rigprobe.com

Manual override and retracting with a dead pump

Every maker gives you a way to move a hydraulic room without the electrics, but the valves, tools and even the drill direction change from unit to unit. Get the procedure for the power unit in front of you, open only what you need, and put everything back.

The short version

Before you touch a valve

Find out why it stopped. A dead motor or a dead controller you can work around by hand. A blown hose or a fitting that let go, you can't: the override just pumps the tank onto the ground, so fix or cap the leak first. Clear the room's path, and on a fifth wheel make sure the front is supported before you open any landing gear valve.

Treat the circuit as live with the pump off. Equalizer warns the fluid is under high pressure even when the system is idle, Lippert warns that leaks can cause skin-penetrating injuries, and HWH warns that opening solenoid valves can let the coach drop or move.

Careful: Get everyone out from under the coach and clear of the room before you open any valve. Never feel for a hydraulic leak with your hand.

Drill direction depends on the unit

Most Lippert and Equalizer power units have a coupler on the motor shaft so a drill can spin the pump. Which way does what is in the manual for that unit, and it changes between products, so don't go from memory.

UnitToolExtendRetract
Lippert through-frame hydraulic slide (fifth wheel)Hex bit in the coupler under the labelCounterclockwiseClockwise
Lippert combined, bi-rotational1/4 in hex bit; valves opened with a 5/32 in hexForward (clockwise)Reverse (counterclockwise)
Lippert combined, unidirectional1/2 in nut driver; directional valve unpluggedNot covered in the manualReverse (counterclockwise)
Lippert Level-Up landing gear and jacks1/4 in hex bit; 5/32 in valve set screwCounterclockwiseForward (clockwise)
Equalizer, bi-rotational7/16 in (11 mm) socket, 2000 rpm minimumClockwiseCounterclockwise
Equalizer, unidirectional7/16 in hex, 2000 rpm minimum, always clockwiseDV1 left closedDV1 opened

Lippert units

On the fifth-wheel through-frame hydraulic slide, peel the protective label off to expose the coupler, put a hex bit in it and run the drill. Lippert says a standard 38 in room takes about 45 seconds to come in. If the coach has IRC knobs, the one for that room has to be fully open.

On the combined leveling and slideout unit, Lippert says the valves can be overridden by hand when jacks or rooms won't move. Open the override on the valve for the function you need with a 5/32 in hex, run the drill, then close each override you opened. On the unidirectional unit, unplug the directional valve connector first, open the valves clockwise, and when you're done turn each override fully counterclockwise until it stops and plug the connector back in. Lippert calls that one an emergency-only procedure.

Equalizer Systems

Equalizer's override covers both pump types and is meant for trained techs. Keep the drill and socket clear of wires and hoses.

  1. Open only the cartridge valves you need: turn the center screw clockwise with a small flat blade until it seats, about 2.5 turns.
  2. Pull the black plastic cap off the motor end and fit a 7/16 in (11 mm) socket on a drill that turns at least 2000 rpm.
  3. If the manifold has DV2 (red knurled knob), pull it out and turn it a quarter turn so it stays open.
  4. Bi-rotational: run the drill counterclockwise to retract, clockwise to extend. Unidirectional: also pull and quarter-turn DV1 to retract, and run the drill clockwise.
  5. Put it back: cartridge screws counterclockwise until lightly seated, knobs snapped closed by hand with no tools, cap back on.

HWH room extensions

HWH rooms come in by hand, not through the pump. Retract the jacks first, open both room solenoid valve T-handles counterclockwise about six turns, then crank the room in with the manual retract winch the coach maker supplied. The T-handles must be open while the winch is engaged. If the coach has no winch, HWH says don't pull the room with any other device; call the coach maker or HWH.

Crank by hand only. HWH says if the winch can't be cranked easily with one hand it is probably overloaded, so stop and find the obstruction. Never let go of a loaded handle with the ratchet lever off, because it can spin violently. Lock the room, leave the winch in place, and get the system repaired.

If the HWH control box or panel failed but the pump is good, bulletin MI95.74 shows two jumpers: jumper A holds the master relay on, and jumper B runs the pump only while you need it. Running the pump under load for more than about three minutes can overheat the motor.

Put everything back

Close every override you opened, reinstall caps and labels, plug in anything you unplugged, and put room locks or transit bars in. Equalizer warns that valves left open let rooms or jacks drift from stowed, and Lippert's chart lists an open override as the cause of a jack bleeding down. Tag the coach so the next person knows the system still needs repair.

On the job

  1. Find why it quit: dead pump, dead control, or a leak. Fix or cap a leak before anything else.
  2. Identify the power unit and pull its override procedure.
  3. Clear the room's path and get everyone out from under the coach.
  4. Set the jacks the way that system wants them (HWH: jacks retracted first).
  5. Open only the valves for the room you're moving.
  6. Move the room with the drill, winch or jumpers, watching both sides.
  7. Close every override, reinstall caps, lock the room, and tag the coach.

Numbers

Shop tip

Before you open anything, take a phone picture of every valve, knob and connector. When you close up you put it back exactly the way it was instead of guessing which knob was already open.

Where this comes from