MH auto leveling - camp site not level

[Dbrown57]

This last weekend our camp site was not level no matter where I moved it to on the site. It was bad enough that the front tires were off the ground about 3". Is this a unsafe condition or not and why. My user guide for the leveling system says it's dangerous. I'm not sure what else I should have done? No other site were available.

[Crasher]

When the front tires come off the ground, you lose some of the stability in case a jack should slip or shift. It would be better to carry some 2x6 blocks to put under the tires to keep contact with the ground. Never, Never let the rear wheels come off the ground, because they are your parking brake and the coach could roll. I have read that lifting the front wheels off the ground could put a twist on the frame, but have not confirmed that.

[mricet1005]

There have been debates on this forum whether having front wheels off the ground whether dangerous or bad for your MH. I don't know truth of this issue but I choose not to have any tires off the ground when I level. Since some sites as yours makes that impossible I carry a bunch of 2x8 pressure treated boards cut to 2 ft lengths in my basement and put under the low tires to get mh close to level. I've been in situations where I needed to place 3 layers of boards to get level but try to find sites not that extreme. Then use the leveling jacks. I also our boards under each jack to reduce extension and to prevent jack get sinking into ground. I have a DP so basement storage and weight not a concern for me. Your situation may be different and you may need to look for a lighter and more compact solution.

[bobbelcher]

This topic has been debated many times here about tires being raised off the ground. I personally would rather my tires not be off the ground but if they end up off the ground I dont lose any sleep over it. My driveway has a considerable lean to the passenger side. I back into my driveway. and extend my jacks and most times that means pulling the passenger side front and rear tire off the ground.

This past weekend I was camping at eldora speedway, it had rained the entire week before and while we were pulling in to set up. i was parking in the lowest spot in the field. I backed my motorhome into my reserved spot. it wasn't level at all and had some standing water. I knew i didn't have much luck getting into the spot much luck getting out. I backed it in and where it sat is where it was staying for the weekend. once the rain let up we got out. stacked boards under the jacks and raised the tires off the ground and stuck 1/2" plywood squares about 2' sq under the rear and front tires. i then let the jacks down and leveled the motorhome with the sole intent on taking all of the weight off the tires. My rear jack pads sank into the ground about 3 inches or so before settling on firmer ground. i got leveled and my rear tires were just barely touching the plywood and the front tires were on the plywood but not too bad. I had no issues all weekend camping like that. ppl always say oh you have to keep your backwheels touching because the tires are your parking brake... im on stilts. where am i gonna roll? I wanted the weight off the ground so it had a chance to one dry out and two not sit and sink into the ground so that when I went to leave i could drive out and not need to be yanked out by a tractor.

when it came time to leave we lined up several plywood squares infront of each tires. i had started the motorhome and let it run a few mins before to get the engine warm. once everything was stored away and ready to go, I raised the jacks letting the tires down. as soon as the jacks came up i dropped it in 1st gear and drove straight out to the stone drive. once on the stones i stopped and gathered up the plywood squares and off the road i went. Just before I pulled out i sat and watched my neighbors getting pulled out by a tractor because they pulled in, didn't put any jacks down. just left the whole weight sit on the tires all weekend and they sunk in several inches and didn't have a fighting chance of driving out.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I'm with bobbelcher. However, some coaches in some years have less than rigid front cap and chassis construction and lifting the front too far can result in problems such as a popped windshield. That is seldom a problem with better models or any more recent year, but its a case of "your mileage may vary".

Ditto for getting the rears off the ground. How is the coach gonna roll with the jacks firmly planted and held down to 10-20 tons of coach? Of course, a jack could fail, and once again that was more of a problem 20 years ago than now. Remember the HWH knee-action jacks? They could fold under sideways pressure. And some lower-priced rigs had barely adequate jack capacity for the weight.

My best answer is that if you aren't sure your chassis and jacks are up to it, better not do it. Safe is always better than sorry! Carry a few wood blocks and drive the wheels up on them if jacking lifts them off the ground. It only takes a few extra minutes.

[nehog]

Front wheels off the ground, I don't worry about it.

Rear wheels, as mentioned, need maximum ground pressure as the parking brake is what probably holds you in place. You don't want to damage your jacks with any significant lateral loads.