Trailer Landing Gear Repair in West Palm Beach, FL

Landing gear failures strand trailers and delay operations. Albert’s Road Service repairs and replaces trailer landing gear on-site across South Florida.

Landing Gear Services

• Manual crank handle and gear box repair
• Electric/hydraulic landing gear motor replacement
• Landing leg straightening and replacement
• Foot pad replacement
• Cross shaft and bearing repair
• Speed nut and crank extension service
• Landing gear lubrication and maintenance
• Structural mount repair and welding
• Two-speed gear box rebuild

Common Issues

• Bent or cracked legs from dock impact
• Stripped gears (won’t crank up or down)
• Motor failure on electric models
• Broken crank handles
• Sand pad loss or damage

Landing gear stuck? Call 561-475-8052 for mobile repair.

Symptoms That Mean You Need Landing Gear Repair

Landing gear problems usually show up at the worst time — when you’re trying to drop or hook a trailer. Here’s what to watch for:

• Crank handle won’t turn — The most common complaint. The handle either won’t turn at all (seized gears or cross shaft) or turns freely without raising the legs (stripped internal gears). Sand and debris from Florida’s roads get into the gear box and jam or grind the mechanism.
• Legs won’t fully retract — The landing gear cranks up part way but stops before full retraction. This puts the legs at risk of striking road surfaces, speed bumps, and railroad crossings. Causes include bent legs, damaged internal gears, or a failed gear ratio selector.
• Uneven leg extension — One leg extends lower than the other, causing the trailer to sit tilted at the dock. This usually means one leg’s gear box is slipping or the cross shaft that synchronizes both legs has a damaged coupling.
• Motor doesn’t run (electric models) — On power landing gear, the electric motor clicks or does nothing when the switch is pressed. Common causes include a blown fuse, corroded wiring connections, a failed motor, or a dead auxiliary battery.
• Grinding noise while cranking — Metal-on-metal grinding sound during operation indicates stripped gear teeth, a worn cross shaft bearing, or debris in the gear box. Continued operation damages components further.
• Legs sinking under load — After dropping a loaded trailer, the landing gear slowly sinks into the surface. This can indicate undersized foot pads for the surface, damaged internal components allowing the legs to telescope under load, or deteriorated lock mechanisms.

Common Causes of Landing Gear Failure

Landing gear damage is often preventable:

• Dock impact — The number one cause. Backing into a loading dock too fast or at an angle bends landing gear legs. Bent legs stress the cross shaft, gear box, and mounting hardware. Every bent-leg repair we do starts with a dock impact.
• Dragging on the ground — Leaving landing gear partially extended while pulling the trailer catches on speed bumps, railroad crossings, and road debris. This bends legs and damages foot pads, gear teeth, and mounting brackets.
• Lack of lubrication — The gear box, cross shaft bearings, and leg telescoping surfaces need periodic greasing. Florida’s dust and sand act as an abrasive when mixed with old, dried-out grease, grinding down gear teeth and bearing surfaces.
• Overloading — Landing gear has a rated capacity. Setting a trailer with a heavy nose weight beyond the landing gear’s rating collapses legs, strips gears, and crushes foot pads. Refrigerated trailers with reefer units add significant nose weight.
• Soft ground — Florida’s sandy soil and unpaved truck yards allow landing gear foot pads to sink. Once the legs are fully extended and the pads sink, the gear box is under maximum load while trying to extend further — this strips gears.
• Corrosion — Salt air, road spray, and Florida humidity corrode the telescoping leg tubes, gear box housing, and mounting hardware. Corroded tubes bind instead of sliding freely, putting excessive load on the gear mechanism.

Our Diagnostic Process

Landing gear diagnosis determines repair vs. replacement:

1. Operational test — We attempt to operate the landing gear through its full range: extend, retract, gear ratio change (high/low), and manual/electric (if applicable). This tells us immediately which functions work and which are failed.
2. Visual inspection — We check leg straightness, foot pad condition, mounting hardware integrity, and gear box housing condition. We look for cracks in the mounting brackets, elongated bolt holes, and weld failures.
3. Internal gear inspection — On gear failures, we open the gear box to assess internal damage. We determine whether the gears, cross shaft, or both need replacement, or if the entire gear box assembly needs to be swapped.
4. Electrical testing (power models) — For electric landing gear, we test battery voltage, motor current draw, switch operation, wiring continuity, and circuit breaker/fuse condition.
5. Structural assessment — We evaluate whether bent legs can be safely straightened or must be replaced. We check mounting brackets for fatigue cracks that could indicate the repair isn’t worth doing without also addressing the frame attachment.

