Bravo 3 Drive won’t go down

[Lazy Daze]

Thanks for posting back, LM. But, truthfully, drives are stored for extended time in the up position with no ill effects. It's more the exception, rather than rule, for your issue to happen. That said, it can only be better to store it in the down position - including not keeping the bellows stretched out. But, glad to see the suggestions helped and you got a "freebie" fix!

 

[Arminius]

Like I said, Jack Daniels and brute force!

 

[Bt Doctur]

If it is truely stuck in the up position then start practicing smart hyd procedure. When fully up or fully down, tap the opposite button for a second or two to relieve the pressure.
If jumping on it had no effect then 2 things may be wrong. The end caps of the rams have corrosion damage and caused the O rings to bind on the shaft from corrosion or just stuck from not releasing the pressure.
You can try reversing the hyd line at the pump . More pressure is needed to raise the drive for trimming than is needed to lower the drive. Once lowered if may work properly IF you release the pressure as above.
Just remember to reconnect the lines properly
If not you have to rebuild, replace the rams end caps

 

[Lazy Daze]

Like I said, Jack Daniels and brute force!

Except, if he would have followed your advice to take it out on the water in that condition, he likely would have ended up with bigger problems. He did it on land, without the engine running, which is fine. I'm reiterating this in case anyone else reads this in the future. Running the engine, even in neutral, with the drive trimmed up is bad.

 

[LawyerMan]

Except, if he would have followed your advice to take it out on the water in that condition, he likely would have ended up with bigger problems. He did it on land, without the engine running, which is fine. I'm reiterating this in case anyone else reads this in the future. Running the engine, even in neutral, with the drive trimmed up is bad.

Solid advice. This website is a great resource.