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06-24-2022, 12:12 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Nor'easters Club Mid Atlantic Campers
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Spring Brook Twp
Posts: 768
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Jacks down hooked up to towed? Unhook?
Hi Guys:
I was wondering when you are just stopping for the night and have your towed vehicle hooked up, if you deploy your jacks for leveling do you leave the vehicle hooked up?
I am heading out on a long trip, it will take me multiple days to get there. I plan on stopping at rest stops, and commercial parking lots.
I have to deploy at least one or two slides, I don't put out slides without the help of the jack being deployed if I can help it.
So leave the Jeep hooked or unhook?
PAM
__________________
2021 Tiffin Red 33AA
2017 4D Jeep Sahara Unlimited
2019 Kawasaki Teryx 800 UTV
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06-24-2022, 12:19 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,868
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Unless your are on an unlevel enough surface to strain/ put the hitch in a bind, certainly, level.
If in doubt, has someone look at the hitch and front of the toad while you start to level and let you know if it is OK to continue.
__________________
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38FDDS. Ex: 1997 Safari Sahara. Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240
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06-24-2022, 12:36 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Las Vegas NV.
Posts: 804
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Unless way out of level we leave hooked up.
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Robert, Sami and our owner and boss Peanut.
2017 Winnebago Vista LX 35F. 5 Star Tune, Hellwig sway bars, Super Steer Trac Bar, 1600 Watt Solar, ARP, Spare tire carrier, Starlink, weather station, 2020 Jeep Wrangler, Ready Brute Elite.
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06-24-2022, 01:07 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 970
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We put the jacks down and stay hooked up in overnight stops in fairly level sites. Keep in mind the connection between coach and towed already allows for vertical movement. and it's not likely you're going to exceed that allowance by using your jacks.
__________________
Don & Vicki
2017 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 36LA, F53 chassis, V10
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid SE Sport AWD, RVibrake3, Blue Ox
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06-24-2022, 01:09 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,652
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luqutus
If you have to put slides out and jacks down, go to a campground where you belong!
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Rest stops and parking lots are not designed for such use, especially a a rest area, which is designed for autos and long haul truckers, not dry camping(although some states have special RV sections). Some folks buy a MH that cannot be used unless the slides are opened, then they must pay the consequences.
As to Pam's question, there is no need to unhook the towed unless you need it to run around or back up the MH for some reason.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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06-24-2022, 01:44 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Northern Nevada
Posts: 460
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donskiman
We put the jacks down and stay hooked up in overnight stops in fairly level sites. Keep in mind the connection between coach and towed already allows for vertical movement. and it's not likely you're going to exceed that allowance by using your jacks.
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This was my immediate thought. I tow on a trailer and stay hooked up for "rest stops",weather we are in a campground, rest area, side road or parking lot. I don't have jacks, but I still level with blocks (old school stepped wood ramps).
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Dave & Kandi & Indica the Chorkie pup "Big Blue"
2001 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30D w/ 2nd slide
2000 P32 7.4 4L80E wide track J71 18/21K
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06-24-2022, 02:09 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Northern Nevada
Posts: 460
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray,IN
Rest stops and parking lots are not designed for such use, especially a a rest area, which is designed for autos and long haul truckers, not dry camping(although some states have special RV sections). Some folks buy a MH that cannot be used unless the slides are opened, then they must pay the consequences.
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I beg to differ with you Ray, rest areas are just that rest areas for all travelers. I'm sure that any trooper in any state would rather a 60 year old in a 20 ton coach spend 6-8 hours with his slides out in a rest area, than have to deal with the aftermath of the same person taking a nap at 60 mph on the interstate. You pointed out that many Rest Areas have special RV areas, I have noticed many of those RV sections actually have wider lanes to park in, I'm pretty sure it's extra room for slides, not because RV drivers lack the experience to navigate the narrower truck parking lanes.
