Barker VIP3000 Stabilizer Jack Slipping

[jd1923]

I serviced the front jack after we purchased our Oliver near 2 years ago. It sounded dry and the front lift jack is certainly used at least 2x more often than the rears. The rears are also protected from the elements. To date the motor/gear sounds on the rear jacks where good.

I've been replacing the Dexter axles and leaf springs on our Oliver and using the rear jacks for the heavy lift, getting the wheels off the ground, a few times in the last couple weeks. Yesterday the curbside sounded like the motor was drawing too much current (slowing down) and then started clicking not lifting. The clicking sound was like the sound you get when releasing the jack, lifting the shaft too high hitting the stop, but it made this sound while pushing down to lift the trailer, only halfway up, nowhere near the 18" lift-height of the VIP3000.

From rebuilding the front jack, I noted wear on the worm-drive gear that's attached to the motor (see picture of motor gear from my front jack service). If the rears show the same upon disassembly, I will need to replace the motor(s). I found this part with a quick search. I can buy 3 of these for the cost of one complete VIP3000 and we know the rear jacks have a custom weld that must be reused or replaced. https://highskyrvparts.com/barker-mfg-trailer-landing-gear-motor-16263

Have any of you have to service your rear jacks, including replacing any worn parts? I understand how to remove them and service them. I guess I'll only know after I remove the jack that is presently not functioning. See page 2 of this link to see the service I worked on the front jack. I will keep y'all posted on the repair...

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4094-how-to-vip-3000-electric-stabilizer-jack-service/page/2/#comment-94339

Edited September 12 by jd1923

[jd1923]

Then plan was to leave on our camping trip at the start of this week. One failed stabilizer jack put our trip on hold. I will finalize all repairs today, so we're now planning to leave to SW Colorado in a couple days.

Good news is I have completely rebuilt, or replaced, all three (3) stabilizer jacks. Our 10-year-old hull now has new axles and full suspension and now all new jacks, besides all the new electrical systems, plumbing, etc. Our hull is now far better than a new one! 🤣

I will go through everything in the next few posts. Barker sells remanufactured jack heads for only $75 which I will explain fully, and many of you may want to consider this exceptional deal!

Step one is removal of the rear stabilizer jacks. Using a 3/4" deep socket and impact tool if available, remove the jack foot and the nuts from the two long carriage bolts. Notice the markings on the posts where they contact the hull and support bracket below.

I've seen postings here and on other forums about servicing the jacks. Never have I seen anything about servicing the posts. The post on the front jack, the standard Barker VIP 3000 jack cannot be serviced. The top on the jack is sealed, pressed into place.

However, the OTT custom Barker rear jacks can be serviced. There are 3 Allen keys to remove motor head of the jack. You want to do that first. There are 3 more 1/4-20 Allen screws that hold the top of the screw drive to the upper/outer post. Once the top of lower post is revealed there are two steel pucks that hold it into position (see pics). Clean all parts and grease with Mobilith 460:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CTJ97SV?ref=fed_asin_title

[jd1923]

The failure on the rear curbside jack started with a clicking noise, the jack slipping not lifting and I could hear the motor slowing too. The worm-drive gear is connected to the motor, so the motor needed to be replaced. I figured I would rebuild both sides with new parts. Looking online it's near impossible to find these motors. I had the part number provided in the Barker VIP 3000 installation manual.

I called Barker to see if they could provide an online retailer. A few minutes on the phone with Donna at Barker and she informed me that they sell remanufactured motor heads for only $75! I found some online listings at $150 to over $200 for the motor alone (but TG they on back-order)!

I ordered two heads over the phone with shipping $185 total. Look at these beauties! Need a need front motor head? Call Barker! Three Allen screws, plug in power to the fuse and you're done in 5-min! Do you pay somebody to work RV service for you, like servicing jacks? You can replace the head for less money, new gears nicely greased, the switches are all new, shiny plastic casing - nice! 

[jd1923]

While I was online searching for VIP 3000 motors, I ran across an eBay auction. The listing was for a new-in-box VIP 3000 30826 (in WHITE)! Some of you know, I do have good luck in finding deals when it comes to my projects! 🤣

The eBay auction was for $250 plus tax and shipping but it also had the "Make an Offer" option. I offered $200 and he took it. Was $258.60 OTD? These are $500+ retail!

