Troubleshooting A Landing Gear That Is Constantly Blowing Fuses And Is Struggling To Retract/Extend

Published 06/23/2022

Question:

THE GEAR WORKS REALLY HARD GOING UP OR DOWN and HAS BLOWN A COUPLE FUSES. I WATCHED A REVIEW FOR THE LIPPERT #LC712690 WHICH LOOKS LIKE THAT IS WHAT I NEED TO REPLACE MY LANDING GEAR. MY QUESTIONS ARE: WILL THAT PART # WORK ON MY WILDCAT MAX 5TH WHEEL? AND, THE REVIEWER MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A 2 MOTOR SETUP THAT WOULD INCREASE THE LIFTING WEIGHT and I WOULD PRESUME WOULD TAKE SOME OF THE PRESSURE OFF A 1 MOTOR SETUP? OUR 5TH WHEEL ALSO CAME WITH A REMOTE CONTROL TO RAISE and LOWER THE LANDING GEAR, WILL THAT STILL WORK WITH THIS SETUP? OR WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IF I NEED TO REPLACE THE LANDING GEAR FOR OUR 2016 FOREST RIVER WILDCAT MAX 5TH WHEEL? ITS ABOUT 30foot FT LONG TIP TO TIP. I HAVE INCLUDED SOME PHOTOS.

asked by: DEAN D

Expert Reply:

Before you go replacing your landing gear you should check a couple of things first to ensure that a full replacement is the way to go.

There is a couple of reasons why a jack will blow fuses and struggle going up and down.

One being weight of the 5th wheel changing. If your 5th wheel has gotten heavier over the years, then that could be causing the motor to draw excessive power to compensate for the weight change and consequently blow fuses.

If your 5th wheel has not changed in weight, then there may be a fault in your wiring like a short that may also be causing your fuses to blow.

Along with a possible weight change that may be causing your landing gear to be sluggish, there may be an issue with the gear box, gears in the legs, or the motor itself.

You can deduce if the gearbox is the issue by attempting to raise and lower the landing gear manually to determine if the jacks seem like they are too difficult to operate.

If you determine the motor to be the issue let me know what the serial number is on the motor and we can get a replacement to you, as we have plenty of options like # LC142178.

Alternatively, if you believe the gears to be an issue, let me know what landing gear you have and we can see if we have something for you.

If you've already done this, and want to upgrade / replace your current setup, feel free to come back and we'll get you situated.