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View Full Version : Another Auto Level Warning....


Harleydodge
06-29-2017, 03:06 AM
I just found out on our recent trip that the "Auto Level" feature has another
fault, in that it does not have any limit switch. (at least not for all the way retracted anyway.)

I was backed into our site and unhooked.
The site was sloped downward slightly from front to back.
I hit auto level, and the front legs retracted all the way, but the hydraulic pumps did not shut off. the system kept trying to "get the nose lower".
After a few seconds it tripped a breaker in the battery/hydraulic compartment. Took me 10 minutes to find that and figure out how to reset it.
After that, I leveled the unit manually, as it was close to level with the landing gear retracted all the way.

Just something to keep in mind.

Barbell
06-29-2017, 07:03 AM
In a campground on Lake Itaska in Minnesota last fall. Trying to level the rig, the jacks hit their limits before level. The pump just shut off. Had to move at least three times to find a spot level enough that the system would level the rig. Have had wheels in the air before but that was only time the rig could not level itself.

Desert185
06-29-2017, 08:35 AM
Can one opt out of an auto level system to eliminate complexity, lack of reliability, weight, expense and a manual override when the system can't adapt? Push a button and hope for the best isn't my style in all things.

canesfan
06-29-2017, 08:46 AM
Can one opt out of an auto level system to eliminate complexity, lack of reliability, weight, expense and a manual override when the system can't adapt? Push a button and hope for the best isn't my style in all things.

Sure, it's an option, or was. I'm going into year 4 with mine and never had an issue with it functionally. One time one jack ran out of ram because there was a big "hole" behind one wheel and I put a couple legos under it and it was ok. The system notified me that the jack was out of ram. The other time I tried to get into a spot that sloped downwards front to back. I couldn't get the front to go down enough to get it level, but that wouldn't have mattered if I had the levelup or not. Still would have had the same issue with manual leveling. The system notified me this time too.

I love it and would not be without it. And you don't "have" to use it, you can also manually level if need be. I'm not sure why so many seem to have such issues with it.

Harleydodge
06-29-2017, 09:50 AM
Sure, it's an option, or was. I'm going into year 4 with mine and never had an issue with it functionally. One time one jack ran out of ram because there was a big "hole" behind one wheel and I put a couple legos under it and it was ok. The system notified me that the jack was out of ram. The other time I tried to get into a spot that sloped downwards front to back. I couldn't get the front to go down enough to get it level, but that wouldn't have mattered if I had the levelup or not. Still would have had the same issue with manual leveling. The system notified me this time too.

I love it and would not be without it. And you don't "have" to use it, you can also manually level if need be. I'm not sure why so many seem to have such issues with it.

Interesting that you note the exact same problem I had but that your system warned you and stopped itself.
Mine did not, and ran the pump until it "tripped out"
Maybe I have a limit switch that is not working correctly then.

canesfan
06-29-2017, 09:57 AM
Interesting that you note the exact same problem I had but that your system warned you and stopped itself.
Mine did not, and ran the pump until it "tripped out"
Maybe I have a limit switch that is not working correctly then.

Hmmm, that's possible. I wasn't thinking about it too much at the time, I was more like thinking "ok, now that I got in this site I need to move to another" otherwise I might have remembered the message it gave me. But it did stop on it's own and alert me.

However, when I run all my jacks up manually they stop but the pump will keep going until I let off the switch (just like with the slides). So it seems if there was a limit switch it would stop the pump in that case, too. So I don't know, I'm not that mechanically inclined.

bobbecky
06-29-2017, 02:34 PM
Not sure about a limit switch, but I would think there should be a pressure relief valve so you don't blow lines off, kinda like in a power steering system where you turn the wheel to lock, and you get a squeal from the relief valve.

captcolour
06-29-2017, 05:09 PM
Had mine flip out once or twice at home. I park the 5th wheel on a slight downgrade. I've had the front legs retract all the way like it is kneeling and the auto-level just times out. Put it back where it was close to level front-to-back, pressed auto level again, and did the same thing. Put it back, turned it off and back on, same thing. So I manually leveled it and it was fine. When you run the Lippert system in manual, it tells you how far you are out.

Harleydodge
06-29-2017, 05:24 PM
Had mine flip out once or twice at home. I park the 5th wheel on a slight downgrade. I've had the front legs retract all the way like it is kneeling and the auto-level just times out. Put it back where it was close to level front-to-back, pressed auto level again, and did the same thing. Put it back, turned it off and back on, same thing. So I manually leveled it and it was fine. When you run the Lippert system in manual, it tells you how far you are out.

Thanks, and that's exactly what I had to do as well.
When you say "flip out" do you mean that the system tripped the breaker, as mine did?

captcolour
06-29-2017, 05:30 PM
No, just seemed to get confused and gave up! Nothing tripped. Just got a timed out message.

Harleydodge
06-29-2017, 05:46 PM
No, just seemed to get confused and gave up! Nothing tripped. Just got a timed out message.

Hmm...ok Thanks.
That makes me think there may be an issue with mine then, as I never got any message. It just ran on trying to raise the landing gear until it tripped the pump breaker.
May be worth a call to Lippert to see what's up.