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Old 05-13-2022, 03:08 PM   #1
Msgtbaillie
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Auto leveling

Goes through cycle but still shows a red light on the front right landing
Says out of stroke??
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Old 05-13-2022, 03:20 PM   #2
sourdough
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It's difficult to answer a question about your trailer when we don't know what it is, the type of leveling system etc. It would be much easier if you went to the upper left corner to the User CP tab then filled in your signature with make, mode and year of RV as well as the same info about the tow vehicle. Be sure to save.

IF you have the Lippert Ground Control 3.0, which I figure you do, look at this link;

https://www.etrailer.com/question-237921.html

It doesn't say it but when you drop all the jacks 6" or so then hold the retract button, release it after you hear the jacks start to retract. If you don't, in my experience, it won't reset.
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Old 05-13-2022, 03:28 PM   #3
Msgtbaillie
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Thank you will check link. I do have lippert not sure of model
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Old 05-13-2022, 04:02 PM   #4
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Keep in mind that those jacks only have a limited amount of travel.

If when they reach the limit of their travel and the trailer is still not level, you will get that out of stroke error.

You have to get the trailer somewhat level to begin with.

Does not have to be exact, but a good eyeball level should work.

In some cases that might require a few blocks under the jack pads, so the jack does not have to travel as far.
Then when you push the auto level button, the system will finish the level process without error.
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Old 05-13-2022, 04:34 PM   #5
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We have the ground control 3.0 system on our Cougar. I thought it was rather humorous reading the operating instructions that said "start with a level site". So I always get the trailer as close to level as possible. First side to side using a tri-leveler https://www.campingworld.com/tri-lev...src=aw.dsblock if necessary on the low side. Then I use the "Leggo Blocks" on the front jacks to insure they will ground to a fairly level point. Then the "Auto Level" works just fine.
I tend to think of the 3.0 system as a "final leveling" or fine tuning of an already, fairly level situation
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Old 05-13-2022, 06:08 PM   #6
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Yep, I always start level-ish. It doesn't take much time to get it kind of close. Then several inches of blocks...I carry several 4x10 and 2x10 blocks and I stack them accordingly to prevent out of stroke. Doing those things ensures a pretty consistent leveling experience.
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Old 05-13-2022, 06:15 PM   #7
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If the camper is badly out of level I've got a pair of Anderson levelers and I use pressure treated 4x4's under the leveling legs. If you've got a red light you need to run the leveling legs and landing gear all the way up to reset, then run them down and then select auto level.
As RollaMo pointed out, the out of stroke error is when your levelers can't reach the ground.
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Old 05-13-2022, 07:17 PM   #8
chuckster57
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Out of stroke means the jack can’t extend enough to achieve level. Fix is to extend inner legs or use blocks under the jack(s), simple as that.
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Old 05-16-2022, 07:24 AM   #9
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I really don't understand the logic in partially leveling the trailer before running the auto level. The only issue I've ever seen is when the jacks can't reach the ground enough and you get the out of stroke error. I always put blocks under the low edge of the trailer (depending on the direction of slope) and never have any issues. I would put blocks under all 4 jack, but I don't have enough

When the Lippert says start with a level site, they just mean you should not have a slope which causes the jack to run out of reach before the trailer is level. It does not mean you need to first level the trailer. Note that if you pull the trailer tires onto boards/blocks, you're only moving the jacks on that side further from the ground.

Out of stroke just means add more blocks under the low edge jacks
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Old 05-16-2022, 07:44 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
I really don't understand the logic in partially leveling the trailer before running the auto level. The only issue I've ever seen is when the jacks can't reach the ground enough and you get the out of stroke error. I always put blocks under the low edge of the trailer (depending on the direction of slope) and never have any issues. I would put blocks under all 4 jack, but I don't have enough

When the Lippert says start with a level site, they just mean you should not have a slope which causes the jack to run out of reach before the trailer is level. It does not mean you need to first level the trailer. Note that if you pull the trailer tires onto boards/blocks, you're only moving the jacks on that side further from the ground.

Out of stroke just means add more blocks under the low edge jacks
I guess after tinkering with trying to get the blocks just right after trying/failing to auto level, I just found it easier to "pre-level" the Cougar then use the auto level for the final fine tuning. Some sites have been "close enough" to level to start with, so no issue. Since we do a fair amount of dry camping in less than fully improved campsites, the pre-level method seems to work best for us.
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Old 05-16-2022, 07:50 AM   #11
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It's a catch 22. The way to avoid Out of Stroke is to limit how far the jacks must travel to achieve level...that means more blocks. But if a site is a little more out of level side to side than it appears by eyeballing it then you end up with tires off of the ground. Some don't mind that but I prefer to have some of the weight of the trailer carried on the wheels...YMMV. As a result I will try to mitigate by partially leveling side to side before engaging auto level. But if I need to block up one side to partially level that means a longer reach for the jacks...so more blocks. It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. You just get good at it.

Bottom line for me is I want my tires supported and enough blocks to prevent out of stroke. I use the Andersen style curved blocks to quickly achieve partial leveling support on the low side if needed, put down enough blocks to prevent OOS and minimize trailer movement for comfort, disconnect from truck, blocks under the rear jacks, Auto Level, tighten JT Strongarms. Takes very little time and prevents errors.

