Guest Wayne77590 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Let's start by saying that about 8 months ago I left a driver's side leveling foot pad somewhere on I-10 between Houston and San Antonio. How I found out was when I was getting reddy to leave and my neighbor said, "Did you know you are missing a jack pad?" Duh! No! I wasn't. We were on our way home and when I returned that day I called the dealer and scheduled an appointment. They replaced the pad under warranty. I also asked them when I picked it up if they checked the other pads to see if they were tight and if they put "loctite" on them. Of course, they said they did. Well, on the 25th of June, in the year of our Lord, 2009, I left the passenger side leveling foot pad on the NY Thruway. We hear a BING BUMP BANG. As usual I asked Earlene, "What was that?" (Why do we do that, ask our wives like it was there fault?) Of course her reply was, "IDONNO!" I really had thought a leg to the tow bar had fallen, to tell the truth. I pulled over immediately and found that the mud guard was mangled and the hanger bent which caused the mud guard to be dragging on the ground. I had to climb under and remove it. I stuck it in the TOAD. I told Earlene that I must have hit something in the road. When I got to the CG I noticed the pad was gone. We spent a few hours driving around and I found a garage that had a 4" square piece of iron. On grass I place the iron on a wood pad and let the jack extend on that. Today I was pretty leve on crushed rock and placed the iron on the crushed rock and let the jack settle on it. It is leveling fine, but I'm really upset a Power Gear (Kwikee) as they are the ones that assemble it and send it to the coach mfg. It's still under warranty So, if you have a spring return you probably will never drop a foot pad. But it stll wouldn't hurt to check them once in a while. How often - don't know, but at least sooner than 8 months. Oh! Using ingenuity and muscle I straightened out the mud guard hanger and put it back on. Wouldn't want to think what would or could have happened to the TOAD radiator or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seajaycecil@yahoo.com Report post Posted July 1, 2009 Just curious Wayne...... Are your ''foot pads'' on a universal that allows them to adjust to un-even ground? I have seen them that would ''self adjust'' to un-even ground when they are put down. If yours do not have this feature, you are in for some trouble. Regardless how tight you bolt them on, un-even ground will eventually make them fall off. On our old Pace the jacks are ''spring return'' so I dont believe we will have trouble concerning losing them. My greatest problem is small stones accumulating on top of the foot pad. We have a control panel and idiot lights that tell us when they are up or down but I always do a visual check to see that they are really up before moving the coach. This is part of my ''walk around''. My greatest problem concerning jacks is that in soft ground they will push my ''blocks'' into the ground and I cant get them back out easily. Be safe on the road my Marine friend and Thank You for your service to my country..... Seajay the sailor man ...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Wayne77590 Report post Posted July 1, 2009 They are stationary and do not move. I'm not sure of the physics, but I'm thinking either way would exert an awful lot of pressure when on uneven ground, and you are right, problems will be there. Hmm! How to devise a method to keep them on. Hmmm! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seajaycecil@yahoo.com Report post Posted July 2, 2009 OK...... Here is a couple of ''but if's'' and ''probably so's'' and ''maybe mights''.... First. If you foot pads are held on by one large bolt thru the center of the footpad and up into the piston you might try this....... If its a large bolt, probably 3/4, you might try to find out how deep the hole in the piston is. Lets pretend that the threaded hole is two inches deep and the thickness of the metal foot plate is one inch. Total three inches Ok. Get a bolt of the proper thread size that is at least half an inch longer than the total depth of the hole. This will let you ''bottom out'' with the bolt to hold the foot pad on and still leave some ''slack'' for the foot to adjust to un-even ground. Another suggestion for this situation is to be sure that the ''hole in the foot plate'' is at least one quarter inch larger than the bolt going thru it. This would also allow ''slack'' for the foot to adjust to the un-even ground. A machine shop can ''chamfer'' (wollaw out) the hole for you to see if it will work. Your problem seems to be that the foot pad is hitting hard ground that does not match the face of the foot pad and it is making your foot pad go crooked