Slowly retracting HWH hydraulic jacks

[KiwiKoues]

To lube or not to lube, that is the question. Just got back from my second adventure with my (new to me) 2006 Allegro 32. Although the jacks do a great job lifting, two of them do not want to fully "store" without the judicious application of my size 11 left foot. Not sure if repairs are needed or just a little lubrication on the cylinders. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[steved44]

Ours are the same, (just the front ones), especially in cold weather. I'm told we need to have the springs replaced and we are planning to do that when we get a chance. We do spray the shafts from time to time with silicone spray and that seems to help. They're only reallllly slow when I'm in a hurry. Steve

[mikelm48]

Had the same issue. Someone on iRV2 said the manufacturer recommended wiping the jacks off with Auto Trans Fluid. The last time out I wiped down the rear jacks and it did make a difference. Didn't get to the front, but will do those this weekend.
Mike

[okgc]

Our driver side rear is slow, make that very slow, sometimes. A couple times it has been persuaded with a 2x10. Of course it would not act up when at the dealers. Seems like using any sort of oil based product to lubricate things would make it worst if dust/dirt collected.

[paz]

HWH recommends wiping down the jacks with either automatic transmission fluid (Dexron III), HWH jack oil, or WD-40. After wiping, dry thoroughly to prevent residue from attracting more dirt. WD-40 is mostly solvent and has the least likelihood of leaving residue.

[KiwiKoues]

Thanks to all!
I think I will try wiping down with the WD40 first. I have one brand new jack (replaced at time purchase) which retracts almost instantly while the other 3 take about 5 minutes to retract. As bad as this is, it sounds like some folks are experiencing a whole lot worse retracting time then I am! I will post my results.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiwiKoues Thanks to all! I think I will try wiping down with the WD40 first. I have one brand new jack (replaced at time purchase) which retracts almost instantly while the other 3 take about 5 minutes to retract. As bad as this is, it sounds like some folks are experiencing a whole lot worse retracting time then I am! I will post my results.

Five minutes seems like a long time when you're waiting to leave the campground, but I think that is within the HWH expectations for return time. When we first had the problem with slow return, it would take over half an hour for one of the rears to go up. I eventually ended up burning out the solenoid (which HWH also replaced under warranty) by leaving the system energized so long.

Once HWH replaced our rear jacks, the front ones became the slow ones. They will sometimes take close to 5 minutes to retract if I forget to wipe them down every couple of weeks, especially if it's cold outside. If I remember to wipe them down periodically, they all go up in a minute or so.

[KiwiKoues]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiwiKoues Thanks to all! I think I will try wiping down with the WD40 first. I have one brand new jack (replaced at time purchase) which retracts almost instantly while the other 3 take about 5 minutes to retract. As bad as this is, it sounds like some folks are experiencing a whole lot worse retracting time than I am! I will post my results.

Tried WD-40 with wiping dry after application. Retraction time improved to less then 30 seconds. Not as good as the new jack (less than 10 secs.) but a lot better than before.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KiwiKoues Tried WD-40 with wiping dry after application. Retraction time improved to less then 30 seconds. Not as good as the new jack (less than 10 secs.) but a lot better than before.

IMO, 30 seconds is a very acceptable return time.

[RottenRalph]

I don't know when, but HWH put out a better retracting spring than the ones that originally came on on my '03 MoHo. The old springs were a straight barrel shape. the new improved model has a taper on each end.

[Greg Spannan]

I suspect the seals on theses cylinders have an outer dirt guard lip that never gets lubricated since the jacks are not operated that often and the inner sealing lip does not leak. I had a lot of trouble with the rears on my Journey. I now use CRC silicone spray (red can from Walmart) on the shafts and they fully retract.
Greg

[Mr_D]

According to HWH:

Quote:

In general, HWH jacks require no regular maintenance. Under normal circumstances, lubrication of jack rods is not necessary or advised. If a jack gets coated with dirt or mud it is advisable to clean the jack. It is acceptable to clean the jack as a part of normal maintenance but is not required.

The bold text above is the direct quote from HWH in their PDF file.

Here's the link

Guess you can clean them if you want but not normally needed unless they get muddy.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RottenRalph I don't know when, but HWH put out a better retracting spring than the ones that originally came on on my '03 MoHo. The old springs were a straight barrel shape. the new improved model has a taper on each end.

Our 2002 DSDP has the tapered springs, to date I've never had a problem with them other then when they froze to the ground in WM parking lot. Then the pad came off the rod, got it back on with just a "pickle fork" which I also used to break the others free.
The MH either came with the tapered springs or Spartan replaced them in 2004 when they installed the new front axle. I don't know which.