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 10-16-2016, 11:00 AM   #1
Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Bacliff, Texas
Posts: 39
Send a message via Yahoo to talrogers
Entry door jams when leveling coach

I have a front entry 2003 Safari Zanzibar made by Monaco on a Roadmaster R4M chassis with a RVA tripod leveling system. On some campsites when I try to get level the chassis and walls will flex enough so that the door jam warps and we can't get out of the coach without lowering the jacks some which make the bus unlevel again.
Has anyone else encountered this problem? Any ideas on how I might solve it short of selling it and getting a Newmar.
__________________
Tal and Carolyn Rogers
"Zanzi" '03/40 ft. Safari Zanzibar
talrogers 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 10-16-2016, 11:15 AM   #2
Senior Member/RVM #90
 
MSHappyCampers's Avatar


 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Columbus, MS
Posts: 54,626
I can't quite grasp what is happening here! It seems to me the when you level the coach it would be the same as the coach sitting on perfectly level ground, and everything should be lined up just like it was made on the factory floor.

Have you used a long carpenter's level to see if the coach is really level when your system says it is?
__________________
Joe & Annette
Sometimes I sits and thinks, sometimes I just sits.....
2002 Monaco Windsor 40PBT, 2013 Honda CRV AWD
MSHappyCampers is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 01:44 PM   #3
Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Bacliff, Texas
Posts: 39
Send a message via Yahoo to talrogers
Hi MSHAPPYCAMPERS, Thanks for your reply. Actually you just made me think of something. The points of suspension are in different places - on the ground you are supporting four points of the frame (one in each corner) with the shocks and air bag suspension. When on leveling jacks you are pushing up on two rear corners, but in the front you are pushing up just in the center allowing sag on the corners.
__________________
Tal and Carolyn Rogers
"Zanzi" '03/40 ft. Safari Zanzibar
talrogers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 01:51 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Brighton, MI
Posts: 775
Sounds like 3 point leveling is your problem. Once you take enough weight off the front tires you're sitting on a single jack with nothing to prevent the front end from leaning towards one side. If the ground is higher on one side that will make it worse as that tire will be applying more upward pressure causing the chassis to twist and they can and will twist.

EDIT: Sounds like you came to the same conclusion I did while I was typing.
__________________
Hank & Lynda
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 35U, Workhorse W22
70ChevelleSS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 02:11 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
HR2004's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 797
Our coach has 4 point leveling and the same thing happens.. The problem is that the only jacks the level side to side are the rear jacks.. The fronts are not designed to do that.. So you can get quite a twist in the frame.. I found the best thing to do is put 2 ft long peices of 2X10 boards under the tires on the low side and then finish level up. No more binding.. I keep the boards in the trunk of the toad.
__________________
2004 Holiday Rambler Endeavor DST,07Chevy Colorado
Jefferson City, Missouri
Navy Viet Nam vet 67/71 USS Decatur DDG 31
HR2004 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 06:23 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 17
Leveling

On a three point system always make sure your front one is deployed first to lift or at a minimum unload the front suspension, even if the front is already higher when you pull in you still need to lift it a bit. This will then give you a pivot point so the rears can level side to side without frame twist. If you have automatic leveling try doing it manually as your auto level may not be working properly.

http://rvajacks.com/coach_owner.php
sticky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 08:18 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
FIRE UP's Avatar


 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,897
The three point leveling system was used on many coaches for years. I personally have not read of all that many folks that were unhappy with it. It has it's theory of operation and, I guess it works, I've not owned one.

But, we sometimes have the same issue the OP is having when we level. And I go through a bit of an exersize of leveling in certain conditions. If the site is un-level enough, I bring out the big guns (tapered leveling blocks) that I drive up on so that the coach is primarily level.

Now, I use the jacks as "fine tuning" and stabilization. It works flawless every single time. But, as stated, on some occasions, we too will get binding when opening our entry door. Yes, it makes no sense to me either. I've racked my brain trying to figure out why, when the coach is dead level, I'm getting a bind???

I guess I kinda think that, if you have to tweak that frame/body/suspension in the "Just right amount", (even though we're perfectly level), it can cause an issue. It doesn't happen every time, and not to all coaches. I'm just trying to reason things out.
Scott
__________________
2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
FIRE UP is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2016, 08:23 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
dons2346's Avatar
 
Country Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,753
Sometimes it is better for the coach to be a little off level. Anytime you jack it up enough to the point of not being able to open the door, you have exceeded the limits of the coach. Back off the leveling or reposition the coach
__________________
Don
2002 Country Coach Intrigue
dons2346 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2016, 04:19 PM   #9
Registered User
 
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 215
It takes more work but level your coach as much as possible by placing dunnage under the tires. Use the jacks to take the bounce out.

The three jack system is like a three legged stool. You lift the single front and level using the rear two jacks. Also, make sure you bleed your airbags down before using the leveling jacks.

If you're lifting wheels off the ground in the leveling process...you need to do as I first mentioned...drive up on some boards to do as much leveling as you can that way.
USA-RVNomads is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
door, entry door, leveling



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
RV Fire Jams Traffic on EB I-70 In Kansas City, KS DriVer RV Industry Press 2 04-25-2014 10:51 PM
Bent bedroom window frame jams window SteveNJanet Class A Motorhome Discussions 2 04-04-2014 12:24 PM
Fold up TV in the front of coach jams. distaff Monaco Owner's Forum 0 04-27-2011 04:20 PM
Does your Dash Air work good in traffic jams? max49 Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 70 05-29-2006 06:14 PM
Traffic Jams...Y'Gotta Luv 'Em 2Roadrunners RV'ing Humor & Crazy but True Stories 3 07-12-2005 05:27 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:57 AM.


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