Hydraulics tripping 80A breaker for slides and landing gear

ccgraves100

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
10
Hi -

I am having issues with my slides and landing gear on my 2019 Solitude 377MBS. The issue is that when I retract either my slides or the landing gear, it trips the 80A breaker, thereby halting the hydraulic motor (and slides / landing gear). I wait a minute or so and the breaker resets and I continue. Eventually, I get the slides and landing gear to where they need to go.

Initially, I went down the path thinking I had a 50A breaker, but turns out I don't. The factory installed an 80A breaker in my unit. I also tested my battery with a load test, which came out fine. But I replaced the battery anyway to be safe. I did notice that my hydraulic fluid reservoir was low, so I topped off the reservoir with ATF fluid. There seem to be some minor leaks at the tops of the front landing jacks, so I tightened those connections up.

I wiped down land gear rods, but did not oil or spray them.

What other areas should I check? Is it possible that the original 80A breaker is going bad? Bad hydraulic motor? Too much friction on the landing gear pistons or slides? Is there something else I should be checking? I probably need to do a load test on the new battery to be safe, but I think I'm missing something else.

Any suggestions on what to do next?

Thanks,
Charlie
 
The thing I would check next is actual amperage load when the hydraulic motor is running. Obviously you need an amp meter for that, but it really is the next step I would take.
 
I agree 100% with what Hoopy just posted above. The only way to know for sure is an amp test on the motor to see what the actual current draw is. That will point you in the right direction. I will say that on my Momentum with the same type of setup, that hydraulic pump motor will normally draw in the neighborhood of 68-70 amps. If the actual, measured current is over the rating for the breaker, the breaker is just doing it's job and you have an issue with wiring or the motor itself, or possibly the reversing contactor.....many possibilities. If the current draw is under the breaker rating, it's possible that the breaker is bad, but there could also be a bad connection/wiring somewhere in the circuit. Your best bet is to purchase a clamp on amprobe that is made to measure DC or direct current. One that is made to only measure AC or alternating current will NOT work.

And on a side note, my hydraulic pump motor will be in the 68-70 amp range when running and using the landing gear.....
 
Last edited:
XRated and Hoopy - thank you. I had to buy an amprobe that measured DC. Looks like my breaker is tripping when it hits around 55 amps. So I assume I have a bad breaker then? I clamped around the wire coming into the breaker and sure the loop was perpendicular to the wire. All connections look tight and clean. Any other gotchas before I replace the breaker? Thanks!
 
I'm not sure whether you have hydraulic or electric levelers, but I believe the new hydraulic leveler motors come with 80 amp breakers. I know my hydraulic motor will pull over 60 amps when running.

And those clamp on amp meters are a very handy little gadget to have around. Now that you have it, you'll be surprised at how many times you'll be reaching for it. :)
 
XRated and Hoopy - thank you. I had to buy an amprobe that measured DC. Looks like my breaker is tripping when it hits around 55 amps. So I assume I have a bad breaker then? I clamped around the wire coming into the breaker and sure the loop was perpendicular to the wire. All connections look tight and clean. Any other gotchas before I replace the breaker? Thanks!

You're welcome.....I'm glad the info was helpful. I would say replace the auto breaker. Having said that, depending on the quality/build of the amprobe, that reading could be off by a little bit, but even the cheap ones are usually within a few amps of being correct. So even considering worst case scenario you might be actually pulling +/- 2 or three amps, that's still way off from what the breaker should be doing. Replace the breaker and be sure to report back on how it turned out.
 

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