Wheels off the ground "Does it Hurt the frame/RV"

1. Follow manufacturer's directions for leveling and whether front wheels can be off the ground. Rear wheels should NEVER be off the ground.

2. Personally, I would always keep the front tires on the ground. I just came back from a trip with our MH and the site was sloped such that I couldn't come close to getting level. I went to Lowes, purchased a 2X10 and cut enough blocks so that I could put blocks under the front levelers and tires.

Just my 2 cents worth!
Safe travels!!

HighwayJunky, It certainly won’t work for us! We have a pretty darn heavy (Bigfoot) class c, on an E-450 chassis. If we try to do a “4 -point” level on very uneven terrain, the frame “flexes” enough that the RV entrance door will bind badly. This can’t be good for the integrity of the RV! memtb

HighwayJunky wrote:
We love camping in state parks but sometimes run into short or unlevel campsites. Our MH is 43'ft. For unlevel sites some folks recommend placing blocks under the leveling feet but then we might run into the wheels on the MH raising off the ground. My question: Does this cause any undue stress on the motorhome?

Appreciate your expertise in this matter,

The simple answer is . . . . it depends. It depends on WHERE the jacks are located on the frame. Usually they are ahead of the front wheels and behind the rear wheels. If that is the case on your Class C you are extending the wheelbase when you lift the wheels off the ground. That DOES increase the stress on the frame. Does it hurt the frame? It depends on how much the frame bends. I've seen a 32' Class A pop the windshield out of the fiberglass frame in extreme cases. On a Class C the windshield is part of the base chassis (cab) and built by Ford/Chevrolet/etc. so it is considerably stronger than most Class A gassers. You state
you have a 43' Class C? A Super C?

Chum Lee

It says I'm the manual to not raise with the wheels off the ground. With that being said, when I rase mine that high I put blocks under the wheels. I have a full slide and it can effect that over time.

By my research the longest Class C is, the Jayco Seneca at 39' 1"

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

IB853347201 wrote:
No issue with having your front wheels off the ground. You should not however use the jacks to lift your rear wheels off the ground as it circumvents your parking brake.

First, I do not have and have never had a class A, but, when the rv is in the air on jacks, how could it possibly move. When it is off the ground, there is nothing round that can roll.

The front wheels are presumably still on the ground and are free to roll. The only thing preventing it from moving laterally are the jacks, and they're generally not designed to prevent that sort of movement to any large degree (i.e. they, or their mounting, could bend or break under the strain). Securely chocking the front wheels presumably would help prevent trouble, and seems a very good idea under the circumstances in any case.

dieseltruckdriver wrote:

IB853347201 wrote:
No issue with having your front wheels off the ground. You should not however use the jacks to lift your rear wheels off the ground as it circumvents your parking brake.

First, I do not have and have never had a class A, but, when the rv is in the air on jacks, how could it possibly move. When it is off the ground, there is nothing round that can roll.

I think it could slide. On my MH the jack base is maybe 10 inches of steel as compared to rubber tires on the ground X 2 or 4 seems better to me.

As far as the OP question I do not know but for me I do not like to lift the wheels off the ground, I have done it but.

jimR

IB853347201 wrote:
No issue with having your front wheels off the ground. You should not however use the jacks to lift your rear wheels off the ground as it circumvents your parking brake.

First, I do not have and have never had a class A, but, when the rv is in the air on jacks, how could it possibly move. When it is off the ground, there is nothing round that can roll.

Someone near where I live stored their gas Class A with the front wheels off the ground, using only the jacks, all winter.
Apparently it caused no problems. They did it for several years.

No issue with having your front wheels off the ground. You should not however use the jacks to lift your rear wheels off the ground as it circumvents your parking brake.