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  1. #1
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    Landing jack issues

    Can someone tell me if this is the dreaded Lippert 50 amp breaker? Started having trouble raising the landing jack the last several months but just now got to a location we are staying at for a couple of months. Some times they will retract with only stopping 3 or 4 times, other times they stop 15 to 20 times before being finally stowed all the way up. They will retrack for 3 or 4 seconds, stop and if I let off the switch for a sec or two and right back on nothing. I have to wait what seems like 5 to 8 seconds or so then I will hear a little pop that sounds like its coming from this area around the hydraulic pump / this switch and they will continue to retract again for 3,4 or 5 sec. With the extra wires on it, it's not what I expected to see as the OEM 50 amp auto reset breaker but I think it must be. Figured it would be an easy fix to upgrade to an 80 amp per what I've read about Lippert breakers. Click image for larger version. 

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    is it the breaker? If it is anyone recommend where / brand and model of 80 amp breaker as a replacement?
    Thanks
    rig is a 2017 Solitude 369RL
    Full timing 5+ years now in her
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 20220111_170438.jpg  

  2. #2
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Sure sounds like a faulty breaker. The picture you have is not the breaker, its part of the hydrualic pump. Follow that red 12v wire from the pump to the wall probably somewhere near your battery and the breaker will be under a black plastic cover.

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  3. #3
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    What you sent pictures of is not the breaker.

    The problems you describe do sound like the 50 amp breaker issue.

    You can locate the breaker by following the positive cable from the battery to an area that is covered by a plastic box, this box measures ~ 6" x 6". Remove that box (it is actually a cover). Inside you will find a small copper bus bar that is connected to several tiny boxes (~ 1"x 1/2"), these tiny boxes are your re-settable fuses. One of these fuses will have a cable running right to your hydraulic pump, that is the fuse you are looking for.

    You will need to remove this fuse and perform a little bit of re-wiring. You want to purchase a new 80 amp (re-settable or non-re-settable is your choice) see image below. You will then run a cable from the battery to the new fuse and then run the cable that is already attached to your hydraulic pump to the other side (load side) of the new breaker.

    This should fix the problems you have been having with your landing gear.


    Here is an image of the Old style fuses you will see under the cover:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PT60EK...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==


    Here is the 80 amp breaker I used on my rig (note: this is the automatically re-settable type):

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


    While this breaker is out of stock, you can find other breakers that meet the 80 amp, high current draw, specifications.
    Note: some breakers are manually re-settable (usually have a red button) and should work just fine.

    PS: when I installed my breaker, I took the opportunity to increase the wiring size for all the wiring feeding the hydraulic pump ( I chose 4ga cable). This might be something to consider since you are re-wiring part of the system anyway.

    Good Luck and let us know how everything works out.
    Last edited by SolarPoweredRV; 01-13-2022 at 08:30 AM.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  4. #4
    Setting Up Camp
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    Oh , ok that makes more sense now, I know the box / cover you are talking about. I will open it tomorrow. I assume you think i need to increase the wire size because of the increase in possible amperage? From the battery to the breaker and from the breaker to the pump, correct

  5. #5
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by firedreamer2 View Post
    Oh , ok that makes more sense now, I know the box / cover you are talking about. I will open it tomorrow. I assume you think i need to increase the wire size because of the increase in possible amperage? From the battery to the breaker and from the breaker to the pump, correct
    I'll just add this bit of info as a suggestion. If you are going to upgrade the wire size for the battery to the breaker, and the breaker to the reversing contactor, also upgrade the black wire, which is the negative side of the circuit. That black wire goes from the reversing contactor to frame ground and or back to the negative side of the battery. And the reason for that is the same amount of current flows in the entire circuit.....all the way FROM the battery.....and BACK TO the battery.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
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  6. #6
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xrated View Post
    I'll just add this bit of info as a suggestion. If you are going to upgrade the wire size for the battery to the breaker, and the breaker to the reversing contactor, also upgrade the black wire, which is the negative side of the circuit. That black wire goes from the reversing contactor to frame ground and or back to the negative side of the battery. And the reason for that is the same amount of current flows in the entire circuit.....all the way FROM the battery.....and BACK TO the battery.
    I agree, sorry I did not make that point clearer in my post.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  7. #7
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by firedreamer2 View Post
    Oh , ok that makes more sense now, I know the box / cover you are talking about. I will open it tomorrow. I assume you think i need to increase the wire size because of the increase in possible amperage? From the battery to the breaker and from the breaker to the pump, correct

    The increased wire sizing recommendation comes more from getting better performance (and longevity) from my hydraulic motor as well as consulting the wire sizing chart posted below.

