[Bugsmema]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

The answer to your question is "yes". You should attempt to level the camper as much as possible prior to using your self-leveling system.

The reason is so none of your jacks will "stroke out" and cause an error. Stroking out is caused when the jack is extended beyond a certain point and won't extend any further, but it's still not enough to bring the camper to a level position. Case in point, if parked on a steep incline where the rear jacks extend only an inch, but the front ones don't lift enough to bring the trailer level yet.

At first, I experienced a lot of stroke-out's on my system because of over extending on some campsites and State Parks that was no problem with our previous shorter trailers.

What I found works best for me was to measure the distance of the jack extended on a relatively flat surface and I measured the length of each jack. I found out, this is the "ideal" extension length. So, what I do is keep a block of wood under each jack now, so the jack never extends farther than that original set distance. I even used a Sharpie and marked the shaft where that spot is.

So, if parked on a hill, I know I have to build up the distance from the ground so that jack never extends beyond my set point. I have always carried fence post sized blocks of wood for each jack on all my campers, and these work great to keep the distance of the jack extraction less than the set-marked distance. Yes, that means carrying lumber as you never know what the campsite will actually be like until you get there.

Hope this makes sense. There is a point on our Montanas where if the front is too high, (i believe) it will not level. So, after unhitching, I'll bring the nose close to level BEFORE activating the auto level system.

Another problem with error codes is if the trailer is NOT somewhat level side-to-side, the auto level will not work either. I think it's 4 degrees. If the left-right tilt of the trailer is more than 4 degrees, the auto level will not work either.

So, to answer your question ... YES ... your Montana does need to be manually set somewhat level BEFORE you activate the auto level feature.

What you use under your tires, and under those jacks to build up that gap is your choice. I prefer lumber, and carry a lot with me all the time. Heavy? Yes. But I've I never regreated having it. I also spend great length to level the picnic table too. I use the same lumber for the picnic table. Unlike so many parks in Texas, Indiana State Parks do not have concreted installed picnic tables. They are wood, free standing, and always unlevel unless you do something to level them yourself.

Can I ask, what do you do when it’s in “out of stroke”? How do you get it out of the out of stroke mode? Asking for a friend? We’ve had these leveling system on our 2018 Sprinter TT and it’s always in the out of stroke mode. No matter how many blocks he puts under the jacks, it’s still out of stroke.
Thanks for any info!!