[Rockyhud]

It's been a little over a month since my last posting about what we could do about our hydraulics. This will be a little long so bear with me if you want to see what we've decided and what the actual problems were.

So, after getting the approval from Lippert to replace the front rams and hoses, I decided to check out quite a few RV shops in the Colorado Springs vicinity to get a feel about how competent and professional they are. After checking out several I settled on Trailer Source RV Center to take our RV to and let them check it out and provide their best estimate on what the problem is and estimate of cost.

After a few days I got a call saying their master tech had come to the conclusion the rams were OK and the problem was leakage in the hydraulic hoses (either air in or fluid out or a combination of both) and estimated the cost to replace all hoses at close to $1500 to maybe as much as $1800. After mulling this over, considering the option to travel to Lippert as well as reviewing the findings and experience of stanleyz and his conclusion in his case that the rams needed to be rebuilt with new seals, top and bottom, I called Trailer Source back and told them I wasn't yet convinced the problem was leakage. I did acknowledge there is leakage as I had discovered this during my initial checkout of the RV in FL and conceded that while I am nowhere near being a hydraulics expert, I just couldn't rationalize how leaking hoses could cause the problem with landing gear dropping while the RV was in tow. So, I setup a visit with the master tech and the service manager to look at what they were proposing and discuss the testing that stanleyz had published.

During the onsite visit they went over their assessment that the problem was limited to the hoses connected to the front landing gear and one hose going to the vanity slide and the cost would possibly cost less than the $1500 estimate. I also brought a printed page with the procedure that stanleyz provided and passed that on to the service manager and master tech so they could read the whole thread. One important fact that registered with them and me was that the problem seemed to manifest itself while towing the RV and typically took half a day or more to cause the front landing gear to drop noticeably.

I was pleased with the fact both men weren't absolutely sure there conclusion was the only one and that they were open to hearing and using the test method that stanleyz wrote up. At that point they agreed to use the info from stanleyz to test the rams and also said they would get an accurate measurement of the hoses that they thought needed to be replaced. After a couple more days I got another call saying they had tested the rams and were more convinced the problem was a leakage issue. At that point I scheduled another visit to discuss this with them.

I arrived and soon was back in the shop talking with the master tech and seeing firsthand what he was recommending. It was at this point that he told me he and another tech ran the test procedure that stanleyz wrote up and determined from that test the rams and seals were not a problem - they did not drop at all during the test. He also told me he thought about the mention of taking half a day or more towing for the problem to manifest itself and thought, how could he duplicate the conditions of road vibrations that seemed to be a factor in causing the rams to drop. So, while the RV had all rams up, all slides in and with the all the weight on the wheels/tires and a couple of HD jack stands under the frame near the landing gear, he grabbed some hoses near the manifolds atop the pump and started shaking them to simulate road vibrations. He said it didn't take but a few seconds of this and the front landing gear started dropping. They used the hydraulic system to raise them back up and repeated the test and got the same results - rams started dropping after a few seconds of shaking the hoses.

Armed with that knowledge and seeing how willing the master tech was to use the troubleshooting stanleyz procedure to determine the root cause, I gave them the go ahead to get the cost estimate for all hoses he though were problematic. The next day I got a call saying the $1500 or less estimate would cover all expenses. So, after discussing the options with my wife of A), spending 4 days of travel to take the RV to Lippert (plus 1-2 days of killing time while in IN), spend a week of my vacation time doing this and spending about $1000 or more out of pocket to get the RV there and back (not to mention the possibility of costly incidents happening on the road) as well as figuring out how to deal with 2 lab dogs (1 being a 14-month old puppy), or B) we have Trailer Source do the repairs. We decided to go with option B and I called and gave them the go ahead to do the repairs.

They got busy and had the new hoses made locally and tested all to make sure there were no leaks and that the problem was resolved. They also made some changes in the hydraulics compartment that I thought were VERY good. First, the original configuration from DRV or Lippert had the pressure and return manifolds both connected to the pump AND suspended by and holding the manifolds and all the respective hoses supported by the single hydraulic fittings between the pump and respective manifold in position. This meant each pump to manifold connection had to not only provide a path for the fluid but also a mechanical support for the manifold and hoses and have to deal with all the vibrations these items would pass through to the fittings. Think of it this way - the single fitting is hard fastened to the pump and the mass of the manifold and several hoses connected to it have only the fitting holding them in place, absorbing and dealing with pretty much all vibrations they amass and pass back through to the fittings. I firmly believe that's why the fitting originally holding the pressure manifold was showing the most leakage. What Trailer Source did was to relocate both manifolds to nearby solid frame mount locations and use short hoses from the pump to each of the manifolds. Their solution, once I got to see it, was actually very logical and elegant and I believe will be a very effective and long lasting change.

The photos I've attached show what the hydraulic system looked like before and after. The first shows the original config with both manifolds connected only by their respective single fitting which supports the manifold and hoses and has to deal with any vibrations past to and through them. You can also see the ref fluid ring near the base of the fitting at the back, going to and supporting the pressure manifold. The next photos show where the manifolds and hoses are now located and the 2 short hoses that now connect from the pump to the manifolds. The rest of the photos show more of where both manifolds are located and connected. Also, during the short trip home with it (about 30 miles total) I was gratified to see the landing gear had not dropped any during that time so I'm pretty sure this is a done deal.

So, now that we've done the repairs locally I don't foresee the need to take the rig to IN to have Lippert do anything with it. That said, I still think it was a generous offer for them to cover the parts and labor charges for doing what they were proposing to do. And, if anyone has similar issues and can confirm the rams are the problem they should definitely get in touch with Lippert to see if they can get the same offer.