Troubleshooting Landing Gear Motor that Works Slow on 2011 Keystone FZ302

Updated 07/29/2024 | Published 07/01/2024

Products Featured in This Question

Lippert HD 6500-lbTuson 5th Wheel RV Landing Gear Motor

(31)

$532.22

Replacement Motor for Stromberg Carlson Electric Landing Gear - 5,500 lbs

(169)

$153.38

Question:

I have a 2011 Keystone FZ302 which weighs around 11,700 lbs. The landing gear jack motor is struggling to lift the RV and has been like that since I bought it 4 years ago except that now it skips when it reaches 35 amp draw. The voltage at the batteries stay around 12.7 volts while lifting but the voltage s at the motor to around 6.8V. I’ve connected a fully charged battery directly to the motor but the issue is the same. I did an amp test which hits 30 to 35 amps while trying to extend the landing gear legs. There was no water in any of the holding tanks during this testing. I purchased a new Venture LG-142178 and installed it but it didn’t make any difference at all. Should I be installing the LG-196308 instead? How would you know if the legs were the cause and need replacing?

asked by: Jerry V

Expert Reply:

Hey Jerry, so the replacement motor # LG-142178 that you have now is rated for a lower weight capacity than the part # LC196308 that you mentioned so it would give you additional capacity and allow the landing gear to work easier.

To know if the gear box or the landing gear legs are at fault you could try using the manual crank to raise and lower the jacks and see if it feels like something is wrong or damaged.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Jerry V.

7/10/2024

I had to use the manual crank to raise the RV. Manual crank seems to work fine but is hard and tiring. I held the landing gear extend switch while manual cranking which works ok for now. How hard should it be to turn the manual crank? If LG-142178 is the correct motor assembly, and the landing gear works fine, why would the voltage drop so much at the motor when the amps go up? Or vise-versa, why is the voltage dropping so much (as this is causing the amperage to rise) Is the wiring undersized or something else in the electrical system that is causing the issue?

Jameson C.

7/10/2024

@JerryV It could very easily be that the wiring is too light of a gauge to allow the full current and voltage. The crank shouldn't be overly difficult but if it feels like there's a lot of friction when it moves there's possibility it's the gear box or the gears in the jack legs. A weak battery on the trailer could also cause the problem as well.

Jerry V.

7/10/2024

@JamesonC The batteries are good. I had them tested. I’ll try wiring a battery directly to the motor to eliminate the wiring possibility. I hope it’s not the jack legs. I don’t know the history on it but do know that the right leg is difficult to access for greasing.

Jameson C.

7/10/2024

@JerryV Good call. Let me know. You could even run a set of jumper cables if you wanted to do it quickly and make sure you had more than enough wire gauge thickness.