HWH kick down levelers on class C

[tmaz]

Installed HWH kick down levelers on our 2007 31 ft Coachmen when it was new. They worked pretty good for the first year or so, but have been a pain ever since. The cylinders will not retract completely and are extended 2 to 3 inches when I want to put them down. Many times the pad hits the ground before the cylinder is completely vertical. I have resorted to using a rubber mallet to "help" the cylinder retract. Cleaning and lubrication, which the Camping World tech who installed them assured me was never necessary, does not help. Has anyone had a similar problem? Will replacing the springs help?

[azpete]

are your springs the old style or the new style? i have seen the old style still working after 20 years, clean them with a wire brush, and a rust penatrant. this should help.
if they are 9000 lb jacks, there is a roller bearing up at the left side of the pivot bracket that must turn freely. spray the pivot bolts with a rust penatrant also. after that many years, there may be rust there.
if you cant push the shaft in with your hand, the jack should be rebuilt.
send a email to hwh at service@hwh.com
they seem to answer those faster than phone call. because of the large number of diy'ers, there is a backlog on phone calls.
my cell is 602-549-3638. i can help. and i'll answer today paul maddox

[Redhawk Gang]

We had HWH Auto-Levlers, the kick down type with springs, on a P-30 chassis. Camping world installed them in 2004. Same sort of problems after a year. Worked with them, had them repaired several times, kept them serviced. We were even stuck on them twice at different times when they would not retract. I hated them. I hated them so much that when we bought our new (2014) motorhome, I absolutely would not even consider one with auto levelers.

I bought the new RV, 4 plastic jack pads, (orange square plastic pads 14"x14"x1") and a set of 4 screw type jack stands. I have been using 2 stands when I set up. I place them under the tow hitch, one on each side. They are easy to install and work well enough. For leveling I use Lynx Leveler blocks. It all works well together and does not need oil, maintenance, or mechanics to come for expensive repairs.

On the other hand, I have read about and spoken to people who have had great luck with their levelers. For me, I will stay with the old fashioned manual way of doing things.

Good luck

[rvten]

Kick down jacks are made by Gremlins
Straight down are the best.

[docj]

I had kickdown jacks on a 2005 Class C and they were nothing but trouble. Once or twice I had to "drive off" the jacks to get them to rotate and retract.