've felt this motor is junk since day one of ownership of this camper. Replacing the legs did help the situation, but the motor still seems very inadequate.

The dealer and I both agree that this camper needs a two motor system. They lobbied Jayco to pay to add the second Atwood motor to the second leg. Jayco didn't want to do that. If Jayco refuses to fix this jack properly, then I will replace the jacks completely with units from either Bulldog or Ultrafab.

[3330]

I've been following your thread and finally went out to see what I have for a system. I have a single motor Atwood and it seems to work fine. I copied down the motor model number and it's 75721. Since mine is over 10 years old now I just thought I would offer this info in case they have changed to a less efficient motor. Our rig is always overloaded as my wife likes to take everything we own but the jacks have always worked.

[Giaburt]

Since day one , issue with landing gear. switch changed then motor changed by dealer and still stops running when lifting RV. Have noticed if I leave connected to truck pigtail and truck running, no issues. This indicates to me that from shore power or battery circuit, an issue exists. and I now wonder if thru converter in RV something is not correct. Prior Jayco's had no issue and think engineering missed the mark on this issue and does not want to explore and find fix for customers. Come on Jayco, lets get this right as too many owners who have much money invested in your product are have issues with landing gear stoppage......

[etex211]

I notified my dealer on July 7 or July 8 that the front landing gear jacks are still inadequate for the trailer. They are still waiting on some kind of authorization from Jayco to do more work on it.

The dealer told me that whenever they replaced the front legs, they replaced the 30 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker. The motor trips that 50 amp breaker every few seconds when it is lifting the trailer. That indicates to me that there is a serious issue with the motor.

I received an email reply from Jayco to my inquiry about the dry weight of the trailer on the front legs. Their answer is that they have no idea what that weight is. Isn't this something the engineering department would want to know before sending the camper out the door? How can they know if this jack is adequate or not if they don't know what it is lifting?

Does Jayco really want for me to have this kind of sour taste in my mouth?

[imjustdave]

Go weight it. .. But I doubt it is over 5k. You would notice that in the back of your truck. Mine weights 1400 lbs not sure what the jacks are good for but I have seen no issues. But you should know what it weights. We all assume that it is within spec. Breakers had been replaced. Jacks. And when you know the weight it will be hard for jayco to deny the motor is the issue. Plus it would be good for you to know the weight.

[norty1]

I'm no engineer but it seems it would be very close to the tongue weight. Easy to check at a CAT scale.

[etex211]

I have no idea by how much, but it will be more than the pin weight. The closer you move a support to the middle of the camper, the more the weight is. The listed pin weight of this camper is 2400 pounds.

I retired from dirt track racing a couple years ago and sold my electronic scales. I think I will borrow some scales from one of my friends this week and find the weight on the legs. I am on vacation this week, so I have plenty of time.

[troutslayer]

I suppose it would be fairly easy for me to say, "if it were me, I would...". So, since that is the case, here goes. If it were me, I would have Jayco CS phone number on speed dial. I would also establish some sort of relationship with someone in customer service or management at Jayco. You need to get past the dealer and deal with Jayco directly. Your problem is too big to be "jacked" around like this.

[etex211]

I contacted the dealer today. They haven't heard a word from Jayco. I called Jayco. the lady on the phone took down my information and said she would have somebody from their technical service department give me a call. We'll see how long that takes.

[etex211]

After not hearing back from Jayco, I called again one week ago today. I was transferred directly to somebody in the technical service department. I told him the story and told him I think the motor is junk. He told me to have the dealer send a warranty request for a motor replacement and he would approve it.

I immediately forwarded this info to the dealer, and the dealer said they would immediately make the request. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to follow up with the dealer. I might do that today.

[imjustdave]

Glad to hear they will give a new motor a try. Sad that you have to do all the work to get a new motor, at this point you might as well do the work to install it too.
Shaking head right now. ...

[etex211]

The dealer has received the motor, and I have an appointment for first thing Saturday morning to get it changed.

[imjustdave]

I have no idea what the duty cycle of the motor is but keep that in mind when you're testing it. There is testing it and there is trying to make it fail. Lol