Levellers or slide outs first?

[etex211]

Originally Posted by Packerbacker_TX

That's great if you've always got power available. If we're camping with full hookup, I'm fine with turning the 50A power on first. What if you're parking your rig at the storage facility? Your only option is to use battery power. I'd like to think LCI planned ahead for that.

I only park my rig at two locations: home and a camping destination. I don't store it anywhere. My driveway is my storage location. At home, I always plug it into my 50 amp outlet in my shop before extending the slides. At my camping destination, I will either start the generator and plug the camper in, or plug the camper into the campground's shore power before extending the slides.

[NC Roamer]

Originally Posted by triplebvalp

I don't have a Greyhawk but I have found that if you level your rig and then put out the slides, you will be slightly out of level. So, what I do with my FW is unhook from truck, auto-level, run out the slides, and then auto-level again.

That was also the case when we auto-leveled our Greyhawk and then put out the single slide, we were slightly off kilter. So I re-zeroed the Bigfoot system so the Greyhawk sloped very slightly to the right with the slide in. Then when the slide is extended, we are level.

[rgolding]

It seems we have multiple subjects going here.

Motorhome on a vehicle chassis and fifth wheel or Travel Trailer on a trailer chassis. I know a trailer chassis can flex, but I've also seen the motorhome frame flex under extreme conditions.

I absolutely agree that having the batteries hooked to a power source, so the batteries are not just being drained without resupplying at least some of the power consumed while slides or levels are moving is always worthwhile.

I think the motorhome is stiffer when it is sitting solid on the suspension and I think the slides work best, at least on our Seneca, when the frame is supported by the suspension of the vehicle frame. And, Yes, we have had the slides bind if the levelers are at an extreme angle.

Our normal procedure is to put out the slides after power is available to assist the batteries. This is whether it is an outlet plugged in to or the generator started and running strong.

The putting of the slides back in has now come after the raising and securing of the levels and now that seems to include running the engine and getting the airbags pumped up.

Interesting!

One thing I can always state is no matter what your normal procedure, there will be an exception.

Stay thirsty my friends.

[rgolding]

Just quoting myself here-
"The putting of the slides back in has now come after the raising and securing of the levels and now that seems to include running the engine and getting the airbags pumped up."

The wife and I were taking an evening drive last night and I related the discussion about the levels not being retracted until the air bags have been filled. Jan really doesn't pay a lot of attention to this part of our camping and traveling experiences. But she piped right up with "That's not going to work". I thought about it a minute and she is absolutely right. On our 2015/2016 Seneca 37FS, as soon as you turn the ignition on the leveling legs retract, automatically. Hmmmmmm!

Okay, so now what?

[RVermont]

On our 2018 the level alarm goes off when the key is in but actual auto retract doesn't occur unless the unit is put into drive. Basically when I startup up I get a lot of screaming alarms. The low air alarm and the key in ignition alarm on the level system. I wonder if your unit can be programmed to only auto retract if the unit is put into gear.

While it is preferable to set the coach down on the inflated air suspension i really don't think it will hurt anything. A lot of people dump the airbags when setting up and that has the same effect of lowering your rig onto empty or partially empty bags. The biggest benefit of inflating is to reduce the Seneca shuffle. It seems to move a lot less.


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[Hapax Legomenon]

My exact experience. I made them photocopy the form and took the copy with me.

[rgolding]

When we level upon setting up, Lots of air is relieved from the rear suspension. Upon retracting the leveling legs, the coach does not move because I have the wheels blocked.

Coach is currently in Michigan getting its annual check up and paint chip touch up. I'll experiment more when we get it back next week. I'll also ask the MH2Go guys on their opinion of this procedure.

Because we block wheels, coach does not move as it airs up. Not sure all air is out of air suspension, it just does not have as much pressure on it when on leveling legs.

[RayBo]

Sorry, I'm new to the forum, so not sure how to reply to everyone. (Welcome tips) Lots of good posts here, but not many really applied to our particular situation, so I thought I'd add something.

Our 2012 36FK has the hydraulic down/spring return levelers and conventional Freightliner suspension without airbags, so we don't have some of the same conditions as others. Can't remember the brand name of our leveling system because I'm working right now and can't go see it. Anyway, I've tried 10 ways from Sunday to do this and have found that our best results have been as follows:

Find mostly level place to park if possible.

Leave truck running, engage "auto level" procedure. Wait for green light (leveled indicator...may not be green, I suppose. Ours is.) Jacks are now extended, but not necessarily have they leveled your rig.

(Important note. I removed our tiny footprint 8" discs from the levelers and installed 16" flat plates for surface area/lifting power in soft ground areas to replace the little round discs. (I made my own…I called them the “bigfoots,” but for about $250-$300 at a local welding shop you can have some made.) I recommend bending the corners 45º up from about 2" in from each corner just to keep from snagging roots or ground features.) SO, now I have 1024 square inches of contact-with-the-ground area vs. the factory's 201 square inches, or also known as 5 times the footprint. This works really well and is otherwise unnoticeable. If there's a way to place this note into a "mods" forum, somebody let me know, please. I think some people will love it, especially in the south where we are in the mud and swamp often. Also, from an engineering standpoint, it’s nonsense that one or more wheels can’t be “off the ground.” This is likely just a requirement from Jayco attorneys for liability. (I regularly use my jacks to change tires…not advising you, just saying what I do.)


Back to the matter at hand: SO, then, we put out the slides.

We leave the truck running.

Once the jacks are down and the system indicates level again now that the slides are out, THEN, we level a second time, using the same method. AUTO level. See where it gets you. Sometimes great, sometimes terrible. If great according to the bullet level, fine. Stop there. If not...

THEN, manually adjust to get your rig "actually" level. Bump up, down, left, right until your assistant says the bubbles are both in the center of the lines of your level. I step outside and check front/back/left/right. I carry a small bullet level (Home Depot, $7.99) and check left/right and front/back. If it's not level, I trust the manual device, not the rig. (Remember, I keep my life "battlefield simple.")

If necessary, I switch again to 'manual mode' on my leveler and then move things until the bullet level agrees we're level in X and Y axes. (Front/Back and Left/Right) This might require an assistant to read the level, which you will likely have...but if you're RV'ing alone, that's a different story, which might require further investigation from local law enforcement. (Injecting a little humor here folks, don't get bent over it.)

If you're only someplace one night, or on solid and flat ground, you may not care to spend as much effort. We usually stop for 7-10 days at a time for our rodeos, so when we do, it's pretty important to spend an hour or two if necessary to get your rig set up right for the best time. We’re in sand. We’re in mud. We’re on hills, slopes and pastures. Leveling efforts definitely make for a more pleasant stay, even if it is a small, subtle thing. Fridge runs right. Drains work properly. Nobody is sleeping on a "hill" and various things like that. No shaking around when someone goes in or out of the coach door or walks around inside.

We are now solid and flat every time we park...and rodeo grounds are often mud pits on slopes. It does work, it just takes a few more minutes to sort it all out and get yourself really level.

Lots of words here. Hope it helps someone. I welcome any feedback or thoughts or criticisms or ideas.