Community Forums

530ktm · 02-01-2016, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

Your jacks extend from the bottom of the coach, not the tires. Whether you put ramps under the wheels or not will not change the amount of jack travel required to achieve a level coach.

I am sorry but this makes no sense to me. If you were to drive your coach up on 6 inches of ramps or blocks to level it out then how is this not going to affect the distance your jacks need to come down to touch earth? Generally if you put 4 inches of drive up blocks under your wheels then you need the same thing to put under your jacks. There are many on here that will not agree with others but that is the way I do it and I have never had anything go wrong.

JEdgar · 02-01-2016, 01:31 PM

Fire_up

Your bolded text doesn't make sense. Regardless, in a coach with airbag suspension the airbags deflate and provide no support when you extend the jacks so whether you lift the frame 1" or 1' you are still hanging an axel even if some of the tire weight sits on a fancy pad.

OP
Wheels off the ground is not a problem but be sure to have the jacks sitting on firm, level ground. If you're parked off road or on gravel it may take some effort to get the spot under the jack level. You can carry a few sand bags with a shovel full of sand or DG in each one to place on the uneven ground before setting down a jack pad. Be sure to level the sandbags using a short 2x4 or similar then set a jack pad on top. If you plan to camp in unimproved areas then carrying a few bags and a shovel might be a good idea.

Scatterbrain · 02-01-2016, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Huh????????
First of all, It's pretty much a given that ALL jacks extend from the bottom of the coach, as in the frame, not any place or area or part of the coach. Second, "Whether you put ramps under the wheels or not change the amount of jack travel required to achieve a level coach".

If a coach parkes on an unlevel, say, end to end surface, with the front being lower than the rear, then the front jacks will have to TRY and extend ENOUGH to bring that front end up, high enough to acheive level, right? But, if the coach is driven up on blocks/ramps, whatever, and is basically level by doing so, then yes, the jacks will have to extend but, they won't be doing all the work and, there will not be nearly as much strain on them and, due to the fact that the tires and wheels are still in contact with the ground, AND are taking all the lateral (side to side) potential movement, then the Jacks are there for fine tuning and, additional stabilization.

But, if and when I encounter the above situation, I will place blocks under the jacks too so they don't have to travel as far.

The debate whether to use blocks or ramps etc. under the tires is age old. It's a matter of choice. If one doesn't feel the need and would rather HANG an axle, that's purely up to them, it's their coach. If one chooses to carry and use blocks, ramps and anything else in assistance with leveling, even when they have fully automatic jacking systems, that too is up to them.

Scott

First, read what I quoted, where it was stated that putting blocks under the tires would reduce the amount that the jacks would extend. That is what I was addressing. Level is level. If your front rails need to be 20 inches above the ground to achieve level then your jacks will have to extend that amount to work. Second, The jacks are made to handle the load of the rig. If they are working properly then you should not have any issues. When on the jacks your front suspension is unloaded and not really doing anything of significance beyond providing psychological comfort. If you're doing something that is causing enough sideways movement of the rig that you think you need the tires and the jacks, you've got other issues. Big issues. If the levelers are carrying the weight then the suspension will need to compress first before it can start to stop any coach movement. If the coach is moving enough to compress the suspension while on the jacks then the jacks have broken and, again, you've got bigger issues to deal with.

As a technician I'm yet to encounter a suspension system that wasn't designed to hang free. I've encountered some that had a special button that needed pressing before unloading the suspension, but that's about it. I've seen plenty of commercial chassis in transport with the front end dangling too. If the O.E.s transport them that way I have no issue parking them that way.

If you feel the need to support your tires then by all means feel free, just know that my wheels will be hanging free.

Scatterbrain · 02-01-2016, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 530ktm

I am sorry but this makes no sense to me. If you were to drive your coach up on 6 inches of ramps or blocks to level it out then how is this not going to affect the distance your jacks need to come down to touch earth? Generally if you put 4 inches of drive up blocks under your wheels then you need the same thing to put under your jacks. There are many on here that will not agree with others but that is the way I do it and I have never had anything go wrong.

My point was that putting blocks under the wheels doesn't shorten the distance the jacks need to travel. If you're blocking the wheels and jacks then yes, it most likely will shorten the distance the jacks have to travel, but the blocks under the wheels aren't contributing to that, just the ones under the jacks.

DicknBambi · 02-01-2016, 05:08 PM

I found out the hard way to make sure you are on SOLID ground. I had to extend the back jacks a long way and had the front jacks only down enough to be level side to side, all was good! The next morning when I raised the front curtain I found the driver window had cracked. Guessing that a front jack had gone down in the soft soil and put a twist in the unit. When we had the windshield replaced the tech said that he has replaced a lot of windshields after the same problem. That was new to me but I guess it happens a lot. Now I am a lot more choosey as to how I level the coach!!