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Last Updated on August 24, 2024 by Paul Clayton
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RV Jacks won’t Go Down: Troubleshooting Tips
This issue can significantly hamper your travel plans and overall RV experience. RV jacks are pivotal components of a recreational vehicle, designed to stabilize and level the vehicle when parked. When the RV jacks don’t go down, the car and its occupants can be unstable and unsafe.
- Hydraulic System Issues: Responsible for lifting and lowering jacks.
- Mechanical Error: Dirt, rust, or debris can interfere with function.
- Power Issues: RV jacks require a fully charged battery.
- Controller Problems: Controller malfunctions can halt jack operation.
Nothing is quite as frustrating as finding a parking spot at the campground after a long day on the road only to press the button that operates the RV’s leveling jacks and have nothing happen.
When this happens, it can ruin what was supposed to be a fun trip. It could also give a bad ending to what was a fun getaway. You were having your jacks not work, which should be pretty frustrating.
It is even worse when they are down and won’t go up, as that means you are stuck in your location indefinitely. The positions your jacks are attached to can significantly affect how critical having a fix is.
This is because when your RV’s jacks are in a raised position, not lowering down, it wouldn’t necessarily ruin the entirety of your trip. That being said, it is something that you would want to be addressed as quickly as possible.
If you happen to park on a reasonably flat surface, then your RV’s jacks not coming down can be an annoyance rather than a critical failure. You most likely can go about your day and enjoy your holiday.
You can address the issue when you get back home. Nevertheless, if you use a travel trailer and your jacks are not lower, you cannot unhitch your truck to set up camp.
This article provides tips to help you troubleshoot why your RV’s jacks would not go down.
Conduct Basic Tests
While this step might seem rudimentary, it can help you begin troubleshooting accurately. When performing a basic test on your RV’s jacks, you can seamlessly observe certain things.
The first thing you should do is to press the jack-down button. Is there a sound of machinery working? If you do not hear a sound, it could mean that no power is reaching the leveling jack system.
This could be because of something as basic as a fuse blowing. Nevertheless, if you press the button and hear your RV’s jacks trying to work but seemingly failing, it is likely a complex mechanical issue.
Your next step would be to operate each of your RV’s jacks one at a time to see if the issue concerns the entire system or is limited to your RV’s rear and front jacks.
Doing this might even help you narrow the cause to a single jack. Once you have performed this round of basic testing using your RV’s control panel to no avail, it will be time to head to the next tip.
Visual Inspection
It is important to remember that nearly every RVer has faced or will face the problem of their level jacks not going down.
This step involves walking around your RV and looking closely at each of your jacks to determine if glaring issues are stopping them from lowering down.
You should observe the ground to see if your RV has sprung a hydraulic fluid leak. If you happen to be RVing during the winter, it could be that your RV’s jacks have been frozen to the body of your RV.
If so, spray some warm water at the base to help loosen the jacks.
If there is no visible leak of hydraulic fluid and your jacks are not frozen, you should proceed to the next troubleshooting stage to resolve the problem.
Read Up Information In Your Owner’s Manual
The Owner’s manual will always contain in-depth information concerning the operational procedure of numerous components in your RV, and the jack system is not left out.
While you might have read the manual when you purchased your RV, this is a great time to reacquaint yourself with it.
You should get your manual from where you keep it; most people with a travel trailer tend to put it in their truck, while those with an RV leave it inside the RV for safekeeping.
The Owner’s manual will have in-depth troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the issue.
Most owner manuals include a troubleshooting chart with detailed steps for determining the problem and its cause.
Given that you want your jacks to come down, you are likely just getting to the campground so you have more time, and there isn’t that much of a sense of urgency.
If you read the Owner’s manual and followed its instructions to no avail, it would be time to move on to the next step, lowering manually.