Our Repair Approach

We fix landing gear where the trailer sits — no need to move it:

• On-site gear box replacement — We carry replacement gear boxes for the most common landing gear models (Holland, Binkley, Fontaine). A gear box swap restores full functionality without replacing the entire assembly.
• Leg straightening and replacement — Minor bends can be straightened with hydraulic equipment on-site. Legs with cracks, severe bends, or thinned walls from corrosion get replaced. We always verify mounting bracket integrity before reinstalling legs.
• Motor and electrical repair — We troubleshoot electric landing gear systems on-site: motor replacement, wiring repair, switch replacement, and battery service. We use marine-grade connectors on all electrical repairs for Florida corrosion resistance.
• Foot pad replacement — We install properly sized foot pads for the trailer’s operating environment. For yards with soft ground, larger foot pads distribute weight and prevent sinking.
• Structural welding — Cracked mounting brackets and damaged frame attachments get welded on-site. We prep, weld, and reinforce the repair to handle the cyclic loading that landing gear mounts experience. See our welding and fabrication service.

Florida-Specific Considerations

Florida conditions create specific landing gear challenges:

• Sandy ground — Much of Palm Beach County has sandy soil. Unpaved truck yards, construction sites, and overflow parking areas don’t support landing gear foot pads well. Standard pads sink; wide-base pads or landing gear shoes are recommended for trucks operating on soft surfaces.
• Corrosion on telescoping legs — Salt air from the coast and Florida humidity corrode the inner and outer leg tubes. Corroded tubes bind and resist smooth extension/retraction, putting excessive load on the gear mechanism. Regular lubrication and cleaning prevent binding.
• Heat affects electric motor performance — Electric landing gear motors running in 95-degree ambient temperatures on a sun-soaked trailer generate more internal heat, reducing motor life. Overworking a hot motor by trying to raise a heavy trailer on a soft surface accelerates failure.
• Frequent dock operations — Distribution centers across West Palm Beach run high-volume dock operations. More drops and hooks per day mean more cycles on the landing gear mechanism. High-cycle operations need shorter maintenance intervals.

Related Services

Landing gear connects to trailer structural and coupling systems:

• Fifth Wheel Repair — Fifth wheel and landing gear work together during coupling operations
• Welding & Fabrication — Structural repairs to mounting brackets and frames
• Preventive Maintenance — Regular landing gear lubrication and inspection
• DOT Inspections — Landing gear condition is inspected during annual inspections
• Suspension Repair — Trailer suspension affects load distribution on landing gear

Don’t let stuck landing gear delay your operations. Call Albert’s Road Service at 561-475-8052 for fast mobile landing gear repair anywhere in South Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: My landing gear won’t crank up — what’s wrong? A: The most common causes are stripped internal gears, a broken crank handle, a seized cross shaft, or (on electric models) a burned-out motor. Sand and debris from Florida’s roads can also get into the gear box and jam the mechanism. We diagnose the issue on-site and carry replacement parts for the most common landing gear models. Call 561-475-8052 for mobile repair in West Palm Beach.

Q: Can you straighten bent landing gear legs? A: It depends on the severity of the bend. Minor bends can sometimes be straightened using hydraulic equipment on-site. Severely bent or cracked legs need replacement — continuing to use damaged legs risks collapse under load, which is extremely dangerous. We assess the damage and give you an honest recommendation. Our welding and fabrication service handles structural landing gear mount repairs.

Q: How do I prevent landing gear damage? A: The most common cause of landing gear damage is dock impact — backing into a dock too hard or at the wrong angle bends the legs. Keeping sand pads in good condition prevents sinking into soft ground. Regular lubrication of the gear box and cross shaft prevents internal seizing. And always make sure the landing gear is fully retracted before pulling away from a dock.

Q: Do you replace landing gear at loading docks? A: Yes. Many landing gear repairs happen at loading docks, distribution centers, and truck yards throughout South Florida. We bring the equipment to safely support the trailer, remove the damaged landing gear, and install the replacement. The trailer doesn’t need to move — we work around it. Call 561-475-8052.

Q: How long does a landing gear replacement take? A: A complete landing gear replacement typically takes 3 to 5 hours depending on the model and condition of the mounting hardware. Repair of individual components (gear box, crank handle, motor) is usually faster — 1 to 3 hours. We carry common parts for same-visit repair whenever possible.