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Old 08-25-2009, 08:32 PM   #29
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time2go,

Let me join MM in welcoming you to the Monaco Owners Forum. No need to repeat everything else she said, because, as usual, she hit the nail with all her remarks.

With respect to your question, here are my thoughts on the subject. A little verbose, but...

PS... I love your forum "handle". When you own a motor home, it is ALWAYS time to go.
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Old 09-03-2009, 03:19 PM   #30
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My issue with slides out first, level second is that when I retract jacks occasionally there is a large jolt and with the slides out I worry that they may sustain damage. Would it be a good compromise to manually level first which puts less stress on frame then auto mode then slides out?????????
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Old 09-03-2009, 03:35 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgetown350 View Post
My issue with slides out first, level second is that when I retract jacks occasionally there is a large jolt and with the slides out I worry that they may sustain damage. Would it be a good compromise to manually level first which puts less stress on frame then auto mode then slides out?????????
Not sure if your model has air bags, but if it does, you can prevent the jolt by cranking the engine with the slides out and let the air bags fill. Then turn off the engine and retract the jacks and then the slides. The slides should be put in and out with the air bags filled.

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Old 09-03-2009, 04:09 PM   #32
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Steve,

I agree with Bob about filling the air bags first. A good way to remember that is "Air First" before jacks, whether arriving or leaving. You should lower the coach before leveling, and you should full the air bags again before retracting the jacks.

Manually leveling, as you suggested, is also a good idea, I think. I never use the "auto mode" anymore. It's just too jerky. I'm much more concerned about the windshield, than I am about the slides being damaged.
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Old 09-03-2009, 09:17 PM   #33
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Our rig has no air :( no air bags unless you count my wife

I levelled yesterday and noticed that the left rear tires were off the ground. When this happens I dont look forward to hitting the retract button because it really drops like a rock. This rig is new for us and I guess the suspension is tighter or something because I could never lift the rear tires with our last rig. Today we are parked on a very level site so all I had to do was drop the front jack then the backs and level achieved. Retracting should be smooth. So far windsheild and slides are in good shape.
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Old 09-04-2009, 08:07 AM   #34
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Geeze, makes me kinda glad our coach is a gasser and no slides.
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Old 09-04-2009, 09:48 AM   #35
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I think I figured it out.. with the assistance of a neighbor

The neighbor has air bags leveling, so when it puts his slides out (With the air bag system inflated for road travel) the rig is LEVEL

Then he dumps "road air" and switches to "parked air"

Now, I don't have and air bag system

If I park on non-level ground, I'm not level

So I level first, THEN extend slides

But the key in both cases is WE ARE LEVEL when we extend our slides.
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Old 09-20-2009, 09:08 PM   #36
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On my 02 Endeavor, I have 2 jacks up front, and 2 in rear. I always air down, jacks down, coach level, then slides out. It makes a lot of sense to me to have a level coach BEFORE putting the slides out. AND having a level coach to put the slides back in.

I know coaches with only a single jack up front shouldn't use this method, but if you have 4 jacks, why not use them?
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Old 09-20-2009, 09:29 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by royce999 View Post
On my 02 Endeavor, I have 2 jacks up front, and 2 in rear. I always air down, jacks down, coach level, then slides out. It makes a lot of sense to me to have a level coach BEFORE putting the slides out. AND having a level coach to put the slides back in.

I know coaches with only a single jack up front shouldn't use this method, but if you have 4 jacks, why not use them?
royce999..I would double-check your owners manual instructions ...Everything...and I mean everything ...I have heard or read about a Monaco Product on a Roadmaster chassis states slides out first...who knows ...maybe your coach is the exception.



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Old 09-20-2009, 09:43 PM   #38
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Just curious, since the owner's manual (written by the folks that built the coach) is so vey clear, why is there such reluctance to slides out first then level?
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Old 09-20-2009, 10:12 PM   #39
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Just curious, since the owner's manual (written by the folks that built the coach) is so vey clear, why is there such reluctance to slides out first then level?
Georgetown350 explained his concern above... and I agree with him. However, I grit my teeth and follow the manufacturer's recommendation of slides out first.
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Old 09-20-2009, 11:30 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by royce999 View Post
On my 02 Endeavor, I have 2 jacks up front, and 2 in rear. I always air down, jacks down, coach level, then slides out. It makes a lot of sense to me to have a level coach BEFORE putting the slides out. AND having a level coach to put the slides back in.

I know coaches with only a single jack up front shouldn't use this method, but if you have 4 jacks, why not use them?
Royce,

Since your 02 coach has both four jacks and a split windshield, I would agree that, from a practical perspective, it is probably fairly safe to do it the way you do - especially if you purshased the coach when new and have been doing it that way for 7 years with no problem. However, I am curious about two things....

First, do your front jacks always go up and down together, or can you operate them seperately?

Secondly, in your owner's manual, does it specifically say that you should extend the slides before leveling? I am wondering when they first started specifying that for the raised rail chassis.
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Old 09-21-2009, 12:04 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JFC View Post
Just curious, since the owner's manual (written by the folks that built the coach) is so very clear, why is there such reluctance to slides out first then level?
JFC,

I am not advocating doing it any other way than the manual prescribes, but I think there are several reasons why some folks are reluctant...

First, if you've owned another coach for a number of years and then are moving to a Monaco, the Monaco method is just not intuitive. I had a hard time adjusting for that reason.

Secondly, since Monaco has never really been very clear about exactly WHY they recommend the slides go out first, there are probably a lot of folks who simply don't believe there there is a good reason to do it that way. (You know, REAL men don't read owner's manuals. )

Thirdly, and quite frankly, it is much easier to set up and break down camp by leveling first, then hooking up your utilities, getting your gear out from the compartments, etc., and THEN deal with the slides. For some folks, convenience overrides the manual. (It does for me when I'm setting up on a concrete pad that is already level.)

All that said, I mostly do it the way the manual says, because I think that by doing it that way, there is less of a chance of putting stress on the one-piece windshield, as has been discussed earlier in this thread.
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Old 09-21-2009, 12:18 AM   #42
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SacsTC and I were discussing this earlier tonight -but I will still forget a couple of key points anyway...
  • Monaco is probably the ONLY RV manufacturer who actually puts the slides on the frame with the chassis in the "travel mode" (bags aired up) in the industry.
  • The rig will also not hold the level position if you put the slides out AFTER you have leveled - the weight distribution has just shifted with the weight of the slides changing this factor.
There were a few others...but this may give others more food for thought...



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