Advice for when RV just won't level. Blocks? Ramps? Both? Best products?

[RETPS]

Troubleshooting is a process of elimination. As a couple of responders mentioned, find a nice level parking lot at Walmart, target or where ever and re-calibrate your system first. Use a simple bullseye level on a hard surface section of your coach floor to verify that you are starting out level. That's one elimination. As another responder mentioned, 2x12's are relatively cheap and when cut into 12" lengths for jack sand shoes and 18" for tires, they make excellent jack and tire leveling pads. Most home stores will cut them up for you. If you have an awning grab hook, you can screw an appropriate sized eye bolt into the side of the board and use it both to position them under the jack pads and then remove them when you leave. Most times getting your coach relatively level to start out with at a site is just a matter of jockeying around to find the best spot. As for tires off the ground, that's a big no no in my book. As others stated, those jacks are not made to sustain any lateral stress, only vertical. Force a mechanism to do something it's not designed to do enough times and it will eventually fail you. Getting it as close to level as possible using pads under the tires is always the best bet. It doesn't defeat the purpose of the leveling system, it allows a more efficient and stable use of it.

[pete5016]

Ok. These are my recommendations.

First, get a Levelmate Pro - this device will allow to determine how "off level" you are when you backing up your Class A. It's not expensive, but this simple device makes a big difference on determining what I put down on the ground to help level.

Second - I carry about 10 or more pieces of 2x12, including some that are screwed together to use for leveling.

It's important to learn your coach. With my coach, being more than 6" off level will normally mean a wheel will come off the ground (or close to it). So, if one corner or end of the coach is really low, I drive my Tiffin up on the wood prior to leveling. Next, I will use wood under my jacks, because I don't like to extend them out to the max. So, sometimes, I will put 2 or 3 pieces of wood on one side or one corner under my jacks.

This really is something that you need to figure out with your Rig. A little bit of trial and error will help you figure out what you need to bring. Each RV will be different. WIthout the Levelmate Pro, you are always guessing on what you need for each site.

I do take pride in being able to level my Rig in sites where others have given up on.

[Tilted Kilt]

Originally Posted by Reprobate

Exactly. I believe it is usually folks that either have a phobia about it, or just haven't been doing it long enough to realize it is perfectly acceptable.

I was very interested in knowing more about wheels off the ground. I have a 2005 W24 Workhorse chassis with the HWH 326 manual system with the pushbutton pad on the dash. I thought I read to always level the front or rear first and never lift wheels off the ground, so I'm very interested because I see lots of people with their wheels elevated, and some say to level sides before front or rear. All of this is conflicting to what I thought I knew. I always choke my wheels and use blocks but never lifted wheels. I thought lifting wheels (particularly the rear wheels) was taboo.

[TomS209]

Fleetwood Bounder 35K. One jack doesn’t come down all the way after auto level completed. This has happened to me. I can put it in manual after auto level completed and say the left rear jack has not come down all the way. What I do is push the left and rear button together and only the left rear jack will activate to go down. If it was the right rear you would push the right and rear buttons at the same time. Once I “feel” the contact I immediately release both buttons and I’m done. I also carry 12x12x2 inch blocks and an 18 inch level for sites that appear significantly unlevel. At that point I use the level to see which jacks would benefit from them. Sometimes two wheels and sometimes three or I ask for another space. Hope this helps. Tom

[bentjm]

Originally Posted by Tilted Kilt

I was very interested in knowing more about wheels off the ground. I have a 2005 W24 Workhorse chassis with the HWH 326 manual system with the pushbutton pad on the dash. I thought I read to always level the front or rear first and never lift wheels off the ground, so I'm very interested because I see lots of people with their wheels elevated, and some say to level sides before front or rear. All of this is conflicting to what I thought I knew. I always choke my wheels and use blocks but never lifted wheels. I thought lifting wheels (particularly the rear wheels) was taboo.

The manual for the HWH 625 system on my coach specifically advises to level side to side first, then front to back.

[Bobchambe]

When I pull into a site, I put a 4-way level on the floor and pull ahead, or back up to get as level as possible, then auto-level.

Sometimes a few feet one way or another will make a big difference. If not, I move or leave the campground.

Good luck.

[Surf Fisher]

If I can't get the coach level with my HWH Air Leveling System, I return to the office and ask for a different site that will allow me to level the coach properly.

I also politely suggest that they rework that site to allow for RVer's to maintain a level rig during their stay.

[Wild Buckeye]

I use Level mate pro to find best starting point in site and fine tune from there.

[ClairS]

Originally Posted by StarBlocked

Hi! I have had my RV for a while, but am still very inexperienced compared to most folks here.