Slightly hanging the subject, have you noticed that rest areas have been slowly disappearing? I've noticed it out here in the west, as Walmart, and travel centers have proliferated Rest Areas have slowly been disappearing.
__________________
Dave & Kandi & Indica the Chorkie pup "Big Blue"
2001 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30D w/ 2nd slide
2000 P32 7.4 4L80E wide track J71 18/21K
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06-24-2022, 02:23 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 1,629
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Yes, you can leave it hooked up. Shouldn’t hurt a thing. Whatever tow bar you have, it’s designed to have some flexibility in it so you can turn and go over uneven ground underway. Leaving it hooked when you level shouldn’t hurt it at all. Like others have said, if you are very far off or the Jeep is at some odd angle, I would unhook, but that should be rare in parking lots and rest areas. If we are stopping for the night and don’t need our Jeep, it stays hooked up and we haven’t had a problem with it. If we had to, we could pull the pins and leave the rest hooked up to make getting underway faster. We’ve done that, but not for overnight. Don’t forget to set the brakes if you do that.
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2021 Holiday Rambler Armada 44LE
2021 Jeep Wrangler High Altitude toad w/Ready Brute Elite II
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06-24-2022, 02:33 PM
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#9
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Community Administrator
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 21,256
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I've towed as much as five days in a row without disconnecting. Even as much as a foot differential should not bother the tow bar as it's designed to move up and down.
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2017 Phaeton 40IH XSH Maroon Coral - Power Glide Chassis with IFS
Previous '15 Tiffin Allegro RED 38QRA and '06 Itasca Sunrise 35A
'16 Jeep JKU Wrangler Sahara or '08 Honda Goldwing
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06-24-2022, 04:46 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Shrewsbury
Posts: 280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lt Dan
I've towed as much as five days in a row without disconnecting. Even as much as a foot differential should not bother the tow bar as it's designed to move up and down.
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Same for us. We towed our MINI from south Texas to Massachusetts without unhooking. Stayed in various pull-through campsites, Walmarts, and Harvest Hosts. No need to unhook unless there is a severe differential in height to get level. We do unhook the electrical umbilical each night to prevent the toad battery from trying to charge the coach.
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retired USCG aviator
2020 Jayco Greyhawk 29MV/2021 MINI Cooper toad
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06-24-2022, 05:23 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 216
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luqutus
If you have to put slides out and jacks down, go to a campground where you belong!
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I disagree with this thought. I’ve been to dozens of places that aren’t campgrounds and seen thousands if not tens of thousands of RVs parked at similar places with slides our and jacks down. So, to believe RVs can only go to campgrounds to be useful you are denying yourself freedoms enjoyed by RV people for generations.
When traveling longer distances it is common practice to leave the toad hooked up for several days, so stopping at night and leaving it hooked up is also common.
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Larry & Laura
2021 Entegra Anthem 44 W
2016 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
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06-24-2022, 05:47 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Northern Idaho
Posts: 99
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As long as the parking space you plan to use allows enough room for the overall length of your combination, I don't think this would be a problem for just a quick overnight stop.
My concern would be putting the slides out in something like a highway rest area or a truck stop. It's not uncommon for big trucks to sideswipe their neighbors when pulling in and out of parking spaces. As a retired long-haul trucker, I've had mirrors knocked off my big rig and once, had a truck scrape my front fender when exiting a tight parking space.
Can't imagine the amount of damage they could cause if they were to snag one of your extended slides while pulling in or out.
__________________
Retired US Air Force, aircraft mechanic (A&P), truck driver.
2015 Thor Citation Sprinter.
Dachshund parent.
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06-24-2022, 06:18 PM
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#13
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Community Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,186
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Overnight stops I never put down jacks….no need to actually.
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06-24-2022, 09:11 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 592
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In rest areas and truck stops have put levelers down, not unhooked but never put out slides. Just us. Do not like the idea of slides out in rest stop, truck stop or Walmart.
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