FIRST TIME using 6 point leveling

[abc40kids]

So I got my new 5er home last night but really no time left to get it situated where my old one was. I got home from work after dark and got it parked close to where it needs to be and ready to unhook. I'm so used to dropping the legs, counting the holes and slowly and seemed like forever raising it up.

Now it's up in seconds and I swear I must have waited 5 minutes before I pulled the truck out even though I saw it un-hooked and standing there...... I pulled the truck out and hit "auto level" and watched it go!!

So has there ever been a 6 point failure and the front dropped? My old electric front landing gear once set I used pins just in case the first set slipped or moved. Over all really cool and can't wait to go camping and use them.... No more boards except to get out of my driveway.

[buc1980]

Kohai,Lippert don't make 4 point lever sys.So you got the Big foot sys.on yours.They make 4 point leveling sys.

[Mile_High]

abc40kids wrote:


Can it be used to remove a tire?

I never thought I would actually do that - but wrong. It is the slickest thing you could ask for. I ran a bolt through one of my G614 sidewalls (that really hurt the wallet), and at the campsite I used the leveling jacks and had the spare on in 20 minutes with nothing but a lug wrench. Got the tire replaced and did it again before we left for home.

Since then, I've rotated and balanced tires using nothing but the leveling jacks. I prefer to always be hooked up to the truck, because the front jacks are separate from the rear 4, and I'm afraid of trying to keep them in sync without twisting the frame.

[RustyJC]

austinjenna wrote:

Auto Level; works great however it does have limitations. If the site is too far out of level the auto level will raise the wheels off the ground.

That is what I was wondering, when it does raise the wheels off the ground and you bring it back down, isnt it going to roll? or how do you guys do it.

AutoLevel will only bring the low side wheels off the ground if the site is extremely unlevel. I always chock the high side wheels, so it's not going to roll when I bring it down to hitch up. (The LevelUp system remembers the attitude of the 5th wheel when you unhitched, and it will return it to the same attitude if you press the left and right arrow keys simultaneously to bring it back down.)

Rusty

[Lantley]

austinjenna wrote:

Auto Level; works great however it does have limitations. If the site is too far out of level the auto level will raise the wheels off the ground.

That is what I was wondering, when it does raise the wheels off the ground and you bring it back down, isnt it going to roll? or how do you guys do it.

The safest way is to always chock tires. Chock tires after lowering wheels back down.

[austinjenna]

Auto Level; works great however it does have limitations. If the site is too far out of level the auto level will raise the wheels off the ground.

That is what I was wondering, when it does raise the wheels off the ground and you bring it back down, isnt it going to roll? or how do you guys do it.

[Lantley]

Auto Level; works great however it does have limitations. If the site is too far out of level the auto level will raise the wheels off the ground.
When this happens I will put blocks under the raised wheels to transfer the load to the ground.
While it maybe OK I do not like the entire weight of the rig being supported solely by the leveling jack.
Now that I am aware of the issue I can generally eyeball the site and use boards the old fashion way to avoid having the wheels raised off the ground.
90% of sites are level however I do occasionally come across a wheel raiser!

[kakampers]

Yes...we have lifted one side using manual to change a blowout, and we used it to replace all 4 tires and wheels in a campground, one side at a time.

[abc40kids]

Thanks for all the info and most places I camp the sites are pretty level to begin with. I've never used more than 3 2x6's stacked together and the front landing gear never more than a few lego blocks more than the other. I can't imagine it being mich different than my buddy's motorhome when he levels. He never uses any blocks unless it's muddy.

Can it be used to remove a tire?

[kohai]

abc40kids wrote:
So I got my new 5er home last night but really no time left to get it situated where my old one was. I got home from work after dark and got it parked close to where it needs to be and ready to unhook. I'm so used to dropping the legs, counting the holes and slowly and seemed like forever raising it up.

Now it's up in seconds and I swear I must have waited 5 minutes before I pulled the truck out even though I saw it un-hooked and standing there...... I pulled the truck out and hit "auto level" and watched it go!!

