Lippert Hyd Jacks

[RG Parker]

Morning.. New to Forest River Fifth Wheels. We purchased our Cedar Creek Silverback in October.. Not new to fifth wheels this is our fourth one.. First one with Hyd Jacks from LCI.. Driving home to California from Texas this week and noticed the right front jack was dropping.. Called LCI ( I tried calling where we purchased and they never called back).. LCI said that the jack or both front jacks needed replaced.. Suggested that I strap up the jacks so they do not fall.. I did that and then the other jack started falling .. After stopping at a Loves Truck stop and spending over 50 dollars ( I purchased rubber Bungie Cords and it finally stopped the dropping Jacks.. I stopped about ever 50 miles and had to retract the jacks.. Makes a long day traveling 250 miles and stopping every 50.. Not a good thing to have happen.. Any thoughts .. Thanks Gary

[BandJCarm]

You probably have a hydraulic leak somewhere. Check your reservoir and make sure it has fluid. I am NO EXPERT but if every jack is doing the same thing, I doubt the actual jacks are failing. You are just loosing pressure. Do the slides work in and out ok? They use the same fluid and pump.

[RG Parker]

Thanks for the reply.... However as I stated Just the right front jack had the issue.. I would drop over 6 inches in about 10 minutes.. I was pulling the fifth wheel from Texas to California.. I disconnected the batteries and all the power supplies..and still they dropped.. The Tech from LCI, said it happens sometimes that they jack just comes down with out power....The fifth wheel is brand new and had not had an issue in over 3000 miles of towing and use.. Yes the slides work fine, Yes the HYD fluid is full and no just the front jack not the other four.. This could be serious issue if someone tows a fifth wheel and does not keep an eye out for problems.. When I first saw the jack extending when I was driving it was about 8 inches down about 6 to 8 inches from the pavement.. Thanks

[BandJCarm]

OK, I thought I read "and then the other jacks started falling". I guess I misunderstood.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by RG Parker

.... LCI said that the jack or both front jacks needed replaced.. Suggested that I strap up the jacks so they do not fall.. I did that and then the other jack started falling .. After stopping at a Loves Truck stop and spending over 50 dollars ( I purchased rubber Bungie Cords and it finally stopped the dropping Jacks.....

Your statements confuse me also. The above makes it sound like you bungied one jack up and then the other one started drifting down also.

There are several threads that discuss this exact problem, so a forum thread search might help you out.

If just one jack is leaking down, replace the jack or get it resealed at a hydraulics shop. The internal seals are leaking.

If it is multiple jacks, then it is more likely a valve problem. You might ensure the valve for the front jacks is set correctly by using the manual method described in the operations manual to fully open and close it. You can find the manual for your leveling system on the Lippert website.

Also, the tech you talked to is full of it. If operating properly, jacks will not leak down when power is removed from the system.