Leveling Jacks pro & con
Thinking about up sizing from a 22' to a 26' class C and am thinking about adding leveling jacks. We have blocks, but have only used them once in over 2 years, but with a 26 footer it might be a diffe...
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The front suspension is attached to the frame, so if properly installed the jacks attached to the frame wouldn't put significantly worse strain on things. (The weight on the front wheels is basically carried by the upper coil spring seats; the other suspension connections are to keep things properly positioned and lined up.)
Lifting the rear end off the ground is somewhat more problematic, for a couple reasons. First, it eliminates the parking brake from keeping the vehicle from moving, which is not a great idea for rather obvious reasons when on an incline. Second, the rear jacks are usually mounted near the rear of the back overhang, on the frame extensions, and they may not be designed to carry the full weight of the vehicle when suspended that way.
It's not necessary to lift the wheels off the ground to eliminate bouncing; it's sufficient just to take a portion of the load off the suspension, not much more than just having the jacks firmly contacting the ground. Lifting beyond that would be for leveling.
Lifting the rear end off the ground is somewhat more problematic, for a couple reasons. First, it eliminates the parking brake from keeping the vehicle from moving, which is not a great idea for rather obvious reasons when on an incline. Second, the rear jacks are usually mounted near the rear of the back overhang, on the frame extensions, and they may not be designed to carry the full weight of the vehicle when suspended that way.
It's not necessary to lift the wheels off the ground to eliminate bouncing; it's sufficient just to take a portion of the load off the suspension, not much more than just having the jacks firmly contacting the ground. Lifting beyond that would be for leveling.
