Electronic level

[jdixon980]

Last year we used our New Cougar 367FLS about 10 times last year since we bought it in April. This morning lookin at pictures from those trips, I realized one thing. We had trouble out of our leveling system about half of those times. We would get Jack errors or level was unsuccessful. Other times it would work just fine. When I would get jack error, I would connect truck back to camper to reset jacks. Do I need to do this or is there a better way? Should I try to get camper close to level in manual before I go to auto level? I remember when I did my walk through when we bought it, I was told to make sure the tilt and angle numbers within a certain number and it would level better. Never good remember what they said. I called back to ask but no one knows now. I am sure there is a little trick to get it right every time. If anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. Would like for my first trip next month to start out smooth! Lol

[DocP]

I've got to admit that with my old 2018 Cougar 32RLI travel trailer, I had "issues" (others would call them "problems") with the Ground Control leveling system. I, too, typically got the jack errors more often than not. The dealer replaced the main control panel, and once had to replace a jack where the bolt had sheared. I had to reset the system several times, because it couldn't seem to maintain the level setting. My new 2019 Cougar 34TSB (on order) has the Ground Control system as well, and I'm hoping that the experience goes better than with the old one. The best luck I had was in not relying on the "auto-level" function; rather, I got better results by manually raising/lowering the individual jacks.

[jsmith948]

Read through the ground Control manual - if you don't have it, you can download it from the LCI website. You might want to try resetting "level".
The manual will explain how to enter the reprogramming mode. You then simply manually level the trailer to whatever it is you wish to call level - some folks like nose high, or slide low, or whatever floats your boat. Personally I want "level" to actually be level. On our 5er, we chock the wheels, raise the pin enough to unhook (and re-hook) then hit the auto level button. The nose will raise just a little, then it will lower to about where level is going to be. Then the rear jacks will ground and the unit will make several adjustments at each jack until the coach is level. Done.
When we first got the trailer, it was nose high after leveling. Adjusted the zero point and it has worked very well since - touch wood.

[Reddog222]

My 2018 Cougar 311RES 5er has the ground control. I also had several problems with the system. I printed out a manual and read it several times. I've had to reprogram it three times. Some times when I get the jack error message, I set the controller to manual mode and level it that way. When the system works , it is great. Good luck.

[chuckster57]

Ground control is very voltage sensitive. By that I mean jack errors are common when battery voltage falls below the threshold.

I spent 2 hrs on the phone with a Lippert tech as we tested/monitored voltages during operation.

When you first turn the system on scroll down to voltage. If you don’t see 12.7VDC or better either plug into shore power or the TV with the engine running. If voltage drops below 12.0VDC during operation you will get an error. It is a great system if you know it’s “quirks” and how to avoid them.

[DocP]

Ground control is very voltage sensitive. By that I mean jack errors are common when battery voltage falls below the threshold.

I spent 2 hrs on the phone with a Lippert tech as we tested/monitored voltages during operation.

When you first turn the system on scroll down to voltage. If you don’t see 12.7VDC or better either plug into shore power or the TV with the engine running. If voltage drops below 12.0VDC during operation you will get an error. It is a great system if you know it’s “quirks” and how to avoid them.

Thanks, I'll keep this in mind!

[Reddog222]

Didn’t know about the voltage. That is great to know. Thanks

[NotyetMHCowner]

I still have problems with ours. I replaced the 40amp breaker with a 80 amp breaker after seeing 60-62 amps when raising the from jacks. I also ran an additional 6awg wire to the controller. Those two improvements have stopped the low voltage problem.

I still get "out of stroke" fairly often. From what I have read, if one of the jacks has to extend more than 2 inches more than another one, you get "out of stroke" even so none of them actually are out of stroke. Once this happens, you have to extend all jacks at least 6 inches then retract them all to a "hard stop" and that will reset the system. What sucks about the ground control auto level system is having to get it close to level before trying to auto level. This year I am going to add a large level to the pin box, and purchase a couple of the Andersen wedge leveling blocks to go under the low side. Once I get the side to side pretty close, then I can adjust the front jacks accordingly. Then I will place enough blocks under the rear jacks to make them be within 2 inches of each other. I will see how that works.