and breaking what ever attachment method the dummies at the factory used to attach the foot pads. The only other solution I can think of right now would be to get some super strong canvas and make up some sand bags that would be at least the size of your foot pads. Take strong straps and attach one to each foot pad. Make the sand bags at least four inches thick and dont pack them full. Leave some movement room and they may just may adjust to un even ground and solve your problem. I shall think on this some more and you let me know if you try either of my ''solutions'' to your problem. Remember this ...... If you use any of my suggestions you will owe me ten cents and you have to pay me the next time you see me.......... Be safe my Marine friend .......... Seajay the sailor man.. ps. you know that if any of my suggestions should solve your problem YOU, AS A MARINE, WILL HAVE TO ADMIT HOW ''SNART'' SAILORS ARE..........................lol ............. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seajaycecil@yahoo.com Report post Posted July 2, 2009 Ok. Get a bolt of the proper thread size that is at least half an inch longer than the total depth of the hole AMEND THIS SENTENCE TO THE FOLLOWING...... OK, Get a bolt of the proper thread size that is at least half an inch longer that the total depth of the hole INCLUDING THE THICKNESS OF THE FOOT PLATE.......... I re read the letter after I posted it........ seajay the sailor man ..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seajaycecil@yahoo.com Report post Posted July 2, 2009 Wayne. Here is what I want you to do for me. Take your camera and take some clear pictures of the bottom of the foot pad. This is so I can see how the foot pad is mated to the cylinder rod. Take a picture of the foot pad with the cylinder ''pushed out'' about 6 inches. Look and see how many bolts hold the foot pad to the cylinder and tell me the size of the head of the bolt. Do the foot pads have holes in them for draining water? What is the actual size of the foot pad? and how thick is the metal that the foot pad is made from? I went to the Power Pack web sight and I cant tell ''spit'' about the foot pads from their pictures. Take all these pix and e mail them to seajaycecil@yahoo.com Do you realize (know) that it is six oclock in the morning and I have pondered (though about) this for some time now. Send me some pictures............. Seajay the sailor man. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seajaycecil@yahoo.com Report post Posted July 2, 2009 Here is a ''stop gap'' till we can figure out how to keep the foot pads from falling off. Go to a hardware store and buy some 3/8 inch nylon rope. 25 feet will be more than enough. Crawl under your coach and take the rope and tie it to a cross member of some structure under the coach You need to put as close to the jack as possible and cut the rope to such a length that the jack will go all the way out without breaking the rope. Leave a little slack in the rope. If the jack pad has a hole in it tie the rope thru the hole in the jack pad (foot) if not, boar a hole with your drill. DO THIS WITH THE JACK EXTENDED ALL THE WAY...... Be careful when you tie the rope to superstructure (metal stuff) under your coach. Determine (see) that the jack pad can not get under your wheel of the coach if and when it falls off...... Now when you travel your if foot pads should fall off they will not go flying all to ''heck'' and possibly hitting your toad or smashing into some 80 thousand dollar Mercedes. They will ''jingle'' like ''heck'' (hard for a sailor to say heck) under your coach and you better stop real quick before they beat a hole in your floor but at least you will still have the foot pad. The 3/8 rope will be strong enough to do the job and weak enough that it should break if it should get tangled in something on the road. We wouldnt want to ''rip the guts'' out of that nice new coach with the jacks that fall apart now would we. It would be great if you could find one of those ''bungee'' cords that would be long enough to do the job. The Bungee would be tight at all times with the jack down or the jack in the up position. It might be tough to find one the right length though. Anyhow, I gotta go get some oatmeal for breakfast. (I sometimes eat my oatmeal with Kaluah on it)...... Be safe Marine....... afterthought........ some hardware stores sell ''bungee'' cord off a roll like rope. You will need special clamps to make the loops in the ends and you would need ''S'' hooks to attach it to the foot pad and the frame of your coach but if you could get it, you would be way ahead of the ''rope'' idea......... It would also hold the foot pad up off the pavement when it came lose. Seajay the sailor man..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
