Rusted Landing Gear

[mcfarlak]

Has anyone had any trouble with rusted landing gear? On our 07 Elite The 4 legs are Chrome and I have tried everything I know to keep them from rusting to no avail. Now, because the chrome tubes have rust pits the drivers side front leg is leaking fluid and lots of it around the seal. I would suspect that the other 3 will fail soon.

[anijet]

When ever we park for 2 weeks or longer I wipe all actuator rams, including the kitchen and door side slides, with LPS3. LPS3 contains cosmoline, which protects the ram from moisture. Unfortunately, once rust has started I don't think there is a cure other than replacement, as these actuators are not designed to be disassembled.

Never use WD40 to wipe down the rams as it traps moisture and just makes the rust problem worse.

[USA in a Chevrolet]

When ever we park for 2 weeks or longer I wipe all actuator rams, including the kitchen and door side slides, with LPS3. LPS3 contains cosmoline, which protects the ram from moisture. Unfortunately, once rust has started I don't think there is a cure other than replacement, as these actuators are not designed to be disassembled.

Never use WD40 to wipe down the rams as it traps moisture and just makes the rust problem worse.

Where can I find LPS3? I thought WD40 displaced moisture, not trapped it.

[anijet]

Local hardware stores. Orchard Supply here in Calif.

If I find WD40 in my aircraft shop, it goes in the trash, no questions asked.

http://www.lpslabs.com/technical_info/tds/LPS3.pdf

[47hook]

IIRC my owner's manual says to spray the legs with silicone spray to clean off the landing gear legs. From my experience, when it rains sand and dirt get splashed on the landing gear and this will definitely cause problems with the seals. Rust pits would do the same. I would not recommend using any petroleum product on the landing gear (don't think it is good for the seals). You can use a rag with some automatic trans fluid on it to wipe down the legs periodically but wipe down the legs with a clean rag before retracting them. I do this with the silicone spray about 90% of the time.

I haven't had any pitting but I did have some hardened residue on one landing leg which wouldn't come off with the spray so I took an old leather dog leash and used it to buff out the residue. Didn't want any lumps going by the seals. You might want to try and do that; it is kind of like the old barber shop stropping leather used on straight razors. Just wrap the clean smooth leather around the leg and pull back and forth. You want to not get rid of the pit but get rid of the ruff edges of the pit. Course, if the seals are cut and leaking this would be too late.

Good luck; oh yea, worse comes to worse call DRV or Lippert and talk to an expert!

[anijet]

I would not recommend using any petroleum product on the landing gear (don't think it is good for the seals).

Curious on this since the hydraulic fluid in petroleum based?

[wingnut60]

How about a rubber boot similar to the ones on shock absorbers--put it on permanently to keep the leg clean/dry.
Joe

[47hook]

Lot of stuff is "petroleum" based. Wouldn't want to add a quart of motor oil to the hyd resevoir. Even though both are petroleum based. Some stuff doesn't like to mix, some seals don't like different fluids contacting them. So, my recommendation not to use "petroleum" based fluids should have been more accurate and said non-hydraulic fluid lubricants.

[ishie]

Has anyone had any trouble with rusted landing shop gear (http://www.jcwhitney.com/shop-gear/c21391j1s17.jcwx)? On our 07 Elite The 4 legs are Chrome and I have tried everything I know to keep them from rusting to no avail. Now, because the chrome tubes have rust pits the drivers side front leg is leaking fluid and lots of it around the seal. I would suspect that the other 3 will fail soon.
hi I have one of Rusty's. I'm almost done but I'm wondering what others are using for landing gear. Could you post pictures of your setups?? thanks a lot! :)

[bstark]

I'm hearing that the newer systems are more prone to this problem because the ram is visible and exposed to stuff such as rain splashing of anything from concrete pad dust (corrosive) to fine sand (abrasive).

The older rams were encased within a square inner tube and perhaps less susceptable to outside contaminants.

A redesign of the system around late 05 resulted in mounting tabs merely being welded to the outside of the cylinder itself which negated the need for a separate mounting encasement. Perhaps a weight savings and far easier to service (replace) but not necessarily a good thing for longevity of the inner ram?