Front jacks quit!

Cathie&Al · 11-02-2011, 05:26 PM

This is our third trip with our brand new Springdale 279rl and we were putting the front jacks down and they quit! Dead as a door nail. Checked the fuses in the camper fuse box. Had to hand crank them down. Thank goodness my husband is capable of this. We are about to throw in the towel. Have also had to have the roof covering replaced and now find places with stuff under the new coating. We also have a problem with the slide out gasket. It gets stuck and folds under. Maybe things will look better in the morning.

Festus2 · 11-02-2011, 05:42 PM

There may also be a 30A fuse located in the + line near your battery which, if blown, could account for your front jacks not working. It could be located close to the battery and embedded in the coiled plastic harness wiring so it may be difficult to find or see. Other members have had similar problems with this fuse blowing.
Not sure what you mean by finding "stuff under the new coating".......... could you explain in more detail what kind of "stuff" you are finding and if you are finding it under the new EPDM rubber membrane????
You might try cleaning and spraying the rubber slide out gasket with Amor All or Aerospace303 to see if that makes any difference. With lower temperatures, the seals sometimes become stiff and using one of these products may help to keep them more flexible.

Ron · 11-02-2011, 05:59 PM

Festus probably hit the nail on the head, there should be a 30 amp fuse near the battery in the front compartment. As I have posted before I have replaced my use with a circuit breaker because if you bottom out or rais the jack to high it will blow the fuse every time, with the circuit breaker it will reset itself, but still will protect the system. Here are some pic on my 327, your Springdale should be a similar setup. Hope this helps. Happy Campin..............Ron[ATTACH][ATTACH]Attachment 723[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

SteveC7010 · 11-02-2011, 06:11 PM

The inline fuse holders look like this, although the wire and/or body may be different colors:

The upper part is just a weather cap and comes right off. Inside will be a standard automotive fuse which, if blown, can be replaced at any auto parts store.

This is one item that you don't need to ever again pay RV store prices to purchase.

I usually buy them in boxes of four or more, depending on the amperage rating. Some of them are the same as in my truck, so keeping a few on hand is always a good idea.

There are a bunch of the 15 amp ones used in the power panel of all of our trailers and several 30's down in the control panel and wiring for the landing gear.

Cathie&Al · 11-02-2011, 06:26 PM

Thanks guys, we will check out that fuse. Under the new membrane they put on the roof ( as the other one was bubbling)' it is like there were particles of stuff on the roof that are now starting to poke through the roof membrane.

Cathie&Al · 11-02-2011, 06:30 PM

My husband has uses something to lubricate the rubber gasket,mbut I don't know what. Meh was exhausted and is asleep. Will talk to him in the morning. I really appreciate all your help. There is not much my husband can't fix, repair, improvise, etc, so any suggestions are always helpful n

**JRTJH** · 11-03-2011, 02:40 AM

If there is something that was left on the roof and covered by the new membrane (I think that's what you're saying happened) then it needs to go back to the dealer if that trash is starting to poke through the roof. That's NOT a Keystone issue, that's a shoddy dealer repair issue. If, however, they did clean the roof properly, but the OSB up there was somehow wet and the edges of the chips were curling up, those edges could be causing the problem. That could be as simple as sanding and sealing the OSB or as involved as replacing the damaged OSB panels. Either way, if something is "poking through" the EPDM membrane, hurry thyself back to whoever replaced the roof and get it squared away.

As for the fuse in the landing gear. Look at the pink wire on the back of the landing gear switch, follow it and you'll find the fuse holder, probably abour 3 feet away from the switch, near the circuit breaker mounted on the panel where the battery connects in the front compartment.

W5WI · 11-03-2011, 06:25 AM

Great advice made above!

I just have one item to add from the school of hard knocks...

If you have a remote control unit the landing gear will raise and lower using the remote control even if the landing gear inline fuse is blown. My service manager showed me this after I had raised and lowered the landing gear by hand in camp...

I too have added a circuit breaker to replace the inline fuse. And, I've marked the up limit travel on the landing gear!

**JRTJH** · 11-03-2011, 08:53 AM

Springdale is the Keystone "entry level" fifth wheel. It's pretty basic when it comes to features. To my knowledge, there's no remote control available.
Replacing the fuse with an auto-reset circuit breaker is a good idea on this circuit. In fact, if you can find a "slow blow" circuit breaker, it will give you that little extra "umph" you need to not have it reset as often.

Before you go get a 30 Amp breaker (or fuse for that matter) double check what's in the fuse holder. Mine is a 15 AMP fuse. Of course, my Springdale is a bit smaller than yours, but from what I've seen, Springdale is pretty standardized across the line, so it wouldn't suprise me if you also have a 15 Amp fuse.

Now, a suggestion I've made before on here: We all know that running the front legs all the way up or all the way down will stall the motor and, if you're lucky, blow the fuse. If you're unlucky, it could shear the pins in the drive assembly or burn the brushes on the motor or damage the gears in the drive unit or in one or both of the jack legs. I'd strongly suggest marking the moving leg with a piece of reflective tape or paint so you can glance under the trailer and see when you're getting close. I used yellow reflective tape to mark the area "nearing the end of travel and a piece of red tape marking the place where "I GOTTA STOP" so I can prevent blown fuses or worse, damaged equipment.

Cathie&Al · 11-03-2011, 05:11 PM

Thanks for all the advice. It was that fuse. He found it and replaced it. Can't say enough about this forum. Ask and you shall receive!!
We will make sure from now on that we do not over extend or retract the legs to far. Each time we take it out we find some new bit of info to store away.
Husband is looking in to the circuit breaker as that makes much more sense.
In the mean time we bought a lot more fuses to have on hand. We had a 30 amp, but is was regular size and the one we replaced was a mini one. Go figure!
Again, thanks for making our outing more enjoyable.

BobM · 11-05-2011, 06:30 AM

Not sure if you're model has a remote (for the slide(s), landing gear, awning), but if you do it will work the landing gear even though the fuse on the outside switch isn't working.

Cathie&Al · 11-05-2011, 07:21 AM

Thanks, Bob, but no remote. We just learned our lesson and found the fuse!

BobM · 11-06-2011, 04:56 PM

Yeah, well...I blow our fuse approx once every third trip...I just can't seem to learn where the limit is...I just keep having to nudge it up...just...a....littttttlle...bittttt...farrrrthe rrr...DOH!!! Dammit!!! I now keep a little baggie of those green plug-in fuse thingies in my front hatch. Stupid safety mechanisms!

Festus2 · 11-06-2011, 05:42 PM

Bob:
There have been a number of posts on what some members have done to prevent blowing this fuse when raising or lowering the landing jacks. Some have placed tape of varying colours at those points on the jack where you should start to pay attention. Green ----- ok to keep going::::: Orange or yellow to slow down::::::: Red ...STOP!!!
You might try placing tape or some other marks on the jack to serve as a reminder where those limits are. Saves "aarrggghhh" and fuses.

You may also like: