Auto leveling?

[Hoosblues]

My wife and I are getting ready to upgrade from our 27 ft . travel trailer to a large fifth wheel (36' - 39' ) We are planning to travel quite a bit this summer and see some of this beautiful country
I have been looking at many fifth wheels and we are narrowing our choices. One of the items on my wish list is an auto leveling system, but very few fifth wheels have them. Do any of you have one and if so what do you think? My experience with leveling the TT is that is is sometimes a PITA. How much trouble is it to level a large fifth wheel manually? One salesman told me that fifth wheels are different and you don't need to worry much about side to side leveling...that doesn't make much sense to me....

[Hamshog]

Hey Hoosblues,

Salesman is blowing smoke. I've got the Bigfoot Sysem and it's great!!!! Pull up, unhook, push the auto level button, you're done!!!

Regards, Hamshog

[Palpatine]

Yea and you'll be able to pull that 39'er with a 2500 SRW. Comeon you know salesman BS when you hear it don't you? I don't know what units you are looking at but all of them I looked at 36' + had bigfoot or level-up systems for auto leveling. If it's not on the one you are looking at, you can add it for about $5-$6K. You definitely WANT it.

[rugersdad]

We bought a 2011 Cardinal 3450Rl with auto level & love it. Our previous 5er had manual level with wood blocks & was slow & cumbersome! The Lippert auto level works great & we feel is a must have. Go for it!!!

[PapaBear1]

I don't know about self leveling. Never seen it on any 5er. However, the salesman's comment about never worrying about side to side leveling is revelation of his willingness to say anything - which translates into not trustworthy for anything else. Don't go there.

[Hamshog]

Originally Posted by Palpatine

Yea and you'll be able to pull that 39'er with a 2500 SRW.

Yeah, that'll never work!!! You wouldn't make it 2 miles and the engine, tranny, and rearend will blow and both rear tires will go flat!!!

Regards, Hamshog

[Hoosblues]

Thanks for the feedback. It confirms my wishlist for auto leveling! I know that I can order a 5er with it, but the ones already on the lot rarely have them. I have been hoping to find the perfect camper, ready to go! I have been looking at Heartland Bighorns and Forest River Cedar Creeks.

BTW, the same salesman also told me that I didn't need a dually to haul a 38 footer....I would not feel comfortable hitching up a 38 footer without a dually.

[Sandie115]

Originally Posted by Hoosblues

Thanks for the feedback. It confirms my wishlist for auto leveling! I know that I can order a 5er with it, but the ones already on the lot rarely have them. I have been hoping to find the perfect camper, ready to go! I have been looking at Heartland Bighorns and Forest River Cedar Creeks.

BTW, the same salesman also told me that I didn't need a dually to haul a 38 footer....I would not feel comfortable hitching up a 38 footer without a dually.

It is not that it needs a dually because it does but it also is dependent on the Gross weight of the rig, the weight of the truck and the gross weight the truck can pull AND weight it can have for pin weight. Be very careful, RV salesman can be lower than the rug, they will say anything to sell you the rig , they act as if they are your best friend and helper, and once you pay, they do not know who you are.
The autoleveling is a nice thing to have but not sure it is worth $5000 extra. The front is electric so you are just talking about the rear stabilizers being electrical. We do it and it is not really a big deal, get a drill and big allen wrench and it is now automatic and then tighten by hand or if it has an end that a socket will fit over then use the drill and socket and drill it down and tighten with the handle EASY and I am no spring chicken.

[dave&ginny]

Originally Posted by Hoosblues

Thanks for the feedback. It confirms my wishlist for auto leveling! I know that I can order a 5er with it, but the ones already on the lot rarely have them. I have been hoping to find the perfect camper, ready to go! I have been looking at Heartland Bighorns and Forest River Cedar Creeks.

BTW, the same salesman also told me that I didn't need a dually to haul a 38 footer....I would not feel comfortable hitching up a 38 footer without a dually.

Look at the Redwoods, they come with a 6 point auto leveling and depending on the truck you have you don't need a dually (Ford F350 SRW) 39ft long. Empty they're around 12600 with a pin of 2660.

[Dutch & Diana Irrgang]

We added the Big Foot Leveling System to our Carriage 5th wheel over 2 years ago and wouldn't be without one. Push a button and you are level. More time for play that way! Hugs,Di

[garysol1]

Our Komfort 3530 5th wheel came with the Lippert Ground Control Leveling system. It is incredibly easy to learn and to use. I will never go back to manual leveling again. Push one button to lower the jacks. Unhook the trailer and move the truck. Push the auto level button and your done. To rehook push a button to raise the rear jacks then the rig will raise to match the drop off height for easy rehooking. I sort of over simplified the procedure but you get the idea.

[textman]

Auto leveling is great! We just picked up our new Cedar Creek this weekend and the auto leveling is awesome.

[Hoosblues]

I am close to pulling the trigger on a BigHorn 3585RL....trying to decide if I take the one on the lot (without auto levelers) and add it after market later....or order it with the levelers and try to wait patiently for 8 weeks....immediate gratification is a powerful drug, but having the fiver exactly how I want it would be really nice....decisions, decisions.....

[wingnut60]

Order it and wait, unless there is a substantial difference in pricing that would allow the installation later. Also, don't believe there are many competent installers nationwide, might have to go to Big Foot or Lippert to have it done.
Joe