Equalizer vs Bigfoot

[DaSkipper]

Plan to add hydraulic leveling system on my 2016 23x2 and am looking for user experience feedback on these two mainstream vendors. Thanks!

[Grumpy]

Big Foot is the Rolls Royce of levelers in my opinion.

[poohbear]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Big Foot is the Rolls Royce of levelers in my opinion.

Grumpy I respectfully disagree. Equalizer Systems as good as you can get and thier install crew is top notch. They put my 5ers 6 point on at the factory shop in Elkhart

[GHen]

Sounds like one is the rolls Royce and one is a Bentley, lol

I think I’ve got the Buick one...

[Murff]

Originally Posted by GHen

Sounds like one is the rolls Royce and one is a Bentley, lol

I think I’ve got the Buick one...

Still better than the Yugo brand...

Murff

[2naEagle]

What did you decide to go with?

[DaSkipper]

I went with the Equalizer. The rest of the story, if you're interested...


Besides my 23x2, I have a Dutchmen 28A that my daughter is using. It has the Bigfoot system, which has been working fine for three years now. The reason I was asking about Equalizer was that when I had the Bigfoot installed at a dealer there were discrepancies in the manufacturer documentation regarding the placement of brackets. Because of the rework this caused, even after splitting the difference with the dealer, cost me 50% more than expected. When I contacted the manufacturer afterward about this they were unresponsive. Hmmm....



So, after reading the Rolls Royce vs Bentley comments, I figured I wouldn't go wrong with either system if I could get a fixed-price install. For this, I went to the Equalizer plant and had them install the system figuring they do this every day. As we all know too well, Murphy never sleeps. I discovered when I got home that the jacks were installed at the wrong height (bolts, not welds). We were going near enough to Elkhart on an upcoming trip to arrange another visit. This time the jacks were adjusted as they should have been. Equalizer folks agreed that their techs screwed up the original height settings. And, still a warranty fix of course.
Bottom line: Second trip would have been a serious PITA had we not been traveling nearby anyway, but the newest Equalizer system is working properly. It has Bluetooth so I can operate it from outside while watching the jacks.
I'm aware others on this list have discussed why these systems are not necessary (no argument about the expense!), but we are frequently on soft ground in close-quarters so driving on leveling blocks is a problem (TW is physically unable to be the spotter). Also, being able to adjust the level when if the soil settles is very helpful.


Do I have a Rolls Royce or a Bentley?

[koko]

Had our Equalizer installed in Elkhart while we were having some warranty work completed at the Jayco factory. Only disappointment was that we can start the engine with the jacks down. Our stabilizers wouldn't allow the engine to start. To this day, don't know if they could have been installed the way the stabilizers were. We were a long way from Elkhart by the time we started pondering it. Other than that, we haven't had any problems, and they were installed in 2018. The steep price tag was well worth it. Our Melbourne K sits low in the front; and we almost always have to pull it up, even on a perfectly level cement slab (not knocking our Melbourne - we love it).

[DaSkipper]

Originally Posted by koko

Had our Equalizer installed in Elkhart while we were having some warranty work completed at the Jayco factory. Only disappointment was that we can start the engine with the jacks down. Our stabilizers wouldn't allow the engine to start. To this day, don't know if they could have been installed the way the stabilizers were. We were a long way from Elkhart by the time we started pondering it....

I did ask Equalizer about this because the Bigfoot system on my other MH does retract the jacks when the engine is started. Their story is that the system can be connected to retract the jacks when the engine is started, but they don't have access to the chassis schematics and don't want to try to figure out where to make the connection on their own for liability reasons (a wrong connection is said to potentially interact with the air bags circuitry). I have no way to know how difficult it would be to find the appropriate connection point, but seem to recall the system does support the feature.

[koko]

The reason we went with Equalizer in the first place is that Mercedes' warranty won't allow the levelers to be welded to the chassis - has to be screwed on. We have a 7-year warranty with Mercedes that we paid a fortune for (although it's already paid for itself), so we didn't want any excuses for them to void our warranty. We forgot to bring the levelers up only once...thank goodness it was at a KOA and on gravel! We only went a few feet and didn't sustain any damage, but it was a lesson learned.

[Atlee]

Big Foot levelers don't bolt on? If that's the case, I'd never get Big Foot brand.

Originally Posted by koko

The reason we went with Equalizer in the first place is that Mercedes' warranty won't allow the levelers to be welded to the chassis - has to be screwed on. We have a 7-year warranty with Mercedes that we paid a fortune for (although it's already paid for itself), so we didn't want any excuses for them to void our warranty. We forgot to bring the levelers up only once...thank goodness it was at a KOA and on gravel! We only went a few feet and didn't sustain any damage, but it was a lesson learned.