Front wheels off the ground

[stripit]

Recently purchased a gas Class C 31 ft that has leveling jacks. So far all the rv parks we have been in were level enough to just lift the rig some to make us level. Well today is the first park that the automatic level button has got the front tires about 2 inches above the ground. The site is so unlevel there is no place to park on it that won't allow the tires to lift. It is for just one night, are we OK doing this in your opinion?

[Mile_High]

My autolevel sequence already deflates the bags before it starts the hydraulic jacks. It also inflates the bags prior to auto retract.

[mikestock]

down home wrote:
On many rv pads, they are just enough out of level that our rear tires will come off the ground. So instead of auto which deflates the bags first. We will not dump but put the jacks down otherwise. I don't like the idea of rear ties off the ground. Air brakes are locked front and back though. We have had the rears off the ground a time or two but I have spent some time getting pas under the tires too.
Don't like spending a half hour doing that. Next time at the factory I intend to talk to them about this situation.

I think the point of the deflating air bags is to help prevent the jacks from having to travel so far. Remember, that you are lowering all four wheels before the jacks start to work. This should not change the tilt of the coach before the jacks start. It just means they don't have as far to travel to accomplish their job and you don't have 14" to the ground from the bottom step.

[T18skyguy]

I carry a set of 4x4, 2x4, and 1x1 blocks for all four points. Once I build it up the jacks are very close to the wood. If anything else, it saves work on the system. I have been to sites that without the blocks I could never have been level.

[wa8yxm]

Myth: Lifting the front wheels off the ground with the leveling jacks will damage the suspension.. (Can not tell you how many times I have heard this. I have the qualifications to say BUNK it's a myth.. This suspension is designed to hold up thousands of pounds of motor home. a couple hundred pounds of "Traction" (holding up the wheels and axle) won't hurt it one bit)

Fact: With BOTH front wheels off the ground there is a danger if you get hit with a strong side wind, It can pretzel the jacks and at 400-600 each plus installation. that's one (Well 2 and possibly more) Very expensive pretzles.

Now my situtation.. My jacks don't jack.. So I carry a car full of 2x12.

[mikestock]

wildmanbaker wrote:
I've seen diesels with the rears off the ground and the world did not come to the end. It was also steady as a rock.

They are risking damage to their airbags. My Phaeton manual specifically says not to lift wheels off the ground with the jacks. The air bags should deflate, to lower the coach as much as possible before the jacks start expanding. In most cases, this will prevent the wheels lifting. If not, you should drive the lower side up onto blocks before activating jacks. This will keep the wheels supported after levelling is accomplished.

I always carry about 30 plastic levelling blocks and have used almost all of them to build ramps, when the site is uneven.

[Mile_High]

I find having the front wheels off the ground to be a great time to check or service the fluid level in my oil bath hubs 🙂

My manual warns against having the rear wheels off the ground, as the park brake only locks the rear. Having both rear sides off the ground puts a lot of lateral stress on the jack itself if not properly blocked in the front.

[harley-dave]

We also have a 31' Class C with auto levelers and Ours has been pretty good over the years. Many parks require pads under the jacks so we picked up 2 sets of the yellow leveling blocks and when required will level the rig enough to keep the front wheels on the ground. We always chock the wheels and then let the auto leveler do its thing. I personally don't like the front or rear wheels off the ground. Nothing in the manual that I have seen about it.

Dave

[stripit]

Thanks for eveyone's reply, wife is feeling better now to know the world won't come to an end with the tires off the ground! I will cut and carry some boards on the next trip so we can keep the jacks from extending so much.

[scbwr]

The first thing you should do is check your owner's manual. With my Newmar Bay Star, the manual says to keep all four tires on the ground. So when needed, I've used a few boards solve the problem. As a new owner, I haven't tried levelonf manually but will do so soon.

[down_home]

On many rv pads, they are just enough out of level that our rear tires will come off the ground. So instead of auto which deflates the bags first. We will not dump but put the jacks down otherwise. I don't like the idea of rear ties off the ground. Air brakes are locked front and back though. We have had the rears off the ground a time or two but I have spent some time getting pas under the tires too.
Don't like spending a half hour doing that. Next time at the factory I intend to talk to them about this situation.

[2chiefsRus]

I have only use the Auto Level function on our motorhome 3 times during the first month we owned it. After that I have always used the manual leveling feature following the guidelines in the manual. Much happier with the Manual Level. The Auto Level always jerked the coach around and took it too far up in the air for my liking.

[SDcampowneroper]

Everyone should check their autolevel regularly, the can and do get out of calibration. We see this happen several times a year. dont put blind trust in technology, no matter how many years its worked fine.
Best level is a frying pan with a bit of water. Place it where you can see it then manually level. The water knows all 4 ways, cannot be wrong.

Tires off the ground front or rear is never the best idea, whether front to rear or side to side. Never have seen damage because of it though, it just makes sense particularly with the rear axle due to its braking, weight hanging on suspension and differential stability if one side is off the ground.

In my opinion the best campsite is level side to side, 2-3 inches low to the rear.
Drainage is a must, noone likes a puddle. Trailers lower in front gives more stability due to the shorter jack length, for A MHs the steps are not lifted, for Cs they are often high at the rear being built on a truck chassis.
Ever notice Cs without jacks nearly always have blocks under the front wheels when parked on a level site?

No mfgr I know of advises to not lift the wheels off the ground, tire shops use levelers to change tires. What are you comfortable with?

[doxiemom11]

We have manual leveling, but have noticed that happens more often with the auto level systems. Have read complaints about that too as they were able to manually level without having the tires off the ground. The one time we were somewhere like that, we also put chunks of wood under the front jacks so the jacks were not extended all the way.

[wildmanbaker]

azdryheat wrote:
I've seen diesels off the ground.

I've seen diesels with the rears off the ground and the world did not come to the end. It was also steady as a rock.