Landing gear extensions - how far do I extend them?

[Joe McG]

I am a long time trailer owner, but recently purchased my first 5th wheel: a Cougar 29RLI. It has the LCS leveling system installed. I am confused on the proper procedure when disconnecting from the TV. Do I extend the extensions to the ground first and then use the electronics to extend the gear enough to drive the truck away or follow some other procedure?
Thanks.
Joe

[chuckster57]

You can extend the inner legs to whatever length you want. I find that the more inner leg sticking out, the more "wobble" the front landing gear has.

[Javi]

90% of the time I extend 7 holes... But terrain has a lot to do with it.. 2 x 12 x 18 blocks are your friend... Note: it's is okay to not extend evenly... i.e. one side at 7 holes and the other at 5 as needed.

[gearhead]

5 1/2 holes showing seems to work for me. Experiment and see what works most times for you. I put a Magic Marker line on mine so I don't have to bend over and look over the top of my bifocals. I do always try to reach around the the backside and feel for the end of the pin to be sure it is all the way through the leg. And....always pull your truck completely out from under the trailer before pushing the auto level button. Even if its lightning and pouring down rain. That will be the one time the front of trailer needs to go down a lot farther than you thought.

[NorskeBob]

Here is a good video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR2vuc-k0A4

Looks like the front legs go down first - disconnect the tow vehicle and then level the unit.

Taking delivery of our Avalanche tomorrow - I'll try out the six point leveling system. First RV I have owned with this style of auto leveling. The last one I had only auto leveled front to rear (IntelliJacks).

[AHoyMate]

Hi Joe,
I drop mine 6 holes. My LCI system is a 4 point electric system. Found out the hard way last year that if the legs don't travel far enough via the motor, the auto level system will give an error. I agree with Chuckster, Javi, & Gearhead's other points as well.
Good luck.

[ScotnBev]

I may be lazy or doing or it wrong, but i don't extend my leg extractions at all, unless i know i won't auto level afterwards. Where I park the rig at home is on a front to back sloop so the front comes down a long ways, sometimes just 4-5" off the ground. With the auto drop the front legs I hit the switch and do other things while there running down. I always have to manually extend up higher with the BD3 hitch before disconnecting. Pull out, then auto level. Simple and no meddling with the leg extensions. Hope I'm not doing something dumb.

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[WaltBennett]

I drop the legs an inch or so, and then drop the extensions. Reason being that if they sink in some, I can still retract them. Like others have said, don't drop them more than you have to.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by NorskeBob

Here is a good video -

Looks like the front legs go down first - disconnect the tow vehicle and then level the unit.

Taking delivery of our Avalanche tomorrow - I'll try out the six point leveling system. First RV I have owned with this style of auto leveling. The last one I had only auto leveled front to rear (IntelliJacks).

That video describes the 6 point hydraulic leveling system know as "level up" all jacks are hydraulic rams so there isn't any legs to extend.

O.P.'s system is 4 point electric known as ground control 3.0, and the front legs are extendable like "regular" front jacks aka landing gear.

[Javi]

According to Lippert the front landing gear extensions should be lowered to 5 to 6 inches from the ground.... what ever that entails... I am sure that they're talking about a reasonable level parking spot... I've been in several spots that require a good bit of imagination to get the auto level to not blow its gourd and fault out...

[Skippy38]

I also have a 29RLI. I made a mark halfway down on the extensions that I go to, then drop the feet. Works great every time

[jmart273]

I would figure out something that works most of the time on level ground and typically use that.

If the ground slopes heavily with the front end higher than the back, then you will need to run them out a lot further than needed. This will allow you to retract them once you move your TV. If you know you are going to need to raise your unit, then extend them manually all the way, then detach your RV. Then you have plenty of room to extend them electrically.

I always look at the level before detaching to know how far I have to go. I learned this the hard way when I needed to lower the front a lot to level it, but couldn't because I didn't initially extend them far enough (electrically). I was tired and didn't want to hook up again to fix the problem. So we slept with it slightly out of level.

[chris199]

Generally if the site is reasonably level, i use no blocks and let the system work. I am not aware of limit. If one portion of a site is further away ftom a leg, I put blocks there. I have had times where one center jack is off the ground after auto leveling. Will retract, add blocks and auto level again.

There is no precise answer. Use your best judgement but dont be afraid to just use the system. If there was a limit...they would be engineered to not extend that far.

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