The system has always worked good if we were close to level to start with. But it has always failed if we were not.

If we choose to get a different fiver down the road, it will have hydraulic leveling.

[jsmith948]

We have not had to level the trailer side to side before auto-leveling. Frankly, what would be the point of having the auto-level? Might as well save the weight (and money). When I lower the "snap jacks" on the front landing gear, I will eye ball the distance from the ground to the foot. If there is a significant difference, I will either extend or shorten one side so that the legs hit the ground at the same time. After uncoupling, I check the distance from the rear jacks to the ground and adjust the number of lego blocks so that both jacks make contact at roughly the same time. So far, this has worked for us.
As to the voltage, if possible, I always plug into shore power before leveling. If we're dry camping, I leave the truck plugged in.

[chuckster57]

Out of stroke is common because of the rear jacks and where they are mounted. They need to be high enough not to drag but low enough to have enough travel to level. We often times use 6X6 blocks under the rears.

[MarkEHansen]

We have a 2019 Cougar 26RBSWE with the Ground Control system. I've had the 'out of stroke' a few times. In each case, I just tell it to auto level again and it works the second time. I've never had to do any more than this.

I agree with the sentiment that the purpose of the auto level is to level and I should not have to pre-level the trailer for it to work properly.

[Reddog222]

That’s good to know. I will try that when that code pops up. Thanks for the info.

[NotyetMHCowner]

Once I get the "out of stroke" message, it will not stop alarming until I extend, and retract all the jacks to reset it. I cant even get the out of stroke jack to extend manually once it has faulted. When it has been a front jack that faults, I have had to get my bottle jack out from the truck to raise that side of the RV along with pressing the up button for the other jack to get it high enough to rehitch to the truck. Its been very aggravating.

It is actually getting some extended warranty work done right now and that is one of the things I brought up. The service man acted like they may replace the whole auto level system. I'm still waiting for the warranty inspector to look at it and give his assessment.

[chuckster57]

Having to retract all jacks is to clear a XX Jack error. LF seems to be the most common. You have to “re home” all the jacks. The controller counts revolutions and the only way to clear that error is to retract ALL jacks to zero.

It isn’t necessary to hook back up, just be sure to leave clearance at the front. We do it all the time at the shop, and once cleared you can just press the front and raise the nose back up b

[NotyetMHCowner]

I am very front heavy with our generator, washer/dryer, batteries, front closet full, etc. IIRC, our front jack weights were over 5k. My front jacks strain as it is especially if I let the front all the way down. I think the jacks get into a bind also because of the big change in elevation. When I have set the pin box down on the ball (I have an Andersen hitch) I have seen the front feet suddenly move forward or backward as soon as enough weight was lifted off of them.

Anyways, usually if I drop the jacks all the way down, it struggles to lift it back up to the proper height.

[chuckster57]

I have done it in a Grand Designs Solitude with a gen in the front compartment, no washer/dryer and yeah they seem to be working hard. As long as the voltage/amps are there they will pick the front back up. We lift entire trailers off the ground for axle services. Per Lippert, we use jackstands under the frame for safety.

[babaloo]

Mornin...We have same system on our 2018 Cougar 279RKSWE.
Only been out on a few extended trips, but did hookup and unhook a lot.
After not throughly reading manual, going on what walk-thru salesmen said, and my own intuition, it all worked kinda OK. BUT now I prefer to: find levelest spot... get left to right real level with blocks....and then simply raise or lower disconnected rig, (blocked, of course), to perfection. Having bubble levels to go by, on front and side, close together, is the key. Good Luck

[Natalie Fettig]

We have a 2018 Cougar 34TSB, and have also had issues with our Ground Control Leveling System. Our front left jack would not retract after it had been sitting in our driveway. My husband was turning the battery off while it’s plugged in to shore power. Apparently, the leveling system requires the battery to be fully charged and should remain on.