We've all got a process for setting up. But keeping a sharp eye on how far the jacks will have to travel saves unneeded grief.
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Old 05-16-2022, 07:56 AM   #12
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I believe the jacks are capable of supporting the trailer, so I don't worry when the wheels are lifted off the ground. I've never noticed any lack of stability as a result of this.

It's true that you can pre-level the trailer before running the auto-level if you really want to. However, I've never found it necessary.
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Old 05-16-2022, 08:12 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsb5717 View Post
It's a catch 22. The way to avoid Out of Stroke is to limit how far the jacks must travel to achieve level...that means more blocks. But if a site is a little more out of level side to side than it appears by eyeballing it then you end up with tires off of the ground. Some don't mind that but I prefer to have some of the weight of the trailer carried on the wheels...YMMV. As a result I will try to mitigate by partially leveling side to side before engaging auto level. But if I need to block up one side to partially level that means a longer reach for the jacks...so more blocks. It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. You just get good at it.

Bottom line for me is I want my tires supported and enough blocks to prevent out of stroke. I use the Andersen style curved blocks to quickly achieve partial leveling support on the low side if needed, put down enough blocks to prevent OOS and minimize trailer movement for comfort, disconnect from truck, blocks under the rear jacks, Auto Level, tighten JT Strongarms. Takes very little time and prevents errors.

We've all got a process for setting up. But keeping a sharp eye on how far the jacks will have to travel saves unneeded grief.
This^^^
If the site is so unlevel that the tires will end up off the ground, this means the camper is on a slope relying on the friction provided by two metal feet on a stack of wood or plastic on one side. I much prefer to have as much contact with the ground as possible while still achieving level.
Anderson levelers do more than raise one side of the camper - they are also a very effective set of wheel chocks.
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Old 05-16-2022, 08:17 AM   #14
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You can "sort of" pre-level simply by extending the jacks a bit and looking to see where the bases of the jacks in relation to the ground, or in my case, the blocks they will be sitting on (I use no more than 2 lego blocks on any jack). You will see if one side or front/back is higher then I block accordingly to get them relatively level. Another thing I was told by a CW tech was to always extend the front jacks at least 6" and then insert the pin to keep them from having to extend too far and end up out of stroke. I would caution to be somewhat judicious with that as I recently decided to just extend them on out to 9 holes based on the terrain. Nothing bad happened really but the rear jacks had to extend so far to get to level that my back tires were off the ground....probably should have stuck with 5 and the would not have had to extend so far.
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Old 05-16-2022, 08:30 AM   #15
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I have one of these mounted on my pin box and can see it in my rear view mirror. When I back into a site I know immediately if I need to raise one side a little or not. So no guessing.
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Old 05-16-2022, 08:31 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
You can "sort of" pre-level simply by extending the jacks a bit and looking to see where the bases of the jacks in relation to the ground, or in my case, the blocks they will be sitting on (I use no more than 2 lego blocks on any jack). You will see if one side or front/back is higher then I block accordingly to get them relatively level. Another thing I was told by a CW tech was to always extend the front jacks at least 6" and then insert the pin to keep them from having to extend too far and end up out of stroke. I would caution to be somewhat judicious with that as I recently decided to just extend them on out to 9 holes based on the terrain. Nothing bad happened really but the rear jacks had to extend so far to get to level that my back tires were off the ground....probably should have stuck with 5 and the would not have had to extend so far.
You have brought up an interesting point. About the only "training" I ever got concerning landing gear was that the service department preferred me to extend the lower legs a lot and use the drive a little. This saved them time when moving campers around the lot. For my own use I've tried to find a middle ground between the two adjustments with the landing gear upper sections extended enough that they could retract to achieve level (which seems to normally be lower than hitch height).
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Old 05-16-2022, 09:18 AM   #17
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The more the inner leg is extended the more chance for “wobble”. As I recall, years ago Lippert said 8 holes on the landing gear is the ideal max.
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Old 05-16-2022, 09:47 AM   #18
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The more the inner leg is extended the more chance for “wobble”. As I recall, years ago Lippert said 8 holes on the landing gear is the ideal max.
Good to know. Just made a quick trip outside to check and mine is set at '9' and I can see the upper section is really rather short.
We're heading to Tennessee on Saturday so will definitely lower the pins a hole or two. I've also got a set of JT's Strongarms on the way as well. Between the shorter leg setting and the Strongarms I expect the camper to be pretty steady!

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Old 05-16-2022, 09:51 AM   #19
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The 5 hole extension I normally use has always worked at every site we've been to. This particular stop was an emergency stop due to a tire failure. When I eyeballed the place it was a little off kilter (not THAT bad) but I looked across the park road and there was a trailer there on a pretty good incline with the front landing gear extended WAY high - so high I would have been concerned about it tilting over. Guess I was figuring "what would 9 holes do"? I won't be doing it again since there was no benefit to raising it that high.

I felt nothing different in it as in wobbling (and it was a very windy day) but did not like that it had to pick up the RV (off the tires) to get level because I set the threshold so high; it would have been fine if I had just stuck to my normal setting.
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Old 05-19-2022, 07:43 AM   #20
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I have 2x12 blocks and 2 sets of leggos in the garage where they stay. I have had Snap Caps on my last three 5ers and have not had a problem.
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