Landing gear problem - door side leg will not operate or hold weight

[wyleyrabbit]

Today I took our trailer to our local campground for a family weekend. Everything worked normally when I picked the trailer up from storage, but when I tried to disconnect the truck, I had a serious problem with my front landing gear. I was just raising the trailer so I could disconnect, and suddenly, the door-size leg gave out and telescoped back into the trailer. There wasn't any loud noise or anything, it just gave out. Fortunately, the trailer was only a few mm off of the 5th wheel.

I tried operating the gear, and the off-door-side leg seemed to function normally, but the door-side leg didn't respond at all. After trying to push it up for a bit, I was able to get it to *almost* work with the motor, and the everything almost worked. But it's almost as though it's got broken gear teeth or something, just on the one leg, because at the point where it stopped part-way, I was able to use my non-superhuman strength to easily push the leg back up against the frame. This leg will now hold exactly zilch, other than in the fully retracted position.

Using a bottle jack, I was able to raise the trailer up enough to disconnect the truck, and then lowered it down and placed the retracted landing gear on a half-dozen lynx leveler blocks. The off-door-side leg operates fine with the motor.

My trailer is now level, and at the campground. We'll stay in it for the weekend.

I tried calling Venture Manufacturing (they made the landing gear on our Bighorn), but as Murphy's Law would dictate, they are a couple of time zones away had just closed for the weekend.

On their website, I was able to find this:
http://www.venturemfgco.com/admin/uploadfiles/image/file/LG-Specs.pdf

Does anyone have any idea what is likely broken? Has this happened to anyone else? I'm cringing at what my repair bill will be...any guesses?



Chris

 

[Garypowell]

I looked at your drawing and it seems similar to the last unit I had but it seems your problem is backwards from mine.....and it has been a while but....on mine the motor runs one leg direct and there is a bolt that connects a rod that goes over to the other leg.

This bolt lost its nut and dropped out causing no power to getting that transfer rod. I simply had to find a new bolt but it has to be of specific length since if it is too long it will hit the motor each time it makes a revolution.

It also had to be hardened.

But like I said my motor was on the door side and the dead leg was on the other.

I also remembered I had to stand on my head to fix it while holding a flashlight.

Gary

 

[57chevyconvt]

Since the problem leg is on the door side, the motor driven side unless you have two 12 volt drive motors (one for each leg), the problem could possibly be the screw 'drive pin' part no. 920-00 could have sheared, thus allowing the top bevel gear not to drive the screw. I had to replace this pin in the off door side leg about 2 years ago. Normally the door side leg is easy to remove and repair. Venture sells a repair kit with thrust bearing and new pin for about ~ $70.

 

[wdk450]

When you describe that the leg retracted back into the trailer I think of 3 possibilities: 1)The pin mating the leg extension and foot sheared, thus collapsing the leg extension into the outer driven leg assembly' or 2) The entire leg has become dismounted from the trailer frame. The outer case of the leg has a lip swaged out of the leg metal that mates with a edge of the frame steel to support the trailer. The leg is held in place by a U-shaped heavy steel strap welded to the trailer frame. A good sized nut and bolt go through the end of the U strap to enclose and hold the leg in place. I posted a few years ago alarmed at how little metal on the legs is supporting the front weight of the trailers. But hundreds of thousands of these landing gear sets have been sold, and no great number of leg failures in this respect.
3) Something has gone wrong in the top end of the landing gear leg in the area fo the thrust bearing, and the drive screw has moved upward. I would think that any of these 3 would have involved some noise, though.
BTW, a manual and diagram on the landing gear can be found at the top of forum pages in the "Tools" tab, "Manuals" and follow the appropriate submenus to the Landing Gear listings.

 

[Gary521]

I have taken a few of these Venture landing gear apart and are quite simple to fix. As Bill Knight stated, check the holding straps on the landing gear. There is a cross shaft in the gear, remove that. Remove the motor. Remove the gear box. Assuming you have a bottle jack under the frame, remove the foot. Disconnect the landing gear from the frame. Once out, drive the drive pin out of the cross shaft ( let it fall as you will find it later ). remove clip off shaft, remove shaft. Remove horizontal gear ( pin just slides out ) By now, you can tell if anything is wrong on the leg upper end. While you have the leg apart, drill a couple of holes in the outer leg. It is through these hole that you can grease the jack screw on a regular basis. It is the jack screw not being lubricated that causes 90% of the leg problems. Get a grease needle that will snap on the end of a grease gun. The needle will fit thru the holes drilled in the leg ( this is how the grease gets in there ).

 

[cookie]

Here is a PDF that may help understand what is inside the landing gear leg.

Peace
Dave

 

[wyleyrabbit]

There is definitely some good information here. My guess is that the problem I had earlier with the reduction gearbox has caused issues with something else. My bet is I'll be shelling out for the $70 repair kit that Jim mentioned.

On a positive note, both my trouble-shooting skills and handyman skills are improving, thanks to this Bighorn.

 

[mobilcastle]

I have taken a few of these Venture landing gear apart and are quite simple to fix. As Bill Knight stated, check the holding straps on the landing gear. There is a cross shaft in the gear, remove that. Remove the motor. Remove the gear box. Assuming you have a bottle jack under the frame, remove the foot. Disconnect the landing gear from the frame. Once out, drive the drive pin out of the cross shaft ( let it fall as you will find it later ). remove clip off shaft, remove shaft. Remove horizontal gear ( pin just slides out ) By now, you can tell if anything is wrong on the leg upper end. While you have the leg apart, drill a couple of holes in the outer leg. It is through these hole that you can grease the jack screw on a regular basis. It is the jack screw not being lubricated that causes 90% of the leg problems. Get a grease needle that will snap on the end of a grease gun. The needle will fit thru the holes drilled in the leg ( this is how the grease gets in there ).

That is some great info here. I just finished drilling a hole in both of the outside legs and pumping oil into mine(when you drill it put some silicone on the end of your drill bit to catch the filings). Keeping that nut lubricated will save you future problems.

 

[mobilcastle]

There is definitely some good information here. My guess is that the problem I had earlier with the reduction gearbox has caused issues with something else. My bet is I'll be shelling out for the $70 repair kit that Jim mentioned.

On a positive note, both my trouble-shooting skills and handyman skills are improving, thanks to this Bighorn.

Your just bonding with your unit.

 

[wyleyrabbit]

I just got off the phone with the nice people at Venture Mfg. They are going to email me a troubleshooting guide so we can determine whether I need to order a $55 rebuild kit, or a complete leg with rebuild kit for either $165 or $193 (all plus shipping).

Does anyone happen to know whether our landing gear legs are 29.5" or 33.5" long?

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

I just got off the phone with the nice people at Venture Mfg. They are going to email me a troubleshooting guide so we can determine whether I need to order a $55 rebuild kit, or a complete leg with rebuild kit for either $165 or $193 (all plus shipping).

Does anyone happen to know whether our landing gear legs are 29.5" or 33.5" long?

mine is 33.5 inches. just measured it.

 

[mobilcastle]

Let's hope you get lucky and it is a minimal repair!