On past trips, I've occasionally encountered situations where either it took a really long time to get the RV level using the automatic hydraulic jacks or I just had to accept a tire not touching the ground for a night (confirmed with manufacturer of both RV and jacks that this isn't bad).


Well, on a recent trip down south, I encountered several campsites where we just couldn't get level. Between the campground staff and friendly fellow campers, I received a lot of conflicting advice.


Some said to put ramps under the tires, but others said that would make it "too bouncy" inside the RV (an actual concern, due to a disabled passenger with poor balance).


Some said put blocks under the jack pads, but others said this won't help in making it level. Some said you have to use blocks under the pads and ramps under the wheels. Some said blocks, not ramps, under the wheels.



There was also disagreement about just how level we need to be. I brought up that I've read many users here mention that they don't even use auto level, and they acted like I was crazy. I did try manually leveling, but a) the jacks in my 2017 Thor Outlaw 37 BG don't allow for adjusting a single jack at a time which makes it very imprecise and b) the user manual for the system says we're not safe unless the indicator on the leveling system shows a solid green light and no matter how level the bubble from my toolbox said we were the light kept blinking.


So...


All that to ask: what do you experts do in these situations? Recommendations about specific products are definitely welcome, but even more so I'm hoping for advice on how to deploy them. Under the jack pads? Under the wheels? Some combination thereof?


I'm a bit embarrassed to be asking so late in the game, but it really never came up like this until recently! Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

I don't get it, what is wrong with the front wheels off the ground. How level is level? I found that if your comfortable you're well within the refrigerator limit. Relax and have fun.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by ClairS

I don't get it, what is wrong with the front wheels off the ground.

Depends on your risk tolerance: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/adv...ml#post6478178

Ray

[tgproios]

Originally Posted by MakTruk

I too, am wondering why folks are loathe to leave wheels in the air. Is it a certain type of suspension they are concerned about?

As mentioned before, jack's are structurally strong vertically but can be damaged by side forces. I've seen a rig backed into a hill with the front Jack's fully extended and the tires off the ground with about a 2-3 inch bend in the shafts. Don't know if they ever got them fully retracted.

Wind will shimmey the coach from side to side with the wheels off the ground, not a good feeling if you're inside and puts a lot of stress on the frame also.

I have lifted my front tires off pavement for a tire replacement after a tire failure to replace both fronts and the front doesn't feel very stable that way.

[Fridge Defend]

Originally Posted by ClairS

I found that if your comfortable you're well within the refrigerator limit. Relax and have fun.

Originally Posted by StarBlocked

received enough conflicting advice about it, and the cost of any repairs to an RV is so high, that I'd prefer to just put some blocks under it and not have to worry about it.

Originally Posted by NXR

Depends on your risk tolerance: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/adv...ml#post6478178

Ray

That is just it, WHY TAKE A CHANCE?

To quote "received enough conflicting advice", well it is plain to see that with 53 posts on leveling, there are a lot of opinions out there! But I guess that is what forums are all about.

And here is the beauty of science, one has to be able to reproduce results, and one develops expertise in the process!

Follow your instinct, blocks under the wheels are time tested. Digging a hole to put a tire into works also, but this takes skill and time.

One fact is that the frame on the RV twists using jacks, the frame twists less using blocks because your RV is designed to be supported by the tires.

Second fact, we have a customer that stated I'm "comfortable [so I'm] well within the refrigerator limit. [Thus, I will] Relax and have fun.", but I am on my second cooling unit in 4 years.

When this customer put the Fridge Defend on their fridge, they came to find that when they were parked in their driveway at home, the boiler was overheating on their fridge. This customer complained stating that there must be a problem with our product because they did not roll out of bed, then quoted their user manual that said "if you are comfortable then the refrigerator is within its limit".

Well, two cooling units and the instrumentation of the Fridge Defend proved this manufacture promoted myth to not be true.

FYI: Two failed fridge cooling units, one Dometic and the other Amish, is repeatable so this is an application of the scientific method confirmed by instrumentation. Not conflicting advice.

See this video for facts on what happens and why:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JB0QyPvEAo

Why take a chance? Paul and Mao

[eddndee]

Fort the reasons mentioned, I am more concerned about the stability of the jacks. If I raise my tires off the ground I put pads under the tires so they support the coach and then put pads under the jacks to shorten the reach.

[tap4154]

I''m in a campground where I've stayed before, so I picked a spot that I know is almost perfectly level. I didn't have to do anything but back in. I took a walk yesterday and found a guy with a very similar rig to mine, and look at what he had to do to get level. I don't have an auto leveling system like he does, but it looks like he elevated his front tires way off the ground, then stacked leveling blocks up to the tires, but the suspension is not even compressed. Looks a little shaky to me 😂