Forum Discussion

DutchmenSport's avatar
Sep 25, 2018

6 point leveling system - Questions?

Taking delivery of our new Montana 375FL tomorrow, (Tuesday). 5er is 41 feet long.

Our Outback TT is 35.5 feet long. Because of the length, even a slight slope can make a big difference between the ground clearance between the front and the rear when parked in some campsites.

Here's a photo of a somewhat typical campsite from an Indiana State Park. The tongue of the trailer was down to the ground and the rear was up this high off the ground. (By the way, this was Brookville State Recreation Area near Liberty, Indiana).



Because of the exagerated length of our Outback, it was always necessary for me to carry lots of extra lumber to use under the stablizer jacks or under the tongue, and even the tires (side to side leveling), because at Indiana State Parks you just never know how unlevel a site will be.

Now, if I were to park the new Montana on the exact same site as this photo above and utilized the 6 point self-leveling feature, how far would those jacks extend? Would the greatest distance (front or back) have enough jack extension to reach the ground? Or... for those who have the self-leveling systems, do I still need to carry along a boat load of lumber to put under everything so the distance is not so great?

Because I'm switching from a TT to a 5er, I've removed the shell from my pick up truck, and actually gave it to some else. So, those construction shelves and side panels which held all that lumber won't be available any more. If I carry lumber now, it will have to just be in the bed of the truck.

So, I'm just trying to figure some of these things out. I'm sure, at the walk-through tomorrow, the service tech will explain it, but it's eating away at me right now, wondering ... because ... I've never been down this road before.

How do you with electric or hydraulic 6 point leveling systems deal with unlevel campsites, where the distance in height from the ground to the front or from the ground to the back of the camper may be as much as 3 feet different?
  • Don't need to worry about anything under the tires. In fact, I've been to several sites where the tires were off the ground. No problem. The only thing you might need the blocks for is when the distance the "rams" need to travel for level is exceeded by the slope. In those instances I use short pieces of 4X4's under the lowest spots, but those lego things would work fine.
  • I have the 6 point leveling and use lego blocks on all six legs. Look for low spot add legos as needed. Last site I had six under front legs and 4 under the remaining. The less leg extended the less shake walking inside.
  • I forget who it is, but one of the regulars here made some heavy plywood boxes for just this use. Pics have been posted many times. Personally, I'm carrying a couple scraps from a 12" gluelam for the rear jacks and a crate of 2x6x12 scraps =and= I look for more level sites. :B At our last boondocker I ended up moving about 80' to another place I knew would be more level.

    Lyle
  • And? Do you still use lumber, or Lego Blocks under the tires to help level initially, or is doing the pre-level a non-mute concern any more with the new 5er and 6 point auto level?

    It sure would be nice to eliminate all that lumber? I've tried the lego blocks in the past. I still prefer lumber over the lego. It's not a lego vs lumber argument, it's the question, do I still need to carry something for under the tires too?