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Old 01-10-2020, 01:11 PM   #1
Benbill
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Auto Level System

With an auto leveling system on board do I still need to have a supply of wood blocks available for sites where it’s way out of level, or am I just adding unnecessary weight to my rig? I always want to be prepared, but I don’t know what kind of range the hydraulic levelers have if one side is 3 inches lower than the other, for example. I saw a video where the wheels On one side were lifted up off the ground when they first tried to auto level, and then they ended up putting long wood planks under the wheels and re-leveled. I would appreciate your thoughts and personal experiences. Thank you for your help.
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Old 01-10-2020, 01:17 PM   #2
Frank G
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Yes, you need to have some cribbing to compensate for the unlevel sites.
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Old 01-10-2020, 01:27 PM   #3
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Thank you for that. If I have six 2 x 12 x 3” blocks at my disposal with a six leg auto leveling system will that be sufficient? Would you also recommend that I have at least two 6 foot planks?
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Old 01-10-2020, 01:55 PM   #4
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Thank you for that. If I have six 2 x 12 x 3” blocks at my disposal with a six leg auto leveling system will that be sufficient? Would you also recommend that I have at least two 6 foot planks?
I built some 2x8x? with 2 steps that I could pull on. I had either a 1.5" or 3" lift. Always carried a assortment of 2x10x12 to do what was necessary. I fear soggy ground more than anything. If this is your first go at this, find a camping friend and or go to a local campground and try things out. You have a big unit it will not go everywhere.
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Old 01-10-2020, 04:27 PM   #5
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I have the plastic LEGO blocks that I carry, have never used them. Could have once, the door side tires were a couple inches off the ground after leveling, but didn’t bother pulling them out. Up to you if you want to carry something with you or not, the hydraulic jacks have a very good range and are capable of lifting 10,000 lbs each.
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Old 01-10-2020, 04:48 PM   #6
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We also carry the "lego" blocks and usually toss a couple under each jack foot. Seems to help keeping the thing from settling too much over a few days. Also keeps the feet clean if camped on grass.
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Old 01-10-2020, 06:33 PM   #7
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We've been set up for months at a time with the wheels lifted off the ground on one side or the other with no problem. The combined weight capacity of the hydraulic jacks on these rigs is at least double the weight of the rig. If your rig has the 3.0 electric leveling system, that may be a different story.
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Old 01-10-2020, 07:29 PM   #8
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I made these and carry six of them. Rope handles..easy to grab and place under leveler pads. When traveling they lay 8n the bed of the truck. Seven seasons of use and never needed anything else
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Old 01-10-2020, 08:02 PM   #9
travelin texans
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Do you need blocks? Not necessarily! But nice to have when needed! Your choice...
I had 2 sets of Lynx Levelers, much lighter than equivalent amount of lumber, easier to store in a milk crate & used them sitting on a 16"x16" piece of 1/2" plywood every stop to shorten the length of the jacks which makes it feel more stable. JMO.
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Old 01-11-2020, 07:12 AM   #10
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We usually don't use campgrounds, and level ground can sometimes be hard to find.

I use the Lego blocks under the tires to get the trailer close to level. I have 12" square wooden pads that I put under the jacks to keep them from sinking into soft ground.

The bad thing about having the jacks lift the wheels off the ground is that your wheel chocks then become ineffective on that side. The trailer can shift and bend the landing gear.





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Old 01-11-2020, 08:04 AM   #11
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I use the lego blocks as well. I always put them under the stabilizer legs. I also use them under the tires if the site isn't level enough. The Lippert 3.0 will throw an out of stroke error code if the site has a severe pitch. meaning the leg has extended all the way. In which case I put blocks under the tires on the side with the most pitch.