[jd1923]

New motor heads, rebuilt post assemblies, all parts cleaned and painted and I'm ready for assembly! It's not easy to get the posts out and back in. To get them out, I removed the motor heads first, removed the long mounting bolts and used a hydraulic jack to break the old caulk bead pushing the post up. You could do this with the stabilizer jack itself if the motor heads clear the fiberglass of your bed platforms. Ours has 1/2" clearance on one side and only 1/8" on the other. OTT could cut the basement opening 1" further to the rear so that we have proper clearance, but it is what it is! 🤣

Put new butyl on the posts where the old markings showed the correct position. One is likely enough, but I ended up using two strips of 3/4" butyl on each post. Afterwards you can pushe the excess butyl down aring the post. You really have to cock the post on an outward angle to get it past a mounted support on the frame. Then get underneath to mount the nuts on the long carriage bolts. The aluminum bracket should be pushed in to support the post. Some thread locker on the bolt mounting the foot and all done in working these steps, now looking pretty good!

The reman motor heads are standard VIP 3000 heads, meaning they are wired through the top vs. at the motor bottoms. Cut off the heavy gauge wire on both sides top and bottom as these are not used. The two lighter gauge wired, red and black are what is wired. Before crimping make sure the switch runs the motor in the proper direction. If it's running the wrong way swap the wires. I need to add 1 ft lengths of 12 AWG wire to reach the tops.

Edited October 1 by jd1923

[rich.dev]

@jd1923 John, as expected another amazing retrofit/job by you! 👏 🙇 

[topgun2]

@jd1923

If you care - get yourself a cover for that new jack - the white ones yellow badly after a year or so out in the sun.

Bill

[rich.dev]

14 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

If you care - get yourself a cover for that new jack - the white ones yellow badly after a year or so out in the sun.

Agree…this is the one I got that’s specifically for the barker jack.

https://trailersphere.com/products/clever-cover-forbarker-jack-the-wenatchee

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, topgun2 said:

If you care - get yourself a cover for that new jack - the white ones yellow badly after a year or so out in the sun. Bill

Will do. Though keep in mind if the white one gets bad, I have two brand new black tops from the reman heads I bought! 🤣

[jd1923]

So, here's where this project went a little of course...

Next step was to test the jack. Something happened that I could not imagine. It started lifting the hull, wheels not yet fully off the ground and BANG! The jack and hull dropped, OMG! 🫢

I asked Chris to come out so she could operate the button as I watched the jack. As soon as she pushed to lift the hull, I observed the outer post lift up into the hull. The outer should remain fixed, welded and bolted to the frame. I thought, the weld must have broke (it did)!

I figured that when remounting the alignment would be slightly different and this could put new stress on the weld. I didn't pay much attention to the welds when it was out since they had lasted 10 years.

I talked to a couple of Oliver Elders, first was Ken @mountainoliver who told me that years back some Oliver owners found out that OTT did not finish the welding job properly. Then a conversation with Steve @ScubaRx confirmed this fact! I wrote a Service Ticket and Mike at OTT responded promptly. He was thinking it was a Barker issue, but after our call I realized there was nothing OTT could do except perhaps pay for me to hire a local welder. IMHO, this was certainly an OTT installation issue.

The installation procedure is to bolt the two aluminum blocks into position, tack weld them when in position, then remove the assembly to complete weld along both upper and lower surfaces. Turns out they forgot to finish the job on the curbside but did the full weld on the streetside (pics of both below).

Next time y'all have your beds off and basement doors open, take a flashlight to inspect yours to confirm you have a full weld on top. Your top weld should look like my 3rd picture. If it only has a tack weld like the 2nd picture you need to remove the bracket (the jack can stay in place if you like) and have it fully welded properly.

Thank goodness this happened while home AND that when it failed it did not damage the fiberglass under the bed. On this side we have 1/2" between the top of the motor head and the fixed fiberglass. When it failed it merely pushed the basement cover and bed up and down a couple inches.

[Patriot]

2 hours ago, rich.dev said:

Agree…this is the one I got that’s specifically for the barker jack.

https://trailersphere.com/products/clever-cover-forbarker-jack-the-wenatchee

Looks familiar…😎

[jd1923]

I could have had the aluminum brackets re-welded, but then I thought of a way I could fix this myself if I had the right 1/4" steel angle iron. OTT uses two pieces fitted together since they're easier to fit in place during installation. One piece would require the holes to be drilled in precise locations. Getting 4 squared offset holes to align exactly is no easy feat! 🤣

Solid steel must be stronger than 2 pieces of aluminum welded together. I went to Prescott Steel & Welding and they had the steel I needed and also referred me to a good welder that also works with aluminum. For $15 They cut me two 3x4" angle iron 5 1/2" long and another $10 for this Direct-to-Metal paint which is amazing! One coat, covers in seconds, no drips. Wish I knew of this paint in all my years of auto restoration!