    According to documentation I found in my Owners packet, the Hydraulic system draws 95 amps. The 6ga wire Grand Design used for the hydraulic pump is not adequate for 95 amps (at a 3% loss rate). Consequently, to ensure better performance from my hydraulic system I chose to upgrade the cabling to 4ga (both Pos and Neg cables). I am sure GD based their wire sizing on the 50 amp fuse they installed, and since that has proven to be inadequate, it follows that their wire sizing is also inadequate.

    Anyway, I am glad you are also planning to upgrade the cabling along with your new fuse.

    Here is the Wire sizing chart I mentioned above:
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    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  8. #8
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SolarPoweredRV View Post
    The increased wire sizing recommendation comes more from getting better performance (and longevity) from my hydraulic motor as well as consulting the wire sizing chart posted below.

    According to documentation I found in my Owners packet, the Hydraulic system draws 95 amps. The 6ga wire Grand Design used for the hydraulic pump is not adequate for 95 amps (at a 3% loss rate). Consequently, to ensure better performance from my hydraulic system I chose to upgrade the cabling to 4ga (both Pos and Neg cables). I am sure GD based their wire sizing on the 50 amp fuse they installed, and since that has proven to be inadequate, it follows that their wire sizing is also inadequate.

    Anyway, I am glad you are also planning to upgrade the cabling along with your new fuse.

    Here is the Wire sizing chart I mentioned above:
    Amperage readings from my Amprobe clamp on ammeter consistently show right at 70 amps when the pump is running and I'm operating the front landing gear. I have a Momentum 394M and the pin weight is normally in the 3600 lb range. I'm sure that if the pin weight was higher, let's say around 4000 lbs, the hydraulic pump would have to work a bit harder and the amperage would climb some amount. Cold weather also affects the amperage reading on the pump motor....when the hydraulic fluid is thicker. I guess under those circumstances....cold weather AND a higher pin weight trailer, the current maybe could be approaching 90 amps........but that is strictly a guess by me on how much higher it would go.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

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  9. #9
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xrated View Post
    Amperage readings from my Amprobe clamp on ammeter consistently show right at 70 amps when the pump is running and I'm operating the front landing gear. I have a Momentum 394M and the pin weight is normally in the 3600 lb range. I'm sure that if the pin weight was higher, let's say around 4000 lbs, the hydraulic pump would have to work a bit harder and the amperage would climb some amount. Cold weather also affects the amperage reading on the pump motor....when the hydraulic fluid is thicker. I guess under those circumstances....cold weather AND a higher pin weight trailer, the current maybe could be approaching 90 amps........but that is strictly a guess by me on how much higher it would go.
    Your consistent reading of 70 amps explains why the OEM 50 amp fuse was too light. And based on your 70 amp reading the original 6ga wire should be fine. However, I feel that a high amperage motor like the hydraulic pump should receive as many electrons as it can handle, additionally, if the battery voltage gets low, then the amperage will increase. This is why I re-wired my hydraulic pump with 4ga cabling. I just want to be sure not to starve that pump from getting all the electrons it wants.

    Additionally, before I replaced my OEM fuse and upgraded the cabling, I was getting some performance issues from the hydraulic system that were eliminated by the upgrades (pump sounds like it is under less strain and is very responsive to the keypad buttons).

    While the original wiring seems to be adequate, I still recommend the upgrade to 4ga cabling, especially if you are already working on the wiring when you are replacing the OEM fuse.
    Last edited by SolarPoweredRV; 01-13-2022 at 12:30 PM.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  10. #10
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SolarPoweredRV View Post
    Your consistent reading of 70 amps explains why the OEM 50 amp fuse was too light. And based on your 70 amp reading the original 6ga wire should be fine. However, I feel that a high amperage motor like the hydraulic pump should receive as many electrons as it can handle, additionally, if the battery voltage gets low, then the amperage will increase. This is why I re-wired my hydraulic pump with 4ga cabling. I just want to be sure not to starve that pump from getting all the electrons it wants.

    Additionally, before I replaced my OEM fuse and upgraded the cabling, I was getting some performance issues from the hydraulic system that were eliminated by the upgrades (pump sounds like it is under less strain and is very responsive to the keypad buttons).

    While the original wiring seems to be adequate, I still recommend the upgrade to 4ga cabling, especially if you are already working on the wiring when you are replacing the OEM fuse.
    I did upgrade wiring, both the positive and the negative. Instead of using heavier gauge wire though, I just added a parallel 6ga to everything....battery to 80A auto reset breaker, breaker to pump reversing contactor, neg from contactor to frame ground, and frame ground back to the battery. I already had some 6ga at the house and didn't have the 4ga or even 2ga.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

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