Levelling

[bobnelms]

I gave a cougar 5th wheel with a 4 point lippert levelling system. I've had innumerable problems trying to use the system on sites that are not perfectly level. Lippert provides no guidance on how to use their system in such situations. Do I have to manually level side to side before I use the lippert system by placing blocks under the wheels??

[Javi]

Had mine 5 years now and YES the jacks have travel limits. I keep a dozen 12X12X2 blocks in the truck for those moments.

[bobnelms]

12x12x2?? Are you sure about those dimensions?

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by bobnelms

12x12x2?? Are you sure about those dimensions?

I’m sure he means 12” across by 12” across and 2” thick.

[Fishsizzle]

If you dry camp in many campgrounds, IE National Forest, you will want lots of blocks. All sizes. Just hit up a new house getting framed in a neighborhood. They will give you all the blocks you want.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I’m sure he means 12” across by 12” across and 2” thick.

12" square 2" thick or a 10 foot long 2×12 cut into 10 equal pieces. [emoji16]

[Cbrez]

Before you disconnect from your TV, turn on the leveling system Touch pad. Orange blinking lights indicate the disposition of the RV showing which sides of the unit are low. If the front is low add extra blocking under the landing gear before Disconnecting the RV. Check the orange arrow lights again once you disconnect the RV And add extra blocking under the low side. This will help to keep from Exceeding the travel limits for the jacks.

[Canonman]

I use the Tri-Leveler to get the side to side level prior to starting the auto leveling process. I find it a lot easier than stacking lego blocks and guessing how many I need. I can either drive up or back up on to the tri-leveler watching the level I have on the front of the Cougar. Simple one man operation. Then I use the auto level system following the instructions located at the control panel.
On the occasion that I pull up and the side to side is already reasonably level, then just the auto level process is all that's needed.
It is possible your auto level system needs to be "re-homed" by resetting the 0 point to establish a base point level. Instructions for this are on the Lippert site contained within their user manual or the attached video from etrailer:
(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEKB5gVR-qU

)
https://www.etrailer.com/question-239444.html

[sourdough]

This may be a good place to ask;

I'm considering a new trailer. One of my prime considerations was self leveling. I want to eliminate the leveling of side to side etc. requiring adding the legos, pulling on them etc. Sounds like you go through the same thing with the self leveling so I'm not sure I see a benefit in it. I was hoping to not carry all the blocks I currently have. I constantly see RVs using the self leveling without anything under the levelers, some pulling the tires off the ground. What am I missing? We stay in improved campgrounds - I don't do offroad, primitive locations anymore but some are still rather unlevel. I was going to look again at trailers tomorrow - forget the self leveling??

[travelin texans]

Just sold my 1st 5er with auto level system & will NEVER own another without it. I carried 2 sets of lego blocks, which were all I ever needed, unloaded the lumberyard of heavy wooden blocks & planks. Once on the site would eyeball low side & add a couple legos, or however many seemed necessary, to those jacks & hit auto level. The lego blocks take up very little space, weigh nothing & easy to handle. If looking at new rvs, definitely get the leveling system. Just my .02 cents!!

[chuckster57]

Danny: if your staying at developed sites it’s unlikely you’ll have to stack blocks. That said, the ground control 3.0 electric system seems to have shorter travel than the level up hydraulic system.

We use a 4X4 block under the rear jacks on the electric system and have zero issues. The area in front of the shop is sloped, and doing a PDI involves making sure the system is calibrated. I often times get the “auto level failure” when the rears run out of length. Just hit retract rear, place blocks and go again.

We always use the blocks to lift the trailer off the ground for axle service. Don’t let what you’ve read scare you...get it, you’ll love it. Besides a simple PM to you know who can get you all the ins/outs of both the ground control and level up systems.

Lynx levelers are Da Bomb!! I have 2 bags since I still manually level. They are light as stated and they won’t rot like wood.

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by sourdough

This may be a good place to ask;

I'm considering a new trailer. One of my prime considerations was self leveling. I want to eliminate the leveling of side to side etc. requiring adding the legos, pulling on them etc. Sounds like you go through the same thing with the self leveling so I'm not sure I see a benefit in it. I was hoping to not carry all the blocks I currently have. I constantly see RVs using the self leveling without anything under the levelers, some pulling the tires off the ground. What am I missing? We stay in improved campgrounds - I don't do offroad, primitive locations anymore but some are still rather unlevel. I was going to look again at trailers tomorrow - forget the self leveling??

