Community Forums

barmcd · 11-12-2020, 03:40 PM

I've used both a local hydraulic shop and NAPA and they are about the same price here.

BobJones · 11-15-2020, 08:14 PM

These days I find the prices on a lot of things are so high you can buy the tools to create them and do it yourself. As I recall, a really nice hydraulic crimper for AC hoses was $500 back in the day, and that was before China came in and levelled a lot of the playing field.

Several times I've bought $1,000 equipment, used it to fix my issue, and then sold it off later on e-bay as 'used once' for $800. Cost to me? $200. Just a thought. It's more the concept than anything else.

cry42 · 11-26-2020, 06:20 PM

Hello:
Had left rear RVA Jack leaking and hydraulic shop resealed it. Reinstalled on the coach and it went down perfectly well. But would not retract ! Tried RVA suggestion of clearing any air in the lines and releasing the Retract Valve on the pump. Jack is still half way up. Ordered new springs. Any other suggestions ?
Thanks

kidz_driver · 11-27-2020, 05:22 PM

Sometimes I find that assisting the jack through a few cycles clears things .

With the switch on "retract" to keep the solenoid open, I have used a section of 2 X4 cantilevered on a concrete block to gently raise the jack the rest of the way up.

Have also used a floor jack when I was on a paved surface.

Once up, extend it again and repeat a few times to see if after a few cycles it gets better.

Good luck.

Dave

cry42 · 12-09-2020, 06:59 PM

RVA Jack Update

Went thru RVA suggested clearing of air in lines, no change.

Removed hydraulic line from jack and still would not come all the way up.

Jack could be "forced" up with a bit of force.
Took jack back to Hydraulic Shop and they verified it was NOT coming all the way up, but could be forced up.

Put new set of RVA supplied springs (4) and extended the ram, it did retract a bit quicker, but again stopped about 4 inches from full up.
Brazels/RVA suggested the ram was bent, hydraulic shopped check ram at full extension and said it was NOT bent.

Hydraulic shop said they had a different set of seals to try.
Will keep you posted.
Regards

153stars · 12-10-2020, 12:02 PM

It's possible there an issue inside of rams bore that hanging up seals or slider bushing , could be some scoring. They should also be able to see if ram is contacting the bore for outer seal bore due to bent ram . A bend close to piston my not be apparent and would hang at retracted end of stroke. You would check shaft run out with shaft extended to know how bad. You may see rub in shaft with it out just past where it hangs.

cry42 · 12-11-2020, 04:53 AM

Thank you for the input, the shop is pulling it apart and will check the ram and barrel to see if there is some kind of issue. Well post the final outcome.

DFord · 12-11-2020, 10:15 PM

There's nothing special about the hydraulic hoses on levelers. My last MH (a 2001 Residency) had Kwikee's Level Best dual action rams (two hoses to each ram). One of the hoses burst one day due to age. I did some research and found someone selling 50ft lengths of hose with more a than adequate PSI rating and bought 4 of them. I cut all 4 to 35 ft lengths and ran two of them to each rear jack. The 15 ft remaining lengths worked perfect for the front two jacks. After I had the lengths right, I took them to NAPA and had them crimp the ends on. They looked and worked perfect and I never had any problems from them.

Level Best jacks are also welded together. I tried to get the local shop to repair one that had a pitted ram and tore up the seal. They weren't interested. Before I gave up, I asked if they'd fix it if I cut it open. They said sure! I took a cutoff wheel on a 4" grinder and carefully cut the welds on the top cap to open them up. The hydraulic shop replaced the ram and seals then welded them back together. The cost was about $350 each - I had them fix two that were leaking. Cost for new jacks would have been twice that much.

My front jack is slightly bent and will not retract on its own. I block it up so it won't need to come down more than 1/4 inch before hitting the blocks now. When I hit the "all up" button, the weight of the Trek forces the jack to retract. A little help with a crowbar finishes the job. If I had any idea how to straighten it, I give it a try.