[n4qpcham]

Make sure you lower the front landing gear pads 2-3 pin holes before you start the leveling process. Not doing this, it can give the "out of stroke" error because of not enough leg extension available to level the coach. I found this out the hard way on my maiden voyage and had to call the dealer for help.

[foldbak]

I had the same issues from the start. I took the trailer back to the dealer several times before the problem was discovered. There are 2 issues here. The first was a learning curve regarding out of stroke errors which occur when you try to level on a severe angle. When there isn't enough stroke to level the trailer it throws an error code. The fix is to back the trailer onto blocks to reduce the angle and to place blocks under the landing legs to gain stroke.


The bigger issue is factory related! Lack of quality control....go figure! The installer used the wrong size screws causing the plastic leveling sensor mounting holes to crack and break allowing the sensor to fall and hang in the belly of the trailer. After removing the bottom cover they discovered the problem and replaced the sensors with the proper size screws. I've spoken to the service department and was told by the foreman that this is a common occurrence. He's seen it a dozen time. Hey what do you expect for 40K. The quality control process is crap! My cougar has spent more time at the dealer then at home. EVERY window was replaced due to leaking. Drawers braking, blinds failing, all of the wall paper seams pealing, J wrap replacement, on and on.



Sorry for the rant...

[jimborokz]

In the demo the dealer told me the rig had to be close to level for the level up system to work right. I'm thinkin' why have an auto level if you have to level it first? Anyway I get it home and my driveway has a pretty good slope to it so I give it a shot and it levels up with no problem. I have leveled with good results on sites that are 2-3 inches off side to side. The jacks rode pretty low and hit a couple times on driveway slopes so I raised the rears up a couple holes. I bought the Anderson magnetic jack blocks (just a tad expensive) to decrease the extension and keep the rig sturdier. Last week I was setting up and not thinking hit the auto level w/o putting the blocks on. To my surprise the rig leveled up ok even though the rear jacks were extended nearly all the way. I then manually raised the rear jacks, put the blocks on and releveled because I thought the rig would shake alot with the jacks extended so much.
Bottom line is the level up has worked flawlessly. Only issue has been a couple times when breaking camp that first step that moves the pin box back to where you unhitched the truck, I got a failure error. This was not a big problem as I just did everything manually. This happened twice and has not done it since.

I just love the level up system and would never buy a unit without it.

[NotyetMHCowner]

I made some 2"x12" blocks for under the jack feet. The rear I use 3 of them 12"x12" square and have a handle to pick them up with. I think it helps with movement in the trailer because the jacks are not extended as far and seem to not move a much when moving around inside the trailer. I have a single 2"x12" that I put under the front jacks, and pull the pin to extend the jack the majority of the way.

I believe our system is working properly, I just think its pretty crappy that it has to be close to level for auto level to work. Every time I have gotten the "out of stroke" message, I was no where near fully extending them. In fact sometimes only a few inches. From what I have read before, if one of them extends more than 2 inches more than another one, it gives that error. I wish it would just say "too unlevel" or something. I also wish it would let you just manually retract the jack instead of having to "hard stop" all of them every time this error happens.

[MarkEHansen]

Do you have the Ground Control leveling system? I've received the "Out of Stroke" error on mine a few times and each time, I just retried the level program and it worked.

I don't know what you mean by "hard stop" all of them, but I've never had to do anything other than we I said above.

[NotyetMHCowner]

Yes, I have the Lippert Ground Control 3.0 system. Each time it gives the error of "out of stroke" it will not stop alarming. Even putting it in manual will not operate that jack because it thinks its out of stoke. The suspect jack will only "budge" then stop each and every time. The message tells me to retract all jacks to reset and thats the only thing that works. Most of the time, if the jacks are not out at least 6 inches, then simply retracting them is not enough to reset it. I have to extend them (at least the other 3) then retract them all the way and all is good.