Stubborn Jacks at Ft Wilderness

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majicchuck

majicchuck

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 3, 2017
Posts
127
Location
Buffalo NY
Today we arrived at Ft Wilderness. It was a relatively smooth ride much of the 1200 miles. This was my first long distance trek in this coach. Very enjoyable ride. However, once I arrived at my campsite, the left rear jack refused to go fully down. Spent a fair amount time retracting and putting jacks down to no avail in the mid day sun. Even after looking at the manual, I'm not sure where to fill hydraulic fluid. Anyone with the same/similar coach (05 Fleetwood Bounder 38N) who can point me in right direction? Thanks
 
What type of leveling system? Did you try to extend it manually or just in auto? Not sure where your hydraulic tank and valves are on this model. I doubt it is a low fluid issue though. Sounds like it is getting stuck.

 
This is a two person job
Step one. Partner retracts jacks. you are OUTSIDE the RV
Step Two. Partner now extends the jacks

You LISTEN for the sound of the hydraulic pump...

That's your target. The fluid tank is normally physically attached to the pump

Mine is dead center front low (Just above frame rail bolted to a cross member)

Sometimes they are in the rear or one side or the other.

But the sound of the pump is your guide.
 
First try manually lowering the jack that will not come down. That will tell you if there is problem with that jack or the system is low of fluid.
 
It's not unusual for one of our jacks to not fully extend when I use the Auto Level feature - especially when I'm parked on a nearly level surface. When I push the Auto Level button, all four jacks will start to extend (often in an odd sequence) but as soon as the coach is level, the system seems to think it no longer needs to put all four jacks all the way down. I wish it would, because in addition to leveling the coach, the jacks also stabilize it. When I'm parked on a surface that's not very level, all four jacks always touch the ground.

Like others suggested, if you're using an Auto Level system, you might try manually deploying them to ensure that they're able to fully extend. There may be nothing wrong at all.

Kev
 
Kevin Means said:
if you're using an Auto Level system, you might try manually deploying them to ensure that they're able to fully extend.
Click to expand...

It's funny, my 94 Bounder had auto level where my 05 Dutch Star does not and to be honest I'm glad it doesn't. As Kevin says, the auto level can do some funny things sometimes - I stopped using it in the Bounder and always used manual, just isn't that much work to hold a button for 30 seconds, and there were too many times I had to take over manually anyway.

As an aside, I too was mechanicalled in Ft Wilderness in that same Bounder, spent the day babysitting it with a mobile repair while the kids went off to play. It was a pretty warm day but there are enough trees in Ft Wilderness we were in the shade. I can think of worse places to be stranded.

Hope the jack issue isn't interfering much with the vacation.
 
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