Leveling my fifth wheel

NMDriver wrote:

- Then raise them up 2-3 holes (more if you need to lower the front significantly to get the trailer level fore and aft).

Why raise up two or three holes? :h

)

That way I don't have to figure out if the front needs to go up or down a bit to get the rig level. It gives you a few inches of drop if needed.

If you drop them all the way down and then pin as near to that as possible...if you do need to drop the front, you need to hook back up and reset the pins.

Ljm352 wrote:
I have recently pulled into a new park and leveled my unit. A neighbor said I did it wrong and was going to bend my frame. In the front the stabilizer jacks are on a couple boards but they aren't both pinned in the same hole ex. One is holding one side taller than the other. On the back I have a cinder block with some board on it under the skid plate to hold it level. (Yes the book says it is okay to use the skid plates as a place for jacks) does this sound like it will bend my frame?

Thank you!!!

I use some of the "lego" blocks to level side-to-side, though in an extreme case I had to use 2 2x6's stacked to get level. Once I'm level side-to-side, I chock my wheels on both sides. I then run my front legs down a ways, and pull the pins and let the extensions go to the ground. (I almost always use a board or an extra "lego" block as a foot pad.) I do not pull the extension back up any # of holes, just start the legs down by "bumping" the motor until I hear both pins snap into place. Unhitch. Level front-to-rear with the front jacks. Only then do I put the rear stabilizers down to just support the rear. I do like to put a bit of cribbing (scrap 2x6's about 12" long) under the rear stabilizers as it can help with stability by not having them extended as far. On really uneven ground, you'll need some just for them to make contact with the ground, especially if boondocking in unimproved areas. Hit up a local lumber yard for some 2x6 scraps to make your own blocks. You really need to have a good supply.

FWIW, extending the slide on my FW does not seem to affect the side-to-side level. YMMV...

Lyle

Ljm352 wrote:
I do have stabilizers but the front stabilizers are not pinned at the same level. One is standing taller than the other, (but only about 3 notches) because of the slant I'm on. I did not have boards for under the tires. In the back I jacked it up and put a couple blocks under it to basically level it out. Will this be okay for a couple days since I am away from it?

Your doing it wrong that is for sure. If parked side hill, you level a trailer side-to-side by the axles/tires, not by lifting/jacking the frame.

- Then raise them up 2-3 holes (more if you need to lower the front significantly to get the trailer level fore and aft).

Why raise up two or three holes? :h

I drop the manual legs and keep the spring loaded pins pulled out. Then lower the outer leg shaft electrically until one pin snaps in and seats in a hole. If the other pin has not seated (un-level site) I add a board or kick some dirt out until it does. The pins are almost always within 1/2 inch or less of a hole.

If you do not have spring loaded pins then I guess you would raise the manual leg shaft to the nearest hole and then lower electrically, but why 2-3? Just asking in case I am missing something here.

BTW: A tip to make getting the manual shaft back up easier. Always use a 2x6 board 2 ft or more long under the legs because it is easier to use the board like a lever to lift the manual shaft back up into the electric shaft. ;)

If I'm reading this correctly, you are putting one of the front landing gear down 3-4" further and then lowering both until they are in contact and the landing gear is thus leveling the trailer side to side.

This is the wrong way to do it and the lowered leg will start lifting first and twist the frame. It may or may not do damage and it may or may not take multiple tries before damage appears.

The correct way:
- Level side to side with boards under the tires.
- Block the tires in place.
- Unpin and let both front legs drop to the ground.
- Then raise them up 2-3 holes (more if you need to lower the front significantly to get the trailer level fore and aft). The key is you raise them the same number of holes before putting the pins in.
- When you lower the legs with the electric motor they should both hit the ground at the same time (use the screw at the bottom of the legs to fine tune)
- Use the electric motor to level fore & aft.
- Deploy the rear stabilizers (but only to take the bounce out of the trailer, not to lift the trailer tires)

The rig should now be level and stable. Once you get the hang of it, it's a lot quicker than writing it out.

Ljm352 wrote:
I do have stabilizers but the front stabilizers are not pinned at the same level. One is standing taller than the other, (but only about 3 notches) because of the slant I'm on. I did not have boards for under the tires. In the back I jacked it up and put a couple blocks under it to basically level it out. Will this be okay for a couple days since I am away from it?

I agree with your neighbor. IMO, you could damage the frame, leveling the way you did. You need to level side to side, while still hooked to truck. The only way is to put something under the low side tires.

You need to borrow some wood from a neighbor, get your own wood, whatever it takes, but level side to side, lower landing gear, unhook, level front to rear, and put stabilizers down.

Jerry

Are you leveling by putting blocks under the tires and driving up on the blocks or are you using the jacks to lift the 5er? You should be putting blocks under the tires to get it level side to side then use the front landing jacks to get it level front to back. Once done then lower the rears. It doesn't mater if the fronts are pinned in the same whole. They can't be when you're on uneven ground.

If you're using the front and rear jacks to level the 5th then yes your neighbor is right you'll bend the frame. And more than likely you'll toast the motor in the front jacks and ruin the rear stabs.

Now all bets are off if you have a 4-6pt leveling.

I do have stabilizers but the front stabilizers are not pinned at the same level. One is standing taller than the other, (but only about 3 notches) because of the slant I'm on. I did not have boards for under the tires. In the back I jacked it up and put a couple blocks under it to basically level it out. Will this be okay for a couple days since I am away from it?

Terminology so that we are all on the same page.

Front landing gear raises and lowers the pin box to hitch and unhitch and to later level front to back. These jacks can be "pinned".

Stabilizer jacks are usually hand cranked down to stabilize unit after it is level and are not "pinned"

Hydraulic landing gear is not pinned. Electric landing gear is usually "pinned".