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Old 10-21-2017, 06:22 AM   #1
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Don't come knocking if MH is rocking?

We are at a campsite with concrete pad for a month. All setup and when we walk around the 40' class a the MH moves around. We are level with air system and the jacks are down. What can I do to stop the movement? Should I lower the coach air all the way down so we are closer to the ground?
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Old 10-21-2017, 06:35 AM   #2
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The hydraulic jack are leveling the frame, if the air bags are full of air then the coach body is free to move When I use my hydraulic jacks, rather than use the automatic leveling feature, I manually dump all the air out of the air bags then extend the jacks only enough to bring the coach to a level position. If I use the automatic feature then the jacks tend to raise the coach higher than it needs to be to be level.
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Old 10-21-2017, 09:15 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LJowdy View Post
The hydraulic jack are leveling the frame, if the air bags are full of air then the coach body is free to move When I use my hydraulic jacks, rather than use the automatic leveling feature, I manually dump all the air out of the air bags then extend the jacks only enough to bring the coach to a level position. If I use the automatic feature then the jacks tend to raise the coach higher than it needs to be to be level.
My coach has air bags only and on any reasonably level RV site I have stayed at ( all of them so far) , I dump my air on my coach completely, then level with the airbags.

I don't think I understand the reason for both air bags and the jacks?.. could you please explain this to me.

I have always liked the airbags only over jacks only due to the fact you can lower the coach pretty darn low and have fewer steps to climbs than with the jacks..... and as each year goes that seems to make a difference.

I certainly wouldn't mind the jacks when it's time for service

Always fun to learn.
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Old 10-21-2017, 03:13 PM   #4
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Personally I like hydraulic jacks mainly because they provide a solid foundation as opposed to air bag levelers. Simply speaking, your always floating on a cushion of air so therefore the coach is going to move when you're parked. As I explained above, I manually deflate the airbags when makes the coach sit on the frame and not cushioned by the air bags. Once that's done, I lower the jacks only enough to level the coach. The jacks now are taking the load off the tires and with no air in the bags, the coach is rock solid.
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Old 10-22-2017, 01:48 AM   #5
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I like that LJowdy's coach is "rock solid". This is something I would like to achieve with our coach. Unfortunately we have air leveling only so we have to contend with movement in the coach when leveled with air bags.

Our manual describes both the air leveling and hydraulic jacks so I assume that some models of our coach were manufactured with both systems.

Has anyone installed "aftermarket" hydraulic levelers on their air leveling coach?

Interesting to know the possibility and what the cost might be??
Thanks, Iver.
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Old 10-22-2017, 06:01 AM   #6
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Rock solid would be nice, but we've never quite been there. We have both on our '06 Dynasty and which we use depends on the "pad" we are sitting on. On good, solid hard ground the jacks are nice. Otherwise, we normally use the air.

Solid? I would describe it this way, as goofy as it sounds. Leveled on air, the coach wobbles, slightly. Leveled on the jacks, jiggles. It's a motion frequency thing.

Regardless, you have a very large mechanical system, and tires, air bags, frame rails, etc. all are flexible, to varying degrees. I would expect a four point jack system to be a bit more stable than a three point. Also, even with the jacks down and lifting, a lot of the coach's weight is still on the bags, suspension and tires working in parallel with the jacks to support the coach. It is going to move as you move about the inside. Our daughter struggles with it. We are used to it. Part of the fun of RV'ing!
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Old 10-22-2017, 09:46 AM   #7
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This is the only thing we don't like about our coach...it's the first rv with a 3 point system and like what the heck were they thinking ? it can never be level without twisting something !!!!

We typically pull in, set up, and dump the air to get as low as possible with the coach on the frame, then use the jacks manually to stabilize.
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Old 10-22-2017, 03:57 PM   #8
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This is the only thing we don't like about our coach...it's the first rv with a 3 point system and like what the heck were they thinking ? it can never be level without twisting something !!!!

We typically pull in, set up, and dump the air to get as low as possible with the coach on the frame, then use the jacks manually to stabilize.

I would have thought your coach came with air leveling. I'm surprised to hear that you only have jacks.

We have both, but I prefer the air to the Jacks, just so quick and easy. While there is some movement, it;s not all that noticable
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Old 10-22-2017, 04:41 PM   #9
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We prefer to use the air, too, and we also have both. We ordered our coach prior to its manufacture so were able to choose our options. We purposely requested both the air and the jacks, and have been so glad we did. There are just times when one works better than the other.

As for the decision to go with three jacks instead of four, that was a very good design decision. The three point system is a bit less "rock solid" as you can get more left to right motion in the front as it can pivot a bit on the single leg. But with a three point, twisting of the coach frame and body due to uneven ground and leveling problems is as minimal as it can possibly be. Think about a tripod. It can sit on virtually anything, and by adjusting the length of the three legs, will give a stable and level camera platform. There is zero twisting torque to the camera base. With four legs, it is far easier to create a situation where the axial and the longitudinal forces are unequal, and the frame and coach body have to withstand the resulting torque. A little less desirable from a total stability standpoint, but far better from a mechanical and structural standpoint.
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Old 10-22-2017, 07:45 PM   #10
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Don't come knocking if MH is rocking?

Hummm. We are beginning our 2 yr with our Dynasty which only has air leveling. The only time we have experienced any rocking is when our 80lb dog jumps up the steps and that is minimal. If I'm laying in bed, I can tell if someone enters the coach, but certainly can't tell if someone is walking in the coach. Perhaps this has to be because we are 44ft with a tag?
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Old 10-22-2017, 07:55 PM   #11
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Our coach has both. When we use jacks the first thing the system does is let out all the air prior to moving the jacks.
I use jacks when at a site for a longer time or if the air can not get level. (Our jacks have more range than the air.)
Air rocks some but we use it for quick stops, soft ground, locations where they want pads under jacks, and probably in a few days when there is a chance of freezing where we are so jacks do not stick and I don't have to mess with our pads. Oh I also used air out west in the dust. That dust was getting everyplace and I saw no reason to try and help it past jack seals.

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Old 10-29-2017, 05:42 PM   #12
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Quote:
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My coach has air bags only and on any reasonably level RV site I have stayed at ( all of them so far) , I dump my air on my coach completely, then level with the airbags.



I don't think I understand the reason for both air bags and the jacks?.. could you please explain this to me.



I have always liked the airbags only over jacks only due to the fact you can lower the coach pretty darn low and have fewer steps to climbs than with the jacks..... and as each year goes that seems to make a difference.



I certainly wouldn't mind the jacks when it's time for service



Always fun to learn.


RobRoy, I was unaware that you could dump the air and then level with the air bags. We have an 06 Navigator. Didn’t see any reference to this in our owners manual.-we level right after we pull into the site. Wonder if I’ve been doing it wrong lol. Sure would be nice to have the steps closer to the ground!!!
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