Troubleshooting A Stromberg Carlson Landing Gear Motor that Shuts Off After Only a Few Seconds

Question:

I have a 2010 brookstone 5th wheel 38. The unit has been used very little since new. The electric motor will run for only about 3 to 4 seconds then it kicks out. I figured either a faulty electric motor or a faulty circuit breaker any suggestions for diagnosis? What is should the amp draw be for the motor? Any suggestions would be helpful, thank-you,

asked by: Roy D

Expert Reply:

The motor that is on the Stromberg Carlson Electric Landing Gear Set # LG-1 draws 30 amps. It sounds like either you have a weak ground or you are overdrawing the current wiring you are using to power the motor. You might check the wiring of both the power and ground wires you are using for the motor because it sounds like the problem lies somewhere in there.

You could try running a jumper cable from the positive side of the battery of your vehicle to the jack and the same for the ground wire to see if that fixes the problem. You could even use a set of jumper cables like for jumping car batteries to make it easier. This will tell you if the wiring is the problem. If the jack works fine then you know you need to reevaluate the wiring you are using to power the jack. Going to a heavier gauge wire on the 12-volt power circuit of the vehicle 7-way could help with this.

expert reply by: Jameson C