Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Class A Motorhome Discussions
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-29-2020, 04:13 PM   #57
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,349
[QUOTE=dmctlc;5538440

. As pointed out in this and many other forums lifting even one tire , nevermind all of them, can be catastrophic to a leveling system. .[/QUOTE]

Explain how it can be catastrophic.

Once you lift the chassis, the tire and half the axle weight is the only weight not being lifted on that corner.

If you somehow force the " leveling " system to keep all 4 tires on the ground, you are twisting the chassis.

Levelers level chassis not suspensions.
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 11-29-2020, 04:21 PM   #58
Senior Member
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Bordentown,N.J.
Posts: 196
I have only owned a motorhome since 2018. I appreciate when more experienced people point things out to me which may be wrong or make it easier for me. Usually makes my camping experience better. That’s why I read these forums. So thanks to everyone that’s helped me so far.
__________________
2014 Newmar Ventana 4369
2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Birdee the Black Lab
RudysDad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 04:48 PM   #59
Senior Member
 
permitwriter's Avatar


 
Newmar Owners Club
Winnebago Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Pinckney, MI
Posts: 446
I don't like my level system even when it's working correctly. It's a PowerGear. It puts the front jacks down, then the rears, then completes the leveling process. But it seems to raise the rear too much. DW is disabled so we don't need the coach any higher off the ground then it needs to be.

I just do it manually and always have the rear wheels on the ground and the fronts supported.
__________________
Mike, Evie, Chelsea, Zelda
2017 Newmar Canyon Star 3513, Safe-T-Plus Steering Stabilizer, Roadmaster Rear Anti-Sway Bar, 2017 Winnebago Brave 31C, Demco Tow Bar, Blue Ox Baseplate
2016 Chevy Colorado Extended Cab, Z71 Off Road Pkg.
permitwriter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 04:49 PM   #60
Senior Member
 
edaa53's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Virginia
Posts: 320
The Dynamics of a Load

Our friends read "auto level", "one touch setup", etc. These leveling cylinders are and were never designed to raise a coach off the ground to the extent that no tires are supporting a load. Yes you can do this. Is it a good idea? No. I always viewed leveling pads as a "partner" to chassis support. Split the difference. Keep tires on the ground at some load support. Regards. Ed
__________________
2006 NuWa Discover America Luxury Suite 32 LKTG
2017 Silverado 3500HD LTZ Duramax/Allison
2000 Newmar 38 DSDP
edaa53 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 04:59 PM   #61
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 979
I have a magnum chassis and the coach levels itself on the frame. The levelers never touch the ground and all tires are always on the ground supporting the full weight.
__________________
U.S. Army Retired, 2002 Beaver Patriot Thunder
40 Ft, CAT C12, 455 HP, 1550 Ft Lbs Torque
Towing 2019 Chevy Equinox, AWD Turbo Diesel
MO Fred is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 05:03 PM   #62
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 39
Maybe the owner didn’t like the feel or movement of the rig while it sat on it’s suspension? Just a WAG...
Gump159 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 05:05 PM   #63
Senior Member
 
Chrome's Avatar
 
Triple E Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: St. Albert, Alberta
Posts: 148
I took the time to read each and every post and I thought:

"How could anyone add to that!"
__________________
2008 Triple E Invitation 40' ISL 400
2015 Equinox AWD Toad
D&B Living the Dream
Chrome is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 05:11 PM   #64
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 242
No photo

Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRE UP View Post
Hey gang,
We're up here in Williams AZ at the Grand Canyon Railway RV park for a few day's 'till we move on. ........... So, lifting one EVEN HIGHER for what at least appears to not really accomplish anything, is beyond me.
Scott
----------------------
Why didn't you snap a photo ????????????
Geo19Irv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 05:44 PM   #65
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 565
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer View Post
I wouldn't have done that with our 1996 gas chassis coach - the chassis and front cap assembly simply wasn't rigid enough to reliably handle the strain. I could twist the front cap & windshield simply by jacking unevenly. The 2002 Workhorse chassis under a Dolphin LX was much stronger and the PG jacks more capable, but I would still have been reluctant to get wheels off the ground unless necessary. And then with much care to minimize uneven strain. However, our 2004 rear diesel coach with hefty Equalizer jacks could handle all wheels off the ground with aplomb. Not even a creak or groan.
Yes, but it is your rear tires that are locked and keep your coach from moving.


