Leveling Jacks - to use or not to use?

[Theluckys]

Ok I've looked in the search for this but maybe it's such a basic question....

On my 98 Mountain Aire do I HAVE to use the leveling jacks if the vechicle is already level?

We took her out last weekend to Camp Wilderness (1st time there). Well we found a leak and I found that when putting the jacks down they touch the ground but they retract by themselves - only 2 of the 4 stayed down.

Now I'm going to take the MH to the service people but I don't know how long it will take to rectify the problem and we are going to Key West over Labor Day weekend. The site we are going to is fully paved, and I'll assume level like the Disney site, so if they can't fix the levelers I still plan on going.

What I'm wondering is this - am I going to 'harm' the MH by not using the levelers and if so should I purchase a manual pair in the meantime? I'm not adverse to getting dirty....

[wb7auk]

The short answer is no.
Leveling jacks are from leveling and help stabilize the coach when people was moving
inside as well as having slides out.

[wb7auk]

Should read for leveling

[tyka]

If using your slideouts has you worried ----- I have openned the living room slide on a few occasions (ie: Walmart camping, at home below freeezing weather) when we were almost level and everything worked well. Hope they find the problem.

[Mr_D]

Newmar says to put the jacks down before opening the slides. That keeps the frame from possibly being "wracked" and the slides from getting out of adjustment.

[rvjimmy]

As far as your jacks going up check by the pump and tank area and see if someone has turned the by-pass valves. On mine there are valves to turn if your jacks won't go up, maybe one or two worked loose by some freak reason. Just a thought. Jim

["007"]

You need jacks down to avoid problems with slides and step they stabilize your coach from rocking.
Check your fluid level in HWH tank, the bell vent will have a line on shaft for proper level with all jacks retracted.
You can use HWH fluid or transmission fluid.
As said check the "T" valve handles on jack solenoids for looseness.
Check the bottom of this PDF for diagrams of your jack system.

[imgoin4it]

RV tec's including those at the factory put out the slides many times with out any jacks being down. I have done it also , but only will do it if it is pretty much level.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by imgoin4it

RV tec's including those at the factory put out the slides many times with out any jacks being down. I have done it also , but only will do it if it is pretty much level.

Might be true but still not according to the written instructions.

[Beacher]

When we went to the factory to pick up our 2012 DSDP I ask the guy that we did our walk thur with about this he told us to put the slides out first and then put the jacks down. The whole time we did our walk thur and even when they where finish a few things the slides were out and the jacks were stored.

[codgerbill]

Being level also affects your refrigerator

[DandS]

Beacher - Not to be argumentative but this is directly from my owner's manual: "If the vehicle is equipped with a slide out, it is recommended that the leveling and stabilizing procedure is complete before operating any room extension. Note: The slide out can be operated without utilizing the leveling system, but it is recommended to have the unit as level as possible." Think that also answers OP's question.

[frankdamp]

Using the jacks makes the rig "wobble" less than if it's on the tires. On ours, I abandoned the auto level, as it lifted us so far off the ground, you needed a parachute to get off the bottom step.

Our control panel has the jacks in pairs -front pair, rear pair, left pair, right pair. My usual technique is to run front and rear down until they just touch (monitored by DW outside) Then I use the minimum amount of extension to get the rig level.

When we first got our MH, I went out on the driveway, put a 12" torpedo level on the bottom of the fridge and very carefully levelled the rig with the jacks, both side-to-side and fore/aft. I then stuck two bubble levels within sight of the driver's seat, one for longitudial and the other for lateral, with their bubbles showing level.

Now, I can get the rig level while in the driver's seat where the leveller control panel is located. Rarely takes more than a minute.

[Theluckys]

Originally Posted by codgerbill

Being level also affects your refrigerator

Is this still true on modern rigs? I heard that arguement in the past due to the materials used in the refrigerant.