Community Forums

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 08:10 AM

My new-to-me 2018 Arctic Fox 27-5L was delivered to my house a couple of months ago. After doing a lot of work on the inside, today I finally got around to hitching up and attempting to go for a test tow.

After I hitched up and retracted the front landing gear, I discovered that the release pin on the driver's side landing gear is bent and stuck firmly in place. I tried encouraging it with a hammer, but no dice. Obviously the delivery driver had to have dealt with it somehow, but in the pandemonium of the drop off process, I didn't pay close attention. I vaguely remember him beating on it with something.

Not sure how well you can see it in the photos, but the pin is actually jammed up against the trailer frame and bent downward. The hole in the outside sleeve of the landing gear is positioned such that there is no way the pin could even be installed without bending down to get below the frame. The landing leg on that side has a a bit of a lean to it. Not sure if all of this is a manufacturing defect or due to some sort of abuse by the previous owner.

Two questions. First, any tips on getting the pin out? Do I just need a bigger hammer? Or a bigger guy?

Second, any tips on a fix would be appreciated. I don't want to deal with this every time I set up and break camp.

My thinking is that if I can ever get the pin out, then I can replace it with a new pin assembly. It looks like the pin assembly is just held on to the leg by a bracket and a couple of bolts. I would rotate the new pin assembly 180* so that the handle is on the inboard side of the leg instead of the outboard side. There is no frame member to interfere with it on the inboard side. It would be a bit inconvenient to have to reach in there to pull the pin, but I think I could live with it.

**hamm2018** · 03-23-2025, 08:34 AM

You may need to go into the front end of the RV and see how the landing gear assembly is mounted. It may be too high and not allowing the pins to operate correctly.
If possible, see if the assembly can be lowered to allow the pins to clear the frame.

Here are some replacement pins:
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Acc...and_Clips.aspx

Just thinking, make sure the assembly is properly installed, it may be loose, allowing it to move up/down. Something could broke allowing this to move.

MFL · 03-23-2025, 08:52 AM

Well that is a nice surprise, that should have been repaired before delivery.

If you can get the weight/pressure off, maybe using another jack, it won't be hard to change out. Just remove the bolts, tap with hammer, maybe need to follow with a punch. Hope you are lucky, and no leg bending or damage.

Hard to believe anyone else used it that way, with little clearance from frame.

You could use a clevis type pin temporarily, if you have a right sized one handy.

CecilD · 03-23-2025, 09:13 AM

This is how I would first approach the problem: With the trailer still hooked to the hitch, place a floor jack under the receiver of your truck to lift it and remove the squat or raise the back of the truck. Don't lift the truck's rear tires off the ground. Hopefully, this will lift the landing gear off the ground so you can lower the legs and remove the stress on the pin. to replace it.

Second option which I had to do because my trailer was delivered with the lower leg extended too far and I couldn't drop the trailer enough to hook up: Place a floor jack in the bed of the truck and jack the kingpin up enough to lower the landing gear. I had to place a bottle jack under the bumper receiver to keep the truck from squatting. Make sure the rear stabilizers up in both scenarios.

In the future, use the outer jack leg (upper) for most of your extension. This will help stabilize the trailer and give you more adjustment flexibility. good luck.

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 10:24 AM

I should have clarified that the leg was raised off of the ground. So there was no weight on the pin at all, and I still couldn't get it to budge.

I think brute force is the only thing that is going to get it out. I have an 8 lb sledge hammer, but have been a little reluctant to use it because I'm not sure how accurately I can swing it in that tight space. What I really need is 3 lb hammer, but unfortunately I don't have one of those.

I'll have to see if I have a drift punch that is the right diameter for driving it out. That might be better than wildly swinging a big hammer at the handle end.

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamm2018

You may need to go into the front end of the RV and see how the landing gear assembly is mounted. It may be too high and not allowing the pins to operate correctly.
If possible, see if the assembly can be lowered to allow the pins to clear the frame.

Here are some replacement pins:
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Acc...and_Clips.aspx

Just thinking, make sure the assembly is properly installed, it may be loose, allowing it to move up/down. Something could broke allowing this to move.

The landing gear is welded to the trailer frame, so there's no moving it. On the positive side, I checked all the welds and none of them are broken. And as far as I can see, the frame doesn't look bent.

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 10:36 AM

Oh, sorry for my newbie stupidity. I just realized that with the landing gear down, the pin goes down with it, and is no longer jammed up against the frame. I still think I'm going to have trouble getting it out because of the bend, but I can it least have it down away from the bottom of the trailer where I have more room to work on it. Once out, I can replace it, and then either rotate the new one as described above, or just be careful not to retract the jack so far up that it bends the pin.

rgvtexan · 03-23-2025, 01:35 PM

Yep your top photo makes it appear as if the pad was on the ground.

Gr8bawana · 03-23-2025, 02:05 PM

It looks like the trailer was dropped at some point and the leg is now bent out of shape. That is why the pin is at an angle. It may take some heating with a torch if possible to bend it back.

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gr8bawana

It looks like the trailer was dropped at some point and the leg is now bent out of shape. That is why the pin is at an angle. It may take some heating with a torch if possible to bend it back.

Yes, the leg does lean some, but the photos make it look worse than it is. Straightening the leg would actually make the situation with the pin worse; i.e., it would push the pin farther up into the frame when the leg is fully retracted.

I'm thinking the pin hitting the frame when the leg was fully retracted might be what bent the leg.

David 70 · 03-23-2025, 04:53 PM

That pin moves up and down with the jack. If it is off the ground like you say, then run the jack own some and remove the two bolts and remove the assembly. You should then be able to replace it with a good pin. Do not run the jack up so far that it hits the frame.

Wellibe · 03-23-2025, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 70

That pin moves up and down with the jack. If it is off the ground like you say, then run the jack own some and remove the two bolts and remove the assembly. You should then be able to replace it with a good pin. Do not run the jack up so far that it hits the frame.

Yes, I noticed that and commented to that effect a few posts back. It will still take force to remove the pin because it is bent. But yes, it will be easier to work on with the jack extended a little.

Rhagfo · 03-23-2025, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wellibe

The landing gear is welded to the trailer frame, so there's no moving it. On the positive side, I checked all the welds and none of them are broken. And as far as I can see, the frame doesn't look bent.

Well I see a gear that was lifted too far up bending the pin. The part of the landing gear that that pin is on should extend out when the legs are extended.
If you compactor the other side, the other side is down about 1” further than this side.

Wellibe · 03-24-2025, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhagfo

Well I see a gear that was lifted too far up bending the pin. The part of the landing gear that that pin is on should extend out when the legs are extended.
If you compactor the other side, the other side is down about 1” further than this side.

I'm thinking the leg with the bent pin was installed improperly. It is a Lippert Ground Control 3.0 auto level system. As far as i can tell, there is no way to retract or extend one side more than the other. Unless you actually go into the motor and crank it by hand. When you hit retract, that's how far that one goes up, vs. the other one stopping about an inch lower.