Winter vs. hydraulic

[trappa]

I am new fifth wheel owner getting ready to park it for the winter in northern New Hampshire where the temps should well below freezing from December until April. I am thinking it would not be a good idea to rely on the hydraulic jacks over the winter. I am wondering if I should lower the frame onto cinder blocks and retract the levelers for the winter. Any thoughts?

[jacknife]

You can check with Lippert and see if they have syn atf in the system. If not buy some and you can use a small hand transfer pump. Hook up with all slides and Jack's retracted and pump out resovior then refill with syn to same level. Don't worry about non syn and syn mixing it is ok. That should mitigate any cold weather problems with Jacks or slides.

[Searching_Ut]

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you're talking about using the jacks, they definitely run slower, and mine will sometimes trip the auto reset CB when it's really cold but only as the jacks are getting all the way up.

I pull my slides in when I'm going to be parking in the snow, and retract the aft levelers. For the front landing gear I wipe the struts down a couple times a month with a rag and silicone spray. My rig is parked at my house so it's easy enough to get to.

[ALLOY]

Originally Posted by trappa

I am new fifth wheel owner getting ready to park it for the winter in northern New Hampshire where the temps should well below freezing from December until April. I am thinking it would not be a good idea to rely on the hydraulic jacks over the winter. I am wondering if I should lower the frame onto cinder blocks and retract the levelers for the winter. Any thoughts?

Oil in the jacks is the same as in a car......works when it is below 32F....as long as the jacks are not leaking it will be O.K......but.....retracting the jacks will prevent corrosion on the cylinder rods.

[Cypressloser]

You should be safe down to 0 deg F, below that you definitely want to evacuate the oil and replace it with low temp ATF. As mentioned don't worry about proper mixing, extend and retract the slides several times and maybe lubricate the rubber slide seals at the same time.
Rusting hydraulic rams are an urban myth, they are chrome plated and unless they are physically damaged they will not rust when exposed.

Edit: If you're not planning to use the rv during the coldest part of winter do nothing. Frozen condensation would be my 2nd greatest concern.

[ALLOY]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

Rusting hydraulic rams are an urban myth, they are chrome plated and unless they are physically damaged they will not rust when exposed.

http://www.kobelco-cranes.com/india/..._Cylinder1.pdf

[clifford j]

Every single vehicle on the highway in northern New Hampshire has shock absorbers with hydrolic oil in them and survive winters without issues. . All heavy construction equipment with hydrolic cylinders in use or stored for the winter keep their 'normal' fluid. Simple answer don't be overly concerned.

CLIFFORD