Keep Your Powder Dry--and Your Landing Gear Greased

We were just preparing to head out on the road after a few months hunkered down in the northwest. We'd got everything tied down, packed into place, and rolled the pickup into position to hitch up. At that moment, it all came to a halt: The landing gear refused to budge--or rather, it refused to lift the fifth wheel high enough to get onto the saddle.

What happened? Our landing gear, neglected over a several year period, simply chewed itself up, leaving no gears to mesh together. Happily the manufacturer still existed and within a few days we were able to rebuild the landing gear system and head out on the road.

This problem might have been avoided if we (and previous owners) had been smart enough to keep the landing gear greased. And it wouldn't have been a tough job, really a simple matter of popping a dust cover off the top of the landing gear posts (inside the front compartment of the fifth wheel) applying the appropriate grease, and running the jacks up and down a few times.

Check your owner manual or call your manufacturer. Find out how to properly maintain your landing gear and you'll sleep better at night, while your landing gear will slide better by day.