What is proper leveling / stabilizing technique?

[patagoniadave]

Hello, I am looking for some advice on the correct way to level and stabilize my rig. It is a 3685fl Montana. It has Landing gear in the front, some stabilizer... feet? in the back, and some options in storage, including some heavy duty rv scissor jacks (2) some adjustable lightweight jacks stands (6) and slide supports (2). Crawling around underneath, I did not see any obvious spots were any of these items had been used, or should be used. There is a thick, rigid board of some sort that covers everything underneath, including the bottom of the frame.

I am especially curious about proper side to side leveling, front to back seems to be manageable (as long as I do not bottom out my landing gear). I do not want to cause damage by putting the scissor jacks in the wrong locations.

Any ideas, tips or trick would be appreciated. Do I have all the stuff I need for basic leveling? Should I get an after market stabilizer? Is it worth it to pony up the cash for an after market 6 point auto leveler?

Thanks so much

[Festus2]

Have you tried a forum search of "leveling"? " stabilizing"? There are lots of threads about both topics and I've just finished typing in "leveling" and 25 pages showed - not all of which have to do with what you are asking but still plenty to browse through.

Members use slightly different methods to level their RV but the basics are the same. Some do "this" first while others do "that". The steps are pretty similar - the sequence may vary slightly from camper to camper.

Not wanting to put off answering but there are "answers" already out there.

[canesfan]

With your setup, the simplist way is to get some 2x12 boards, cut them somewhat longer than both your wheels, and put them under the side that needs to be raised. You may want to cut the ends at 45* angles. I used to carry 2 different thickness of boards just to make life easier. You will find that if you need more than 1 or 2 boards it gets tricky as the boards slide around on each other. After you level it side to side use your front landing gear to level front to back. Your rear stabilizer jacks are just that, stabilizers, not levelers (unless you have hydraulic levelers), after you are level. There are all kinds of other gadgets on the market, I find the above worked for me for many years.

[patagoniadave]

Have you tried a forum search of "leveling"? " stabilizing"? There are lots of threads about both topics and I've just finished typing in "leveling" and 25 pages showed - not all of which have to do with what you are asking but still plenty to browse through.

Members use slightly different methods to level their RV but the basics are the same. Some do "this" first while others do "that". The steps are pretty similar - the sequence may vary slightly from camper to camper.

Not wanting to put off answering but there are "answers" already out there.

Yes, I did that first, and none on the first page seemed to answer what I was looking for, and most were about completely different topics, so I figured I would post a new one. I'll go back tonight after work and do a more in depth read. The other reason I posted, is that I wanted to put up pictures of the specific gear I had, and get some feedback on how and where to use them.

[patagoniadave]

With your setup, the simplist way is to get some 2x12 boards, cut them somewhat longer than both your wheels, and put them under the side that needs to be raised. You may want to cut the ends at 45* angles. I used to carry 2 different thickness of boards just to make life easier. You will find that if you need more than 1 or 2 boards it gets tricky as the boards slide around on each other. After you level it side to side use your front landing gear to level front to back. Your rear stabilizer jacks are just that, stabilizers, not levelers (unless you have hydraulic levelers), after you are level. There are all kinds of other gadgets on the market, I find the above worked for me for many years.

I saw someone doing that at a sight I was tent camping at once. I will try that out for sure, thank you.

[patagoniadave]

Have you tried a forum search of "leveling"? " stabilizing"? There are lots of threads about both topics and I've just finished typing in "leveling" and 25 pages showed - not all of which have to do with what you are asking but still plenty to browse through.

Members use slightly different methods to level their RV but the basics are the same. Some do "this" first while others do "that". The steps are pretty similar - the sequence may vary slightly from camper to camper.

Not wanting to put off answering but there are "answers" already out there.

Ok, I witched the search parameter to only search for "leveling" in the title and am getting much better results and reads.

(still curious if anyone knows where I should or should not use any of the gear I have for my specific unit)

[gkainz]

looking at the gear you posted in your pics, I would ...

1. level side to side while still hooked up to the tow vehicle, using your yellow lego blocks to raise the low side, if necessary.

2. chock your wheels with your xchocks

3. level front to back with the landing jacks after unhooking from the tow vehicle.

4. lower rear stabilizers until snug

5. extend slide(s) and install slide stabilizers (I don't have these so can't speak about their effectiveness).

6. set up lawn chair and relax

Those stackable jacks pictured ... I guess if you still had unacceptable bounce, you could set these up under the frame corners and snug them up.

[cabinfever]

For the 2x12s under the tires, I have mine cut to 12" long with the 45 degree angle. The reason for being short are a couple. Do not need to move so far to get both axles on them and I have read of a board "standing" up when pulling on. With short boards they wont wedge under and cause damage if they stand up. Also remember your level does not to be perfect, it should feel comfortable walking. Your fridge will operate just fine with about a 3 degree side to side difference( bumper to hitch).... 6 degrees front to back( curb to street). Curb to street that would be about 8 inches different, which I would think would be uncomfortable for walking .

