Maxxfan issue

[Lonestar]

I have a 2020 Reflection 273MK that came with a Maxxfan Plus in the living area. I have added Maxxair cover. When remotely opening, the Maxxfan cover will raise until it makes contact with the Maxxair cover and stop. When lowering, the cover comes to a stop but the motor continues to run, and sounds like the gears are grinding. Not a good sound.

I have not got on top of the trailer to take a look at the problem, but wondered if anyone could shed some light on the mechanism used to stop the motor once the lid/cover bottoms out. Is it possibly a contact switch or does the motor detect resistance?

[howson]

I have a 2020 Reflection 273MK that came with a Maxxfan Plus in the living area. I have added Maxxair cover. When remotely opening, the Maxxfan cover will raise until it makes contact with the Maxxair cover and stop. When lowering, the cover comes to a stop but the motor continues to run, and sounds like the gears are grinding. Not a good sound.

I have not got on top of the trailer to take a look at the problem, but wondered if anyone could shed some light on the mechanism used to stop the motor once the lid/cover bottoms out. Is it possibly a contact switch or does the motor detect resistance?

That's the way MaxxAir designed it. Both the OEM-supplied MaxxAir in the kitchen and the aftermarket version I installed in the bathroom do the same thing.

Check out this thread: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...ng-gear-repair

I suggest ordering a spare lid lifting gear. It will break at some point. Replacing is easy. All the info is in the linked thread.

Howard

[Cate&Rob]

Lonestar

The Maxxair fan does not have limit switches. It uses motor load to determine stopping points. End of travel in either direction or an obstruction. Agreed that the noise that you describe after the lid closes fully does not seem to fit with this. Hmmm .

Rob

[Lonestar]

I don't want to order a replacement lifting gear until I understand what happened, i.e if it's broke........why? My trailer is about a year and half old and I don't think that OEM fan has been used 5 times in that period. Is the part that fragile?

Again, I haven't looked at it yet, but If broken I wonder why it is still able to raise and stop as it should.

Since the motor load determines the stop point, is the use of the Maxxair cover an issue? something is just not right here.

[howson]

I don't want to order a replacement lifting gear until I understand what happened, i.e if it's broke........why? My trailer is about a year and half old and I don't think that OEM fan has been used 5 times in that period. Is the part that fragile?

Since the motor load determines the stop point, is the use of the Maxxair cover an issue? something is just not right here.

I understand your reluctance to believe this is the way it's designed--I doubted it, too. I am 100% sure of the information being conveyed, but by all means call MaxxAir Technical Support and they will confirm it.

Regardless of whether the lid impacts the cover (a dumb design) or reaches it's limit of travel, the overload of the motor is what tells the motor to stop.

And yes, IMO the transmission part is that fragile. One of the few spares I carry with me when traveling.

[Lonestar]

No reluctance or doubt at all. I accept that the part is fragile, and completely understand that motor overload is the stopping factor, and that's what I was trying to understand before tearing into the project. It also explains why the lid hitting the cover and stopping is normal operation.

Still, what I don't understand is why so little use has caused this transmission part to fail. If I have to replace it after every 5 or 6 uses, thats gonna get costly. And why will it function correctly when going up, but not when retracting? Doubt I will know until I crawl on top of the trailer and have a look.

thanks for the input.

[howson]

No reluctance or doubt at all. I accept that the part is fragile, and completely understand that motor overload is the stopping factor, and that's what I was trying to understand before tearing into the project. It also explains why the lid hitting the cover and stopping is normal operation.

Still, what I don't understand is why so little use has caused this transmission part to fail. If I have to replace it after every 5 or 6 uses, thats gonna get costly. And why will it function correctly when going up, but not when retracting? Doubt I will know until I crawl on top of the trailer and have a look.

thanks for the input.

Perhaps the motor stop is not kicking in at the right overload (amperage)? It would be interesting to know the value MaxxAir expects for the motor to disengage and then measure the actual amperage. If that circuit is malfunctioning, you'll go through a lot of transmission gears!

Please understand that's informed speculation (a guess!) on my part.

Please follow-up with what you discover. Always learning...

Howard

[Lonestar]

Will definitely report back, but it's going to be a while before I can get to the problem. Meantime, I'll try to call Maxxair and ask about the amperage value for the stop. I have a DC amp clamp so I can measure.

Last time I tried to contact Maxxair they really did not have a consumer tech support. Only dealer. I got in anyway and got info, but did not get a warm fuzzy feeling they wanted to help. Maybe better this time.