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03-20-2011, 01:34 PM
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#1
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Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 75
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PowerGear Leveling Jack Question
Having a discussion at our local RV park here in Key West, FL and there is a bunch of folks telling me it will damage my hydraulic jacks to have all the coach weight on them.
The issue is that to level my Tropical, I have the front wheels up off the ground or just barely on the ground. The "campfire" discussions are that my hydraulic jacks will begin to leak with this constant load on them for 3-4 weeks at a time.
Thought I get the opinion of the NRV group here as a clarification.
Appreciate any help on this.
Duane
__________________
Duane
2005 National Tropical w/Cat 350
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03-21-2011, 08:23 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: May 2007
Location: El Cajon CA
Posts: 2,083
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CAUTION - NEVER LIFT THE WHEELS OFF THE GROUND TO LEVEL THE COACH.
This is from the Powergear manual
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2007 Sea Breeze LX 8321 Ford Chassis
2004 Ford Ranger Edge
El Cajon CA.
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03-21-2011, 05:41 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pacific Northwest or SoCal
Posts: 3,035
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I don't think it would matter, if you are lifting the load, you are lifting the load. Rather than lift the front off the ground, I would use leveling blocks under the wheels.
I would say "Urban Legend"
fred
__________________
Fred and Bonnie
2005 Dolphin LX 6375
Abby, Ruffles & Scarlett, "The Cats" 
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03-22-2011, 01:33 AM
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#4
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Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Simi Valley CA
Posts: 46
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If I have to crank up a corner enough to lift a wheel I'll put blocks under it. It just seems prudent to distribute that load as much as possible. The jacks can obviously handle the load in the short term, but I'd be concerned about bleed-down if they were being used to support the full weight of a corner of a coach for any period of time.
Plus, living in earthquake country... I'd rather have a cushioned relationship with terra firma... 
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2005 Seabreeze LX 8360
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03-22-2011, 06:07 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: st.charles mo.
Posts: 1,482
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You will not have a problem with having your front wheels off the ground unless there is a side angle. Never lift the rear wheels off the ground.
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03-22-2011, 09:06 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Damon Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,024
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Will it damage the jacks to hold the weight of the coach: No
Will they start to leak: Yes, Eventually, 100% guarantee there, this is normal as they wear out however and not caused by them holding up the coach.
However, that said.
IF BOTH front wheels are off the ground, and a big wind hits you sideways the rig can be pushed to the side, this can turn your very nice jacks into a pair of very expensive pretzles since they are NOT designed to take a shear load, Compression loads do not bother them but shear loads are a no no.
Likewise if even one REAR wheel is off the ground,, Again this can let the rig move forward or backward and damage the jacks same way.
If you have a handy dandy source of compressed air I'd visit Harbor Freight and ask about their 12 ton air/hydraulic bottle jack, Pick up one of the front wheels (the one nearest the ground) using said jack and slide some nice thick slabs of wood under it and let it back down.
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Home is where I park it!
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03-25-2011, 12:15 PM
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#7
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Member
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 75
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Thanks to ALL
Great info! Thanks for the advice!
Duane
__________________
Duane
2005 National Tropical w/Cat 350
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03-25-2011, 11:00 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 509
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Not hard on the jacks but I think if you have air bags they are not designed to lift a load but to carry a load.
__________________
2001 Sea View 31' F53 1 slide 8310 133,000+mi
2012 Jeep Liberty Smi stay and play Duo brake system
Security by Bentley, KF6HCH, God Bless
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Linear Mode