So has there ever been a 6 point failure and the front dropped? My old electric front landing gear once set I used pins just in case the first set slipped or moved. Over all really cool and can't wait to go camping and use them.... No more boards except to get out of my driveway.

I'm pretty new to the auto-leveling system and not sure I fully know the tricks yet. I have a 4 pt system on a 35' FW.

Things I have noticed or read:

1. I have to be pretty level to start with. I've seen other people mention within 1 degree of level.

2. You should never have wheels off the ground. I don't think the system is as smart as it should be and sometimes does things that don't make sense.

3. I do use leveling blocks to get close to level. (I like the andersen ramp thingies)

4. My unit was delivered from the factory with a wonky leveling system. The dealer spent 3 days trying to figure it out and finally lippert just sent an entirely new system (100% of the parts replaced).

5. Many people with problems can reset their system to level/zero it out and things start working again.

[momentum_rv]

Mine works great but had a scary moment a couple of trips back.

I was in the desert on an un-level area and tried to use the auto level and the front dropped as mentioned above but just kept going and lifted one front leg off the ground after the other one bottomed out... I thought it was going to tip so I hit the OFF button really quick and then went to manual to get the one leg back down on the ground.

Lesson learned don't use AUTO if the fronts are not on similar elevation ground.

[Bob_Quinn]

Yes they do fail, we woke up one morning with the unit sitting down completly in the front and pretty much resting on the leveling gear in the front of the tires,not a preaty sight. We have had multible problems with the level up system, I currently have jack stands under the front, I call it my LIPPER SUPPORT because thats as much as you will get. We have had it worked on by several techs including a rep. from the manufacturer. It works for awile then starts acting up again. Factory warrenty all gone. extended warrenty is still intact but I sure didn't buy this thing to be sitting in repair centers for the duration of ownership. We had it in for work a total of six months within the first year and a few times since. So angain in answer to the question THEY DO FAIL!
Bob Quinn

[Mile_High]

Also note that the autolevel has an internal limit as to how far off level it will go.

In front of my house which is slightly downhill, I'll lower the nose all the way down to wash the front. It always stopped with about 3" of shiny piston showing on the front jacks and I though that was it. Tried it in a level campsite once and it went all the way down and would have crushed my generator exhaust if I hadn't stopped it. Lesson Learned #1 🙂

I use the wedge chocks. Anything else seems kind of useless. I gave away my Rotochoks because when the autolevel lifted one side, the equalizer changed the distance between tires and the Rotochoks would either fall out, or would become so tight I was afraid I was going to damage something. My daughter really enjoys them. Lesson learned #2

When it is cold - don't believe the display that jacks are up 🙂 Do a walk around. The jacks stop on pressure, and when its real cold they stop prematurely and may still be dangling down by the ground. Just go to manual over-ride to finish raising them. Lesson learned #3

Check what you have stored underneath the frame before you take your brother-in-law over to the street side and start bragging about your autolevel system over an iced refreshment. You will not be able to resist hitting some buttons to reset autolevel so he can see how it works, and $200 coolers are no match for 17,000 pounds of RV laying down on top of them! Lesson learned #4

Maybe I should have just kept the manual jack rig 🙂

[Cummins12V98]

RustyJC wrote:
For those unfamiliar with the auto-level, just be sure that the truck is WELL CLEAR of the 5th wheel before hitting the AutoLevel button! Depending on how level the site is and the attitude of the 5th wheel, the front of the 5th wheel will immediately drop DRAMATICALLY when the auto-level procedure starts. It wouldn't be healthy for the pickup's bed rails if they were still under the 5th wheel.

Rusty

Thanks for that great "visual" !

I will remember that the first time I unhitch from our 16 MS on order!

[RustyJC]

For those unfamiliar with the auto-level, just be sure that the truck is WELL CLEAR of the 5th wheel before hitting the AutoLevel button! Depending on how level the site is and the attitude of the 5th wheel, the front of the 5th wheel will immediately drop DRAMATICALLY when the auto-level procedure starts. It wouldn't be healthy for the pickup's bed rails if they were still under the 5th wheel.

Rusty