Gotta agree with Chuckster. Most improved sites won't need any additional leveling other than what the auto system is capable of. We boon dock and dry camp a lot so my habit is to get the side to side level so we don't wind up with the wheels off the ground. I know it's supposed to be OK but I just can't get used to the idea. So, I use the Tri-Leveler. Two bags of lego blocks and almost never use more than one divided up under the jack legs to keep the travel to a minimum for stability sake.
Level system really makes hitching and unhitching a breeze. I love our GC 3.
Like the man said "get it You'll love it"

[JRTJH]

Danny (and others who might be interested),

There are TWO different methods of using the level up system being discussed in this thread. One will often lead to problems with "out of level" conditions (caused by exceeding the jack travel capacity) and one that "almost always works" and leads to "happy campers"... One is using blocks under the tires to raise the low side and the other is using blocks under the jacks to prevent the jacks from over-extending.

First, leveling the trailer prior to using the system is a "feel good event" that can cause problems when you push the level button. Why??? The "out of level limits" condition is caused by exceeding the jack extension limit. The distance the jack has to travel to level the trailer is NOT changed by raising the tires off the ground with pads under them. So, backing the trailer tires onto pads won't change the distance the jacks have to travel to level the floor of the trailer. The answer: PUT THE BLOCKS UNDER THE JACK PADS SO THE JACKS DON'T NEED TO EXTEND BEYOND THEIR LIMIT. (if you want to back the tires onto blocks to raise them, do so, but ALSO PUT BLOCKS UNDER THE JACK FEET !!!!!

The reason Javi reports that he's never had problems with his system "level limit error" is because he puts the pads UNDER THE JACKS and they don't have to extend beyond their limit.

The system works, is a definite time (and back) saver, if it's employed correctly, but it won't be the answer to every "unlevel site" if you just back in and push the button.

Remember, if the site is not level, backing onto pads to raise the low side tires WILL NOT change the distance the jacks need to lift the trailer floor. Once this concept is understood, using the jacks "within their travel limits" by putting blocks UNDER THE JACKS (not the tires) will almost always solve "error messages" when the jack extends too far.

If I ever buy a new fifth wheel, it will have a level system on it or I won't tow it off the lot. Don't blame the system for problems reported by owners who are using it improperly.....

[MarkEHansen]

I've found no reason to pre-level the trailer before using the Ground Control 3.0 leveling system. Some folks don't like having the tires off of the ground, but I don't see any problem with this at all. When it happens to our trailer, the unit still feels stable.

I've received the "out of stroke" error a couple of times and just re-ran the auto level and it worked the second time. I like the idea of placing the blocks under the down-slope side jack pads and will try that next time I'm out.

I've seen people in previous threads explain that they pre-level the trailer by placing planks under the tires to prevent this "out of stroke" error, but this doesn't make sense to me. The leveling jacks still have to reach the ground.

The only complaint I have about the GC 3.0 system is how long it takes. It seems like it could use some better programming and run more jacks at the same time and get done faster - but all I have to do is stand there and wathc it, so I can't complain too much.

As others have said, now that I've had it I can't imaging getting a trailer that doesn't.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by MarkEHansen

...

The only complaint I have about the GC 3.0 system is how long it takes. It seems like it could use some better programming and run more jacks at the same time and get done faster - but all I have to do is stand there and wathc it, so I can't complain too much...

The reason it only runs one jack (or two in the case of the front landing gear) is to prevent overloading the battery/GC 3 wiring/fuse system. If 3 or 4 jack motors were running at the same time, think of the amps flowing through that little wire loom.

[MarkEHansen]

Of course, but when it's bringing the jacks down from the retracted position, they aren't going to draw that much. I can see one or two at a time while under load (lifting the camper), but I do think they can do better.

Still better than doing it the old-fashioned way, so I'm not really complaining

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by MarkEHansen

Of course, but when it's bringing the jacks down from the retracted position, they aren't going to draw that much. I can see one or two at a time while under load (lifting the camper), but I do think they can do better.



Still better than doing it the old-fashioned way, so I'm not really complaining

Put a DC amp gauge on the battery lead next time, you might be shocked. IMO the GC 3.0 has improved a lot since it first came out.

[babaloo]

Yes ! Level side to side First, with blocks. Learned this, real quick, while in a pot-holed park, early on. Then, it's easy to level front to back, as you remove 5er from TV, using mounted bubble levels, (a must). We often use 2 blocks for front & rear jacks, so there is ALWAYS enough extension to work with. Top off, if desired / needed, with Auto Level. I have been told by many dealers NEVER to raise 5er wheels off the ground, as it messes with the frame, and puts undue pressure on other axel / frame / wheel points.

[MarkEHansen]

You have an auto-level system but level the trailer manually before using it? What's the point of that? Just use the auto-level system. If you have a down-slope site, just place some blocks below the feet on that side so you don't get the "out of stroke" error during leveling.

I've never heard of any issues (other than old wives tales) about problems when lifting the wheels off the ground with the auto-level system. I would like to see proof of this from the manufacturer (of the frame or level system). I don't think we'll find any.

[larryflew]

Our hydraulic 6 point system will lift until it is at almost at tipping point and system then shuts down and tells you why. Can't imagine a site that far out of level even boondocking.