[Festus2]

Ok, I witched the search parameter to only search for "leveling" in the title and am getting much better results and reads.

(still curious if anyone knows where I should or should not use any of the gear I have for my specific unit)

Dave -
As I mentioned in a previous post to you, I would not recommend using stabilizers for the slides. They are designed and constructed to bear sufficient weight and should not require any additional supports such as stabilizers.

Earlier in that post, I mentioned about flex and if they were necessary and effective, you would see many more campers using them. Have a look at the units in a typical campground and I would bet that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has stabilizers under their slides.

[WaltBennett]

Definitely don't use the slide jacks. If there's any give or bounce once you've got the frame set up (the tires and suspension may give you some), those jacks under a slide will keep it from moving and possibly cause damage. Those things should only be used if you've got the whole frame jacked up so weight is off the tires and suspension (not necessarily off the ground though). If a slide still moved some (but probably wouldn't, they could be used.

[patagoniadave]

Dave -
As I mentioned in a previous post to you, I would not recommend using stabilizers for the slides. They are designed and constructed to bear sufficient weight and should not require any additional supports such as stabilizers.

Earlier in that post, I mentioned about flex and if they were necessary and effective, you would see many more campers using them. Have a look at the units in a typical campground and I would bet that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has stabilizers under their slides.

Yeah, I as trying to figure if they had any alternate use, like maybe a cheap tripod. After reading a bunch of old threads today, I am pretty sure all of my stuff is useless to me. The rigs prior owners were building a house, so I am assuming this thing was on a concrete slab, jacked up off of the suspension, and all of those adjustable jackstands were underneath it. Seems a shame I cannot use the scissor jacks for something, they look to be pretty hefty.

Anyway, went to CW today, and bought some legos, and watcha callit xchocks for between the tires. Also bought a level to mount on the hitch, and some sort of math levels that tell you how many degrees apart they are or something. Going to play around with everything tomorrow, and see if I can get a system down.

Read an interesting post about some modified bottle jacks, sort of a poor mans hydraulic leveling system, I think I am going to go back and re-read it, maybe see if that is something that will work long term.

Thanks all for the feedback

[JRTJH]

The pod screw jacks you have will come in handy if you're going to be in one place for more than a month or so. They really help when set under the RV on a cinder block and screwed up tight against the frame rail in front of and behind the axles. They will take a significant amount of "jiggle" out of the RV, but are simply not practical for use on a "move every day or two" basis.

You will get the experience of just how far your slides "lean" your RV after a couplee of times of setting it up. If you think about it, you level side to side with the slides in, then after you stabilize it front to back, you push almost a thousand pounds out the road side about 40". That will weigh down the side and cause your RV to lean just a little. You will find out that it's easier to level side to side with the curb side slightly lower than the road side so as the slides go out and weigh the RV down, it becomes level.....

On mine, it's about 1" high on the curb side, on yours, you'll figure it out, just be aware that the level will change when you extend the slides.

I'd suggest you not get rid of any of the jacks, stabilizers or other equipment, even if you don't need it now, if something breaks, it's better to have a spare handy rather than paying "RV dealer" prices with the one you have located in a storage locker "back home"......

[patagoniadave]

The pod screw jacks you have will come in handy if you're going to be in one place for more than a month or so. They really help when set under the RV on a cinder block and screwed up tight against the frame rail in front of and behind the axles. They will take a significant amount of "jiggle" out of the RV, but are simply not practical for use on a "move every day or two" basis.

You will get the experience of just how far your slides "lean" your RV after a couplee of times of setting it up. If you think about it, you level side to side with the slides in, then after you stabilize it front to back, you push almost a thousand pounds out the road side about 40". That will weigh down the side and cause your RV to lean just a little. You will find out that it's easier to level side to side with the curb side slightly lower than the road side so as the slides go out and weigh the RV down, it becomes level.....

On mine, it's about 1" high on the curb side, on yours, you'll figure it out, just be aware that the level will change when you extend the slides.

I'd suggest you not get rid of any of the jacks, stabilizers or other equipment, even if you don't need it now, if something breaks, it's better to have a spare handy rather than paying "RV dealer" prices with the one you have located in a storage locker "back home"......

Yeah, our plan is to stay 3-4 weeks at each place. I will throw these things in storage, and maybe use them for extended home stays after I put a real pad in.

Can I change a flat tire with an rv scissor jack, or should I get a bottle jack?

[Festus2]

Can I change a flat tire with an rv scissor jack, or should I get a bottle jack?

An rv scissor jack is meant to stabilize - not to lift. Get yourself a couple of bottle jacks.

[patagoniadave]

An rv scissor jack is meant to stabilize - not to lift. Get yourself a couple of bottle jacks.

Thank you!

[gkainz]

Scissor jacks? Is that what was in the picture? I thought those were xchocks.

[patagoniadave]

Scissor jacks? Is that what was in the picture? I thought those were xchocks.

Yeah, but after reading some older posts, I went out and bought some xchocks anyway.

I had this idea I could level the rig with the scissor jacks, but now do not think that is going to work.