Must have taken me 2 1/2 hours total to fab this bracket. Being L-shaped there is no way to trace the original part, so measure and measure again and hope for the best! I drilled the 1/2" holes and cut the corners with a jigsaw. My first hole was not so clean, thinking I could drill 1/8" holes in the 4 corners (it didn't work). I purchased two brackets, but after I realized the other side had full welds, I just made one saving the 2 hours it would have taken me to make a second bracket.

Both sides are done and tested. I still have the wheels up in the air on the side with the new bracket! 🤣 If the weld had not failed this rebuild project would have been done last Friday when Barker delivered the new heads. Beds are in and Chris is making the beds! We'll leave to Colorado by the weekend, a few days later than plan, but all the better! 😎

[2008RN]

With all of this good info @jd1923 and the other thread on greasing the head, I decided since the Oli is down for 3 months before we take her back out, I would Pull the jack apart and grease everything in the head, tubes and drive screw.  A few thing I learned/did.

1. The helical drive gear on the Curb side motor had a small amount of wear, the other two  were not visible. I think that I hit the top more often since it is hard to see across the trailer specially with the mud flaps added.

2. The 3 set screws holding the head to the shaft had red thread lock. Used a heat gun to help loosened them.

3. The 2 carriage bolts holding the Rear jacks to the bracket where Stainless steel with a two way lock nut (two dimples on nut). They used so much force to putting on the nut on that it gulled the thread inside. It took  80-100 ft/pounds to get the nuts completely off and was a rear bear. I got one off by my self, but it was tough holding the carriage hold in while trying to remove the nut.  I ended up getting help with the others from my son. The last nut was so hard just to hold it in, when we got the nut far enough off we used a 1/2 open end wrench on the square of the carriage head.

4. The chalk on the outside of the trailer adhered to the jack , but not the trailer. when the carriage bolts were remove, the jacks just dropped down down about 1/4" and then I just lifted it back up  through the whole.  I luckily didn't find any signs of water inside the trailer. 

5. The three  1/4" Socket head cap screws holding the outside tube to inner assembly had Gray thread lock, they were tight to remove but doable without heat.  

6. The drive screws came out easily with two 1/2" dowels.

7. The grease between the tubes was clean on the top, and dirty on bottom.  All of the grease was getting hard.

8. All of the drive screws had some grease on them, two had bare minimum, and one had slightly more. The front jack had a little more grease than the rears. 

9 The rear jacks I remove the motor and left it in the trailer. So I could clean and partially grease the assembly on the work bench. then finished  greasing during assembly in the trailer with redline CV2 .

10. I remove the whole front (tongue) jack as a unit and did the cleaning a greasing on the work bench. The front jack was little more time consuming to clean since the power wire run up into the bottom of the case and then wires run  up through the top of the case. I removed the switches and light from the plastic case top  and got it out of the way so I had more room to clean and grease the case halves.

11. I did re-grease in between the tubes, just because they did at the factory.  I know it may make more work for me latter.  

12. I really liked butyl tape idea for sealing the tube back in the trailer . I put a little more on the tube  than @jd1923 and formed a slope on the bottom side.  When the tube was inserted  the butyl went all the way through the hole in the trailer.  I work the butyl from the top  making sure it was pressed tightly to the and in the hole. I did not caulk the bottom, I used butyl added a little more to the bottom to completely seal the bottom with  3/8  per side. I am not sure how well the butyl will continue to seal on the outside, but it couldn't be any worse than the caulking job that was done at the factory.

13.  I did replace the original Carriage bolts with steel,  Nylock  lock nut,  and  lock washer.

14. I used an enamel pen marker making a mark 1-1/2"  from the bottom of the inside tubes for a stopping point.  Instead of allowing the foot to come too far up.

I started with the Rear curb side jack (12hours), then the Front jack (7hours), lastly the Rear street side jack (5 hours).  I also called Baker and receive 3 gaskets for free. before starting the project.  I need one for the front. the other came off easily. I also use liberal amounts of redline CV2 grease on everything. 

Thanks for listening