The manual will offer some guidance on doing this safely. Given that numerous systems, such as Lippert, Quadra Bigfoot, and HWH, are used in RVs today, you must refer to your Owner’s manual to ensure that you follow the procedures suitable to your RV’s particular system.
It would be best not to dismiss your Owner’s manual too quickly when it provides additional insight into any problems you might face.
Manually Lower Your RV’s Jacks
HWH systems jacks are the most common hydraulic leveling jack systems used on RVs today. These jack systems tend to have a manually triggered override, enabling you to lower or retract the jacks as needed.
When retracting the jacks, a manual release valve must be opened, allowing the jacks to be pried open.
LCI Manual Mode
- Press the on/off switch.
- Push the up arrow several times until the screen shows it is in manual mode.
- Press the enter button
- Press the button marked front to lower the front jacks
- Then repeat the process for the rear and middle jacks
- You could also choose to push the left for the left-sided jacks and the right button for the right-sided jacks
HWH Systems Manual Mode
For starters, the ignition has to be in the ACC or On mode, and the parking brake has to be set before the system can turn on.
- To turn the starter on, push the on button
- The power-on light will come on
- With the system on, select the directional arrows you intend to use.
- Press the dump button to ensure all the air is dumped before you move to lower the jacks.
- The jacks will lower in pairs, so you must reduce the back jacks first and then the front ones.
Manual mode can be a great quick fix to sort out your RV’s jack problems.
Request Help From Those Around You
If you have tried all you can and your RV’s jacks still won’t lower, it might be time to request help.
- Requesting for help could mean asking those in the campground for assistance. You will find someone who has faced a similar issue with your jacks system.
- Additionally, you could get help from the manufacturer, as we have a customer support phone line. Someone could walk you through the problem and fix it over the phone.
- Another way to get help is via RV roadside assistance services such as Good Sam or AAA. If you have a membership with any of them, you can call them to either speak with a certified RV mechanic or have them send someone to you to sort out the problem.
- If you don’t belong to a roadside assistance service or your provider does not have coverage in your location, you can contact the campground or RV park office to be referred to someone who can handle the issue.
- Whichever method you choose, you should never be scared to request help. Doing so can help you fix the issue sooner than just doing it alone.
The great thing about RVing is that if you have done it long enough, you might have encountered a problem you weren’t sure how to solve.
The RV community is excellent at coming together to help each other, given that they have all encountered such an issue at one point or another. When you get help, you should be willing to pay it forward to the next person.
How Important Are Leveling Jacks on an RV?
The importance of leveling jacks on an RV cannot be overstated. Their critical role ensures the RV maintains a perfectly horizontal position, thus preventing any potential damage to the internal components like slide mechanisms.
Furthermore, a non-level RV can disrupt the functioning of the propane systems, leading to significant safety risks.
Utilizing leveling jacks not only safeguards the structural integrity of your RV but also enhances your overall camping experience.
Therefore, understanding how vital leveling jacks on an RV is essential for every RV owner to ensure their vehicle’s longevity and its occupants’ safety.
Final Words
The issue of “RV Jacks Won’t Go Down” can be a significant problem for recreational vehicle owners, disrupting their travel or vacation plans. Several factors could contribute to this problem. Firstly, the hydraulic system issues are a common cause.
The hydraulic system is responsible for lifting and lowering jacks; however, any malfunction could prevent them from going down.
Mechanical errors also play a crucial role in this problem, as dirt, rust, or debris can interfere with the jacks’ function, preventing them from lowering as they should. It is essential to clean and maintain your RV jacks regularly to avoid such issues.
Power issues are another common reason RV jacks won’t lower. These jacks need a fully charged battery to operate optimally. Hence, if your RV’s battery is not sufficiently charged, it could prevent the jacks from lowering.
Lastly, controller malfunctions can halt jack operation entirely. The controller is responsible for managing the operation of the jacks, and any malfunction or damage to the controller could prevent the jacks from going down.
Understanding the potential causes can help troubleshoot and resolve the problem more effectively.
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