I auto leveled our Palazzo twice. Each time front high off the ground and rear almost not touching. I lowered it and manually leveled it. I always now manual level. Never have I had to have a tire off the ground. Once level I dump the air bags. If it is over night, I don't dump the air.
mlpeloquin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 06:03 PM   #66
Junior Member
 
Freightliner Owners Club
Jayco Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 7
We had a 2016 Bounder and on it's first trip out to Corpus Christy we arrived late to our campsite. It was paved and close to level but I decided to try the leveling system. So I pressed the button and it went up and down, front/back and side to side until all at once I heard phush and the drivers side went down. I went out to see fluid all over the ground. The drivers side front hose burst. Since then I have had good advise. First, find as level a spot you can. Second, if the rig is still off level use blocks under the corner tires that need the most help. Then use the levelers only as stabilizers.

We were in Branson three months ago and saw a gas class C with it's front tires off the ground by 5"s, just dangling there. I mentioned to the owners that it may be more stress than they are suppose to handle. I didn't change, that's okay, I tired.
smt29camper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 06:07 PM   #67
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 182
For those that are adamant that raising the wheels off of the ground, exactly how much or what percentage of weight needs to remain on the tires?
__________________
'17 Montana 3950BR
Todd727 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 06:09 PM   #68
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 35,349
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlpeloquin View Post


Once level I dump the air bags. If it is over night, I don't dump the air.
You don't have to dump the air bags after leveling. They will dump automaticly as soon as you lift the chassis just 1 inch.

Air suspension maintains a spicific gap, ( called ride height ) between the chassis and tire/axle framework.

If it senses the chassis rising, ( gap increasing ), the ride height valves will let air out of the suspension in an attempt to close that gap, lowering the chassis to maintain ride height.

With the jacks on the ground, supporting the chassis weight, the air bags sit empty, supporting nothing.

The air suspension has no way to follow the chassis up, as the jacks raise it.
twinboat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 06:37 PM   #69
Senior Member
 
MSGDLD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 233
Front tires were off the ground

5 or 6 years ago we were in a campground in South Carolina and the back in site was much lower close to the road. Enough so that I had almost full weight on the rear, and had to use a number of my 2"X12" leveling blocks under the hydraulic jacks to level our 1998 Chevy P30 chassis, 30' class A coach. It felt strange, because both front tires were way off the ground, probably 4-6". It had me a bit nervous, and got some strange looks, but the coach seemed to take it in stride. We were there for a week and had no problems. Good thing I carry a step stool so the DW could get in the coach!

Maybe I should've asked for a different site, but I rather liked the site where I was, other than the grade.

I'm not sure it's capable of Auto Level, I've always leveled manually.

Don't tell anybody, but I've also been known to use the jacks to lift the coach and get underneath to work on it. Honestly, I've not always used jack stands, but even if they all failed, I fit under the coach as long as the tires are on it. Good thing I'm a person of small stature and build. I do carry a bottle jack. That being said, I don't think I've ever had the whole vehicle off the ground, and while I don't think it would hurt anything, it seems like common sense to me, and I'm not going to tempt fate. I have noticed that common sense doesn't seem to be as common these days.

One more. The last time I was under a car without jack stands was 1974. I was working on my own car after hours in the shop I worked at, (I'm a mechanic by trade), and I didn't notice the jack was sinking until the car was on my chest. Fortunately, a friend of mine was with me, and he could hear good, because it was all I could do to whisper for help. He pumped the jack and brought the car back up. A very scary moment, and I never EVER did that again! In fact, now when I put a car on jack stands I try to shake it off them. If it stays, I figure I'm safe. I could tell a few stories about hydraulic car lifts, but I'll leave that for another time.

All, have a very Merry Christmas, New Year, and pray all this Covid 19 crud goes away!
__________________
Dave D
2000 Euroliner 300GL
1998 P30 16K chassis
MSGDLD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2020, 06:41 PM   #70
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1
RV on jacks and all tires off the ground

Maybe they are expecting the hundred year flood.
randy216 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
rv park



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
On-off on off on off off off rear view camera Bahcml Newmar Owner's Forum 5 08-12-2019 10:44 PM
HUH? doc Forum 101 | Announcements | Forum Concerns 5 11-16-2008 06:00 AM
Huh??????? JC2 RV'ing Humor & Crazy but True Stories 4 10-24-2007 01:34 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:52 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.