Slideout adjustment

[EKH0ar]

I have a 2020 Keystone Outback 221 UMD with an electric cable slide out. The level on the camper shows the camper leaning down when the slide out is extended. The camper is on a level pad and the tires are pressurized correctly at 65 PSI. The slide out glides in and out perfectly without noise or resistance. I am not using Jack's on the trailer, but I do have electric stabilizers front and rear and they are level. Do I need to adjust the slide out cable system? If so...how? Note...the camper is on a permanent site. I do not tow it. Thank you for your help!

[JRTJH]

Imagine a "fat kid" on one end of a teeter-totter and a "skinny kid" on the other end.

The same thing happens when your trailer is "sitting level" on a pad and you extend the slide. That "fat kid" pulls the teeter-totter toward the weight.

Most of us with one slide or slides on only one side of the trailer will set up the trailer slightly higher on that side, lower jacks/stabilizers and then push the "fat kid" out. That "high side setup" then compensates for the sag that always occurs in the trailer suspension.....

I set up my trailer with two slides on the roadside about 1" high on that side. When I deploy the slides, the trailer is more or less level.

What you're experiencing is "perfectly normal" as the "kids play on the teeter-totter".....

[EKH0ar]

Thank you John. I'm glad to know this is normal. Do you think I should use jacks on the slideout when it is extended? Or should I just adjust the stabilizers to push the trailer up on the slide side?

[SANDAU]

For future reference, it’s like the slide out bible!!

https://balrvproducts.com/wp-content...SENTATION.pptx

[NH_Bulldog]

Originally Posted by EKH0ar

Thank you John. I'm glad to know this is normal. Do you think I should use jacks on the slideout when it is extended? Or should I just adjust the stabilizers to push the trailer up on the slide side?

Stabilizers are just that, they stabilize. They should never be used to level or attempt to level, bad things will happen. Also, slideout jacks are not recommended either. If the stabilizers were to fail or air went out of the tires, the slide would remain stationary while the trailer dropped; very bad news.

You need to level the trailer with the slide-side about an inch higher. This means either jacking the axles and adding spacers under the tires, or pulling the trailer out and then backing in on additional blocks to gain the extra inch or so. Then when the slide goes out it should settle into actual level.

[EKH0ar]

Thank your for making this simple for me to understand! I will do this.

[LHaven]

I spent a session trying to get this right a couple weeks ago, and finally gave up. I could barely find two spots in the trailer where the level would read the same way twice.

I used the clever hint one of the regulars posted some time back -- instead of using the floor and counters, use verticals like walls and doorframes. Same problem. I had some doorframes that didn't even give the same reading on both sides.

And then when I add in the slide, the job gets way more complicated, because not only does the slide tip the main body balance, but it doesn't extend at a true 90° from the body in the first place, such that even if the body were perfectly level, the slide would still tip down. I've asked two shops if they could correct that for me; apparently the answer is no.

[Bliss53]

I discovered my trailer required different wheel shimming for level based on whether the slides are in or out. I now use a levelpro which recommends that you setup the level in memory when the slides are out. That way when you pull in to a new site with the slides in and the level pro reports you are level, you end up with a level trailer when the slides are deployed. I would guess that if you don’t have a similar compensation in your leveling process the see saw problem would be compounded.

[NH_Bulldog]

Originally Posted by Bliss53

I discovered my trailer required different wheel shimming for level based on whether the slides are in or out. I now use a levelpro which recommends that you setup the level in memory when the slides are out. That way when you pull in to a new site with the slides in and the level pro reports you are level, you end up with a level trailer when the slides are deployed. I would guess that if you don’t have a similar compensation in your leveling process the see saw problem would be compounded.

I am not sure I understand your theory on this?

If you set the device to remember level with the slides out, how would making the trailer level with slides in, translate to a level trailer once the slides are out? That side would settle 3/4"-1" making it out of level unless you started with that side 3/4"-1" high (out of level) and then deployed the slide(s) where it would settle into a level position.

I have been using a LevelMate Pro for years, although it's less important now that I have auto-leveling. But when I just had my Passport with just stabilizers, I did a one-time setup where I backed in the trailer so it was level, then set the memory and then put the big slide out. I took the amount of drop below level (3/4"), and then put the slide back in and reset the trailer so I was 3/4" high on the slide side, then set the LevelMate memory to level (even though it was 3/4" high in reality). Then when the slide went out, it would show 3/4" low on that side, but in reality was perfectly level. After that, I would back into a site, get the trailer "level" according to the LevelMate and then put the slide out. I did that for many years and never had to readjust anything. Using Beech Lane or Anderson Leveling chocks makes the process even easier.