Please tell me about the different types of leveling sytems

From simplest to luxury which usually means low cost to higher...Scissor jacks, drop down, electric plunger (manual and auto level), hydraulic (manual and auto). Then there's the add-ons that make ea. of the systems more rigid/stable and easier to deploy. The industry is using more plunger type, but the scissor type have been around very long.

Jane ask away!

Two main leveling systems that I know of outside of manual. Big Foot is what I'm most familiar with.. We bought a Cameo with the Big Foot and love it. Very heavy duty. Lippert also has a system, that I don't know much about. I've had Lippert frames and not impressed with them. Go to their web sights and you should get all the information you need. I love the Big Foot.

Lippert bought out the manufacturer of the Level Up system a several years ago I believe. I don't think it is of their design. It's a good system and is available in a 4-point and 6-point system. The 6-point system is more robust and standard on most higher end units (mainly because they often are heavier). The 4-point is getting to be pretty common on mid-range units from what we saw when shopping just a few months ago. We have the LCI Level Up and it works well (6-point) not to mention is a hoot to watch in action.

Level Up Site

The leveling is certainly nice but to me the best feature of these systems is putting the pin back at the previous hitching height. We don't generally stay put for more than a week so this is handy. The second best feature is the stability they bring, particularly the 6-point system. Definitely firms things up when set up. Auto Level is probably 3rd on the list for me.

Ah, don't forget the old tried, true and tested wood planks or blocks under wheels, legs and stabilizers.

I think 6-point leveling is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

phillyg wrote:
I think 6-point leveling is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

What he said!!!!

dwayneb236 wrote:

phillyg wrote:
I think 6-point leveling is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

What he said!!!!

x3

janegowest wrote:
We don't know much about the leveling systems in the 5ers. How many types are there? And how do they operate? we know that the auto-levels are just that, but the others, we don't know much about.

What should we look for in terms of the leveling system, if it does not have auto-leveling? What is the best type?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Jane, there are 3 basic ways to level a trailer.

1) Landing jacks (can be manual or powered) and boards under the wheels, supplemented by rear manual or powered stabilizer jacks in the rear.

2) Electric leveling systems. They use the front landing jacks and either jacks behind the rear axle (4 point system) or landing jacks and jacks in front and behind the axles (6 point system). Crudest are completely manual, but I don't think you'll find a manual system on anything built in the past few years; all are automatic.

3) Hydraulic leveling system. Same as electric, but uses hydraulic jacks instead of electric jacks.

For long-term parking, like a full season, jacking and cribbing the frame would be the best way to go, and most stable.

Personally, my next FW will have at least a 4 point system. :-)

Lyle

We have the 6 point Level Up system on our new toy hauler and so far I haven't been impressed. I spoke with Lippert on the phone and they said that it sounds like one of the sensors is faulty and that I should take it to my dealer for warranty service. The dealer is booked until late next month.

My two problems are...

Autolevel has never worked. It goes through of its gyrations and seems like it's almost level and then it nearly tips the trailer over to one side or the other. It's pretty scary to watch. Luckily it errors out and stops.

Also, the campsite has to be VERY level to even use the jacks in the first place. We dry camped at a pretty flat location last weekend and after extending all the jacks to the ground I couldn't level from side to side because of "excessive angle". The angle wasn't anywhere near as excessive as when the autolevel tried to tip it over. I had to pull up on 4" leveler blocks and get it nearly level before the jacks would operate. Why have autolevel jacks if you have to level the rig first?

SabreCanuck wrote:

dwayneb236 wrote:

phillyg wrote:
I think 6-point leveling is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

What he said!!!!

x3

x4 I will not have another rig without it.