How do you use hydaulic levelers?

Rlaubert wrote:
I have a 2007 Safari Simba with Power Gear Levelers. I am still new to the Class A world and have been on the road about 9 months. I cannot seem to keep the RV from rocking. I have the plastic blocks under the levelers stacked about halfway to the leveler pad on top of a wood base, that doesn't seem to help, I have tried without the wood and plastic blocks and that doesn't help.

Seems to get worse a day or so after set up. I do not notice the levelers retracting. I did notice once after about a week to 10 days that they did seem to retract a little and I leveled the rig again. But the moving returned.

No documentation on how to level, so I figured first step is make sure I am doing it right and second step is to see what the experts say.

Educate me please.

Rlaubert,
Well, lots has been stated here about certain things. But, in reality, what you need to do is, either go on line, or, go to an RV Service Center etc. and, find all the appropriate paperwork, owners manual, troubleshooting manual etc. that applies to YOUR SPECIFIC model of Power Gear Leveling System.

You really need to know HOW IT WORKS. Once you know how YOUR system works, the easier it will be to analyze any issues that might crop up. It's nice to have help from folks on here that have good experience but, knowing how your own system works, really helps.

Second, the actual use of your system should be laid out in the owners manual for the coach. Now, you've stated you have no such instructions on leveling procedures. Well, in reality, for gas coaches with normal every day suspension, that's pretty easy. For diesel coaches with air suspension, about 99.9999% of them require for the air bags to be depleted before leveling.

And, you say you have plastic and wood blocks under your jacks to help. Well, again, in reality, those have nothing to do with your problem. All they do is, one, decrease the travel distance any particular jack has to travel before it hits the ground or, blocks, and second, if the blocks you're using, are larger than the Jack foot, then that will provide a platform large enough to keep the jack foot from depressing into soft soil, mud, soft pavement etc.

But, while I had Power Gear levelers on our previous coach, a '99 Fleetwood Bounder 34V, I have HWH units on our present coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT. I'm by far, not a hydraulics expert but, I do know that, no matter who builds the system, it's supposed to stay put, when you're done leveling.

If, your jacks are "creeping" up, it's due to a faulty solenoid or, control valve that's letting the spring pressure of the particular jack, push that jack back up and therefore, pushing the fluid back into the reservoir.

Now, telling you how to level is not important at this point. Primarily because, based on your report, it's not holding, no matter what procedure you use. Obviously some repairs are needed to get every thing working as it's supposed to. This is why I stated in the beginning to for you to find any and all info pertaining to how your system works. For instance, if you have a rear, left jack creeping back up, you'll need to know if there is a specific solenoid or control valve for THAT PARTICULAR JACK.

And that's how you track down, issues. Hope at least some of this has helped.
Scott