I never allow my tires to come off the ground. It's just not stable enough and IMO pushing your luck. You can visually tell if you'll need to block the tires. Typically anything over 3 degrees will require it. 3 degrees across and 8' wide space is about 3.5 to 4 inch's
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Old 01-11-2020, 08:17 AM   #12
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The latest GC 3.0 system has extendable rear legs, and may eliminate the need for anything underneath.
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Old 01-11-2020, 09:43 AM   #13
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My opinion, I don’t worry at all about the tires coming off the ground on the hydraulic system. You have 60k lbs of lifting power. As for the tires adding stability, I don’t think that makes a difference either. The auto level is 6 lifting points that the entire coach ends up sitting on which takes the tires and suspension out of the equation. Tires may still be on the ground, but the chassis is sitting on the jacks. Since getting auto level, I no longer use my king pin stabilizer, no longer use my x chocks, have camped with tires on the ground and off the ground and have not noticed a difference. The electric 3.0 system may be different, especially since most only have 4 feet instead of 6.
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Old 01-11-2020, 10:45 AM   #14
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Many say it's OK to lift the wheels off the ground with the auto levelers, and I've done it before. My preference is to NOT do that when setting up for a few days stay. I carry the Camco curved levelers to avoid lifting the wheels off the ground. I also had a couple pressure treated 2x10's that I cut into squares that I carry for under the levelers when the site is uneven so I don't get an error for over extending them.
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Old 01-11-2020, 01:40 PM   #15
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Just curious how much putting blocks under the tires after the fact actually makes? I’m assuming you have to level the RV first. If it is far enough off level that it lifts the tires, when you all put blocks under the tires, do you lift then suspension at all to take away the weight of the tires/axles hanging on it? Do you lower the RV on that side after putting blocks and and up slightly low? Or do you just fill the gap under the tire without actually lifting the tire? With older trailers we used to block them up and let the suspension hang to prevent spring fatigue. Don’t know if it really helped or hurt, but never resulted in damage. I personally don’t think letting suspension hang on one side for a short time while camping will hurt either, but just curious what you all are doing.
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Old 01-11-2020, 02:05 PM   #16
jsb5717
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Many have a level on the front of the RV to spot check how close to level they are as they pull into a site. If it's far enough off that you are likely to lift the wheels you can just put blocks down and back onto them at that time. It doesn't even have to be real close since the levelers will take it from there.
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Old 01-11-2020, 04:13 PM   #17
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The main intent of using blocks under the six point hyd level up system is to minimize the amount of piston extension... thus providing a much more stable platform. What you choose to use is OP preference..

But I’d recommend using something. It will also lesson the likelihood of ever getting a “jack time out error”
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Old 01-11-2020, 05:09 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benbill View Post
With an auto leveling system on board do I still need to have a supply of wood blocks available for sites where it’s way out of level, or am I just adding unnecessary weight to my rig? I always want to be prepared, but I don’t know what kind of range the hydraulic levelers have if one side is 3 inches lower than the other, for example. I saw a video where the wheels On one side were lifted up off the ground when they first tried to auto level, and then they ended up putting long wood planks under the wheels and re-leveled. I would appreciate your thoughts and personal experiences. Thank you for your help.
We spent two winters with the drivers side wheels off the ground without an issue. Sometimes you do need blocks under the jack pads to get it to level completely. I have had a tub of blocks that I have carried for years. I put Snap Pads of the six landing gear pads on our Level Up. Chris

https://rvsnappad.com/products/xtra-...iABEgIZjPD_BwE
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Old 01-11-2020, 05:29 PM   #19
GaryUT
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Originally Posted by bsmith0404 View Post
Just curious how much putting blocks under the tires after the fact actually makes? I’m assuming you have to level the RV first. If it is far enough off level that it lifts the tires, when you all put blocks under the tires, do you lift then suspension at all to take away the weight of the tires/axles hanging on it? Do you lower the RV on that side after putting blocks and and up slightly low? Or do you just fill the gap under the tire without actually lifting the tire? With older trailers we used to block them up and let the suspension hang to prevent spring fatigue. Don’t know if it really helped or hurt, but never resulted in damage. I personally don’t think letting suspension hang on one side for a short time while camping will hurt either, but just curious what you all are doing.

I have a bubble level on the front of the trailer, if it is more than 3 lines off it will lift the tires on the low side. I use blocks to get it within one line of level before unhooking and using the leveling system. One of the u tube channels I watch has a 40' triple axle toy hauler with the 6 point hydraulic leveling system, it slid on a grassy hill when the tires on one side lifted off the ground.


Gary
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Old 01-11-2020, 05:43 PM   #20
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I have a bubble level on the front of the trailer, if it is more than 3 lines off it will lift the tires on the low side. I use blocks to get it within one line of level before unhooking and using the leveling system. One of the u tube channels I watch has a 40' triple axle toy hauler with the 6 point hydraulic leveling system, it slid on a grassy hill when the tires on one side lifted off the ground.


Gary
That is strange, trailers do not have parking brakes.
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