A blown hydraulic line on our leveling system of our solitude

[rickw801]

I just thought I would share something that happened to us that I was able to fix which saved me hundreds of dollars and several weeks of waiting to get into a shop. Maybe this will help save someone a lot of money and aggravation in the event this should happen to you.

While looking in the front compartment where the manifold is for our Lippert leveling system I noticed one of the Orange retract Lines was beginning to bulge and ready to burst at any second. I have attached a photo of it. Seems to look like someone using chewing gum and blowing a bubble. Feeling that it would rupture I retracted all of the gear in hopes of reducing any pressure to the line.

By the next day the outside sheathing had ruptured. Surprisingly though not much fluid was lost and I'm thinking that was perhaps do to me taking the pressure off of the jacks. But that I do not know for sure.

So we were scheduled to go on a trip in 2 days. As you can imagine I began to call the local dealers about getting it fixed which turned out to be ridiculous as they all told me they were at least two or three weeks out before they could help me. Unfortunately that seems to be about par for the course so I'm quite frustrated. Needless to say I was told that I would need to remove the underbelly of the coach and remove that entire line and order a new one which ultimately would have cost several hundred dollars between labor and parts.

Since I had a background in hydraulics electrical and plumbing Etc, I knew there had to be an easier, quicker and more cost-effective way to fix this.

It took me a lot of research and a lot of running around to different hydraulic hose shops but I was able to find a reusable end which is basically a manual compression fitting that is designed specifically for that type of line which by the way is called a non-conductive line and requires a special fitting.

The repair took me about 10 minutes and a cost of $13.50 and my beautiful coach is ready for vacation.

Hopefully this doesn't happen again but in the event that it does I assure you I have a couple more fittings on hand for just such a travesty. I hope that this does not happen to anyone else but if it does this will certainly make your life much easier and offer an option that is much more affordable. I am sure that the factory recommends replacing the entire line or having a new one made but my research and experience has shown that these fittings work quite well and so far so good.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please feel free to ask me and like I always say I love our grand design coach.

Here are some photos.







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[perfpix]

Great job! I have a Reflection with an all electric 4 way leveling system. I often wonder why the 6 way systems are always hydraulic, which seems to me to be a lot more complex and error prone than a system with electric jacks. My Reflection has a GVW of 12000lbs so the electric jacks are good for at least 3000lbs each.

A while ago a blown hydraulic line caused frame damage to a Momentum: http://www.mygrandrv.com/for...ighlight=frame so its a good thing you caught this one before it blew!

John

[RamGunner]

That is EXCELLENT information. Is there anything else that you can tell us about the fitting - manufacturer, size, part number, installation tips, anything like that? It might be worth picking up one or two as just-in-case items.

I'm also curious as I had no experience with hydraulics until this trailer - do you know if it's more likely for a line to do this near a fitting, or can it happen with equal likelihood anywhere in the line?

Thank you again for the information!

[LCBoyer]

Thanks for the information!

[rickw801]

Great job! I have a Reflection with an all electric 4 way leveling system. I often wonder why the 6 way systems are always hydraulic, which seems to me to be a lot more complex and error prone than a system with electric jacks. My Reflection has a GVW of 12000lbs so the electric jacks are good for at least 3000lbs each.

A while ago a blown hydraulic line caused frame damage to a Momentum: http://www.mygrandrv.com/for...ighlight=frame so its a good thing you caught this one before it blew!

John

Wow, thanks John

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[rickw801]

That is EXCELLENT information. Is there anything else that you can tell us about the fitting - manufacturer, size, part number, installation tips, anything like that? It might be worth picking up one or two as just-in-case items.

I'm also curious as I had no experience with hydraulics until this trailer - do you know if it's more likely for a line to do this near a fitting, or can it happen with equal likelihood anywhere in the line?

Thank you again for the information!

Well it could happen probably at either end of the hose as those crimp fittings would be the weakest point of the line. I just happened to be extremely lucky and saw the line starting to bulge.

They tell me that is a non-conductive line which is what they use for boom trucks that work on Highline poles so that they don't conduct electricity. I'm not sure why they chose that type of line for these leveling systems.

I was told I believe that they call it a number 4 reusable end. Here is the part number that I was given when I ordered it from the hydraulic supply store. SAE JIC 37 swivel steel FTG.

I am personally convinced if you have this lift system that you are correct these are a must-have just in case item because it could save you a big headache especially if you are out in the middle of nowhere.

They are really simple to use. The part is a two piece part that unscrews. You simply cut the line so that it has a good straight cut , then separate the fitting and screw the larger portion on to the hose which has a left hand thread and screws down onto the tubing until the tubing is up inside of that to the end. You can look inside that fitting to see the end of the tube butted up to the end of that fitting. Then you insert the other piece back in which is a tapered long steel tube that goes into the center of the tube and is clockwise with a normal thread and both pieces have a nut on them so using two wrenches you simply screw them down until they stop. Then you now have a fitting on the end of your tube and simply screw it back on to the manifold or onto the jack stand if that was the feeling you were replacing.

I'm going shoot a short video of putting it on one of the lines just to show everyone because I sure wish I would have known this when I first saw the issue I probably wouldn't have stressed out so much.

I hope that makes sense Ram Gunner

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[RamGunner]

That makes perfect sense. Thank you again! I'm going to call around and see what I can find with that part number.

Looking forward to the video as well!

[RamGunner]

I just entered the part number on Amazon for the heck of it...

https://www.amazon.com/PARKER-SAE-JI...ivel+steel+FTG

$18.85 there.

[CWSWine]

Are these the fittings you are talking about? What size are they?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ivel+steel+FTG

[offtohavasu]

Great info!!!

I searched it as this: SAE JIC 37 number 4 reusable end

Came up with:

https://www.grainger.com/product/2F5...161025201002:s