Community Forums

melvonnar · 04-02-2009, 12:28 PM

I've replaced two of my jacks because they were very slow going up.
do the used jacks have any value? or do you just put them in the garbage?

FleetMan · 04-02-2009, 05:31 PM

The jacks retract under spring pressure, not hydraulic pressure.. Unless the seals were leaking, you may have replaced them unnecessarily. If the seals were leaking, a local hydraulic shop should have been able to repair them. If it is not spring pressure causing slow retraction it could have been a restriction in the lines, a check valve or the jack solenoid at the pump.

GaryKD · 04-02-2009, 06:16 PM

Hi Robert,
I've never seen anyone offer to sell used jacks or want to buy them. Think about upgrading the return springs and ensuring they are clean. Save them for possible future use.

melvonnar · 04-02-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FleetMan

The jacks retract under spring pressure, not hydraulic pressure.. Unless the seals were leaking, you may have replaced them unnecessarily. If the seals were leaking, a local hydraulic shop should have been able to repair them. If it is not spring pressure causing slow retraction it could have been a restriction in the lines, a check valve or the jack solenoid at the pump.

Your right however-----I called HWH went through the checkout proceedure with them; after all this is done; their recomadation was to replace the jacks I asked them if they rebuild the jacks; their answer was ; no. springs were replaced; no restriction in the lines; I'm sure of this; How do I know? I replaced the jacks and they all work just fine now.
Please;
The original question?
Do the jacks I took off have any value?
Probably not; I personaly would not be interested in used jacks. even if they could be rebuilt.
doing the job myself the two jacks were a total of $500 add another $100 for new springs all around; hopfully I'm good for another 5 years.

paz · 04-03-2009, 06:16 AM

If the jacks were replaced because they wouldn't retract and if HWH doesn't rebuild them, then I would say they should be trashed.

I had a similar experience to yours. I had one rear jack that was VERY slow retracting and one that one that was sort of slow. HWH replaced the springs with stronger ones first. It helped a little, especially with the one that was sort of slow; but the other jack was still a problem. Then HWH replaced both rear jacks and all has been fine ever since.

Their explanation was because the rear jacks are larger diameter (the rear of the motorhome is heavier), the springs have to expel more hydraulic fluid to get them to retract. This, coupled with the fact the rear jacks are farther from the reservoir makes the rear jacks slower to retract.

They said the replacement jacks were of a revised design that allowed higher flow of hydraulic fluid during retraction. Although my jacks weren't bent, that is another explanation for jacks not retracting properly.

J Walker · 04-03-2009, 06:44 AM

It appears that the failure of the jacks is due to something within the jacks and not the springs or external valves. I had a jack fail to retract so I raised it manually. After calling HWH I took their advice and cleaned the piston with a cloth and trans fluid and it did the trick. In this case is appears that cleaning was done plus new springs to no avail. The piston could be bent or the seal could be sticking. A rebuild would be in order and then a buyer would have to be found. I am sure there is value in the old jacks like a lot of other things but unfortunately they are trash.

melvonnar · 04-07-2009, 10:37 AM

OK they go in the garbage

"007" · 04-07-2009, 10:56 AM

The jacks when hard to retrack will have "O" rings flipped in side on piston shaft binding the piston. When I replaced mine sent back to HWH for credit towards new one from them. Or you could have rebuilt for a spare.

Roadking · 04-13-2009, 09:51 AM

HWH used to list new and rebuilt jacks in their parts manual. The rebuilt units were one-half the cost of new units.

I discovered one of my jacks was leaking and I contacted HWH. They said send it in and gave me the rebuilt price (one-half of new plus shipping) and about 5 days later I received a replacement jack. The jack I received was not the jack I sent in as it had a different serial number.

This was in 2006, so maybe HWH has changed policy, but clearly the jacks are rebuildable. Round trip shipping for this heavy jack was about $28. It cost me about $18 to ship to HWH and I paid HWH about $10 to have the rebuilt jack sent to me.

melvonnar · 04-13-2009, 05:47 PM

When I talked to HWH the person I talked to said the didn't rebuild jacks

CaptBill · 04-17-2009, 07:11 AM

I can't answer your question whether they are of any value (although I wonder what would happen if you shipped them back to HWH?), but I want to mention something that can save a lot of us the problem of slow (or no) retracting.

When I bought my coach in Iowa, it was a year old. During the PDI, the LF jack wouldn't retract. The dealer finally forced it up by using leverage.

I took it to HWH, and they said the piston has ever so slight a bend in it, and it needed to be replaced. Tech said it happens from lateral pressure on the piston, while extended. That pressure is from the motorhome shifting, even slightly, when the motorhome is raised too far, especially vulnerable when rear wheels are off the ground. If the motorhome tries to move (roll), the extended pistons can be bent.

So, what I learned from him was to use blocks under the jack foot, so the jacks do not have to be extended as far, and never lift the wheels completely off the ground, especially the rear (parking brake) wheels.

J Walker · 04-17-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptBill

I can't answer your question whether they are of any value (although I wonder what would happen if you shipped them back to HWH?), but I want to mention something that can save a lot of us the problem of slow (or no) retracting.

When I bought my coach in Iowa, it was a year old. During the PDI, the LF jack wouldn't retract. The dealer finally forced it up by using leverage.

I took it to HWH, and they said the piston has ever so slight a bend in it, and it needed to be replaced. Tech said it happens from lateral pressure on the piston, while extended. That pressure is from the motorhome shifting, even slightly, when the motorhome is raised too far, especially vulnerable when rear wheels are off the ground. If the motorhome tries to move (roll), the extended pistons can be bent.

So, what I learned from him was to use blocks under the jack foot, so the jacks do not have to be extended as far, and never lift the wheels completely off the ground, especially the rear (parking brake) wheels.

I have broken all those rules and had no problems with HWH jacks. I did have a rear jack become slow to raise and HWH advised that I try cleaning the piston with trans fluid. It worked well.

Hikerdogs · 04-22-2009, 01:56 PM

I replaced both right side jacks on our 01 Adventurer a couple years ago. When I called HWH they offered either rebuilt or new jacks. The new ones were $190.00 ea. and the rebuilts were $95.00 ea. I decided to go with the new ones. After I'd made the decision the technician offered to sell me the new ones for the same price as the rebuilts if I would return my old jacks.

I'd give them a call back to see if they might be interested in the old jacks to rebuild. In our case we saved a couple hundred dollars by returning them. They even provided the shipping boxes and paid the UPS charges.

melvonnar · 04-22-2009, 03:03 PM

Good idea; I'll give them a call. I have two that I replaced; both left side; one was $195.00 the other was $$295.00. thats a little more than pocket change.