leveling how tos

[mjwest]

Should I be leveling my motorhome before or after extending the slider?

[Chickenman]

According to my owners manual I level prior to extending the slides.

[Heater]

All coaches are different your owners manual will tell you the proper procedure. I have a fleetwood discovery and it actually has a note right by the slide key that states " level prior to deploying slides" that is not the exact verbage but very similar. There is another post that is lengthy on this subject from about a month ago.

[Heater]

Here is one

Search this

'Leveling sequence for Holiday Ramblers':

[NLOVNIT]

Heater is correct, it depends on the mfr. You will need to check your manual or with your manufacturer.

I will move your post to the Monaco Owner's Forum so you can get input from other HR owners.

Lori-

[Bubba1]

The manual on my 03 Monaco says extend the slides, then level.

[Cat320]

I certainly agree with doing what the manual says. My manual says to be sure you are level prior to putting out the slides so there is no binding, or up hill power required of the slide motor. Even though a manual might say slides first...doesn't make much sense...IMHO, of course.

[sdennislee]

My Safari owners manual says to extend slides the level. When breaking camp it says to retract jacks then retract slides.



If you search the forum this topic has been discussed many times and at great length. Opinions go both ways jacks down then slides or slides first then jacks. The best advice is to follow the directions in your owners manual. The manufacturer understands the loads and stresses applied when moving slides and jacks.

[H. Miller]

For most MONACO products it's "FIRST OUT - LAST IN" for slides.

It would seem counterproductive for a non Monaco owner without the benefit of a Monaco owners manual to answer a MONACO question. That's how bad information gets spread.....

[Our Time]

H. Miller is exactly correct. For a Monaco coach the procedure is;
Slides out
Dump air
Level

For departure;

Air up
Retract jacks
Slides in.

Other manufactures do it in different sequencces, but this is the recommend procedure for a Monaco coach.

[mjwest]

Thanks to everyone for their comments. As you might know there are several different opinions. Some are stringent advocates for complying with their owners manuals. Some others have found their own perspectives. Some seem to be offended at the very thought of differing with what the owners manual say. There are also several other ideas regarding the sequence to be using. Paersonally, I'm still trying to find it in the owners manual. All that being said, I greatly appreciate the input and responses. They are greatly appreciated.
MJW

[Pairajays]

You did not indicate which level system you have nor if it has auto leveling. Here is my opinion. In most cases it does make a nickels worth of difference, slides out first or level first, with either jacks or air springs. This is especially true with auto leveling. With the slides in, the body is at it's most structurally sound condition. It is also structurally sound when the slides are completely out. I believe most MHs with air spring leveling is auto but can be manually manipulated. There are a lot of hydraulic jack systems that are manual only. Air springs are connected from the chassis to the frame, therefore, you only level the frame, not the chassis. Jacks are connected to the chassis and extend to the ground which will level the frame and chassis.

When the MH is at ride height, it should be "square" with the chassis. Same thing when all air bags are deflated and sitting on the chassis. The slides don't care if you are level or not, just "square". Seems to me, that is the best time to extend the slides, because a slight shift in weight distribution will occur which will affect the required pressure to get level. This could be miniscule or significant depending on the number of slides involved. If you level first then extend the slides it could be necessary to re-level because of the weight shift.

In conclusion, most of us park on relatively flat surfaces and present no problems. In those extreme cases, auto leveling, with jacks or bags, should not result in frame twisting. However, with manual systems you could twist the frame. That's why you should be cautious when this condition exists. This is especially true with jacks since you can actually lift the tires off the ground. You can not do that with air spring leveling.

Jim E

[Diplomat Don]

mjwest.......The newer Monacos definitely want the slides out first and then the jacks. I'm not sure with the 1999 models. Is yours a 3 jack or 4 jack system. The newer 3 jack systems want the front jack to make ground contact and act as a pivot point for the rear jacks.

During a Monaco factory tour, it was explained to us that the coach has its slides installed and squared while the coach is at full ride height position. Consequently, the slides should be extended while the coach is in that position.

Here is a question for many......has anyone ever had their front door bind a little at full ride height.....generally not, but you often have some binding when the coach is leveled on uneven ground. This is the same thing that can happen when slides come out after leveling.

[Fred420]

My wife and I are picking up a 2006 LaPalma DP, 34', dual slides, non-air ride next week. My father has some health issues and has lost his license. We will be driving cross-country from Ca. to In. over Thanksgiving. He sent me the owners manual but it does not state slides in first or not. There is nothing in this manual concerning this. I have had the manual for 2 weeks now and am fairly familer with it. I have called Monaco twice and got 2 different answers. We have had other TT with slides and always leveled first.

Does anyone own this coach? We are confident in the other aspects of operation but do have this one concern.

Thanks for your time,
dave and lynn