Bent leveling jack

[Kodle]

I'm new to this forum and having a class a motorhome. I thought it was awesome to have automatic leveling jacks on my new coach. I bent one of them when I attempted to level it on the street in front of my house. The bent jack retracts but makes an awful noise when doing so.

I think it bent when it went to retract and the whole coach shifted.

My question is weather it can be easily straightened or an I better off just replacing it with a new one?

Thanks.

[Kenneth Neal]

More information is needed. What is the make, model and year of your coach? What type of leveling system do you have? Is it made by Lippert or someone else? Hydraulic or electric? The more info you provide the better we can help you.

[winder1]

I don't know of any way a hydraulic Jack could bend during normal use. Those are very expensive, like $2k. Good luck with warranty coverage.

[Kodle]

It's a hydraulic system on my 2013 Thor ACE 27.1 I think it bent when I parked it on the street in front of my house. It's a Lipert system

[Noodge]

We too have a bent leg. From research it looks like soft soil due to recent rains on a less than level area, might have been the culprit.

Our 2013 Thor Ace 30.1 owners manual says to use a 2 ft by 2 ft piece of board if the ground is soft so that the weight is dispersed more (causing it to sink and shift less I guess).

Also, I just chatted on-line with Lippert ( the mfg of ours). They say replace it don't straighten it. Supposedly in the straightening process the metal is heated and bent which, once done,causes the metal to never as strong as before. ... but then it was Lippert and they are in the biz to sell new ones. I guess that's why they only give a 1 year warranty on such an expensive part.

[lwmcguire]

Hydraulic rams aren't all that expensive, just find a good hydraulic shop or order the original part

[macdaddy1111]

Originally Posted by Kodle

I'm new to this forum and having a class a motorhome. I thought it was awesome to have automatic leveling jacks on my new coach. I bent one of them when I attempted to level it on the street in front of my house. The bent jack retracts but makes an awful noise when doing so.

I think it bent when it went to retract and the whole coach shifted.

My question is weather it can be easily straightened or an I better off just replacing it with a new one?

Thanks.

get SnapPad EQ 10 Inch Round Landing Feet

once you get fixed. Really helps in dirt!!

[Judge]

Aren't those hydraulic rams solid? I can see anyway you could bend one if they are solid.... maybe if it was 6 feet long you could apply enough torque to bend one.

I could see the foot bending (which is replaceable) or potential the housing that mounts the ram to the frame.

[lwmcguire]

Bending the hydraulic cylinder ram is way more common than you would think

Usually when extended and a sudden side to side movement

Way out of level parking with one or more rams extended fully or nearly so

[Kenneth Neal]

Double check to make sure it's the ram that is bent. At first, I thought my ram was bent, but it turned out it was the bracket connecting the jack to the frame. That made the jack extend at an awkward angle.