Leveling – Gas versus Diesel

[kwilkins]

We have a 33-foot Itasca gas coach with auto leveling jacks. From time to time we get a site that is so uneven the jacks are unable to level the coach. I was wondering if diesel pushers are better then gas models at leveling on uneven sites.

Does anyone know?

Ken

[bshpilot]

mtrumpet wrote:


Actually, I am able to lift the front of my DP off the ground quite a bit. In fact, the one time that I had to have it towed, I was able to lift the front high enough to then set it down into the tow cradle when the tow driver placed it underneath the wheels.

everytime i put mine in storage i raise it enough to get the tires off the ground (to prevent flat spotting). depending on where i am and how unlevel the ground is i put boards under the jacks to extend the travel if necessary.

sometimes leveling means a corner or two may be off the ground.

[frankdamp]

I used auto-level just once - scared the daylights out of me. I don't know what the program was trying to do, but I didn't like how high it lifted. Our driveway is very close to being level, so I got a shop spirit level, placed in the bottom of the fridge and carefully operated the jacking system to get the rig level in both axes.

I then put two of the stick-on bubble levels where I can see tham from the level system control panel. One of them shows fore/aft and the other side-to-side. On most sites, I can get level within a minute, using the minimum of jack travel. If the site I'm assigned is too far out of level when I pull in, I ask for another one and move on if there aren't any others. A couple of places with pull-thru sites, I've gone around and pulled in the opposite way to make sure the back wheels stay on the ground.

The only place we go regularly where the front wheels are off the ground is the driveway of our daughter's house. We have to put blocks under the front jack pads and need a two-step bathroom stool to reach the bottom step of the entry steps!

[pulsar]

Our diesel pusher (38' Journey) seems easier to level than did our last gasser (33' Adventurer)

But here is something to throw into the mix.

If we compare a 33' Bounder (33C), which has an excellent 208" wheelbase with a 40' Journey (40R): if the Bounder needs to raise the front 3" to level, the Journey will need to raise the front 4" (actually 3.98")

Tom

[mtrumpet]

zman-az wrote:
(snip)...As mentioned most diesels do let air out then level. Of course there is always someone that will have an exception. What I don't know is if the dp levelers have more travel than gassers. There have been times on my gasser that I have had the front tires off the ground to get level. Have not done that yet with our dp.

Actually, I am able to lift the front of my DP off the ground quite a bit. In fact, the one time that I had to have it towed, I was able to lift the front high enough to then set it down into the tow cradle when the tow driver placed it underneath the wheels.

[zman-az]

As mentioned most diesels do let air out then level. Of course there is always someone that will have an exception. What I don't know is if the dp levelers have more travel than gassers. There have been times on my gasser that I have had the front tires off the ground to get level. Have not done that yet with our dp.

You may be able to adjust the starting point on your levelers. I adjusted my last gasser so they sat higher as I was always tagging them when boondocking. It's was as simple as loosening some hardware and moving the jacks up to the next notch. Other option is to carry some spacers.

Btw, I have not seen a lot of gassers with three steps, most I have seen are two just like the dp. We had to carry a extra step along for those uneven spots.

[norwestie]

Mine is an all air leveling system. I extend the slides, hit the level button and in less than 30 seconds the coach is level. And we don't need a step stool to get to the bottom step.

[Tom_N]

kwilkins wrote:
I was wondering if diesel pushers are better then gas models at leveling on uneven sites.

Does anyone know?

Ken

Yes, diesel pushers are better at leveling on uneven sites.

A diesel chassis, with air suspension, dumps the air from the air bags. This puts the jacks much closer to the ground than a gas chassis coach. Thus, the diesel chassis has more jack travel distance to work with when leveling. This may not be the best explanation.

A gas chassis can only go "up".

A diesel chassis goes "down" then "up".

Using the same site, a diesel will almost always be lower to the ground compared to a gas coach, when level.

This is the reason most diesels have 2 entry steps and most gas have 3 entry steps.

-Tom, W3TLN

[bshpilot]

i guess it depends not he system.

I only have bags on the rear, and if the rear is already sloped lowering the rear will only make it worse.

[kwilkins]

mtrumpet wrote:
The major (basic) difference is that a diesel is able to dump off it's air from the air bag suspension, lowering the coach considerably before leveling. Therefore, the leveling cylinders don't have as far to travel. A gas coach doesn't have the ability to lower itself so the leveling jacks are at the mercy of the height of the coach as it sits on the leaf spring suspension.

Having said that, if a site is as badly off level as you're suggesting, then regardless of diesel or gas coach, proper leveling can be very difficult if not sometime impossible.

Thanks, I was thinking the lowered DP would provide an advantage in certain cases.

[kwilkins]

As I understand it the process of leveling a DP is to dump that air bags (which lowers the coach) and then level. I’ve never had a DP so I could be wrong about that. I’m thinking that since the DP starts the leveling process from a lower point the jacks would have more travel and therefore be able to deal with uneven sites more easily.

Does that make sense, or do I once again have my head up my butt?

[mtrumpet]

The major (basic) difference is that a diesel is able to dump off it's air from the air bag suspension, lowering the coach considerably before leveling. Therefore, the leveling cylinders don't have as far to travel. A gas coach doesn't have the ability to lower itself so the leveling jacks are at the mercy of the height of the coach as it sits on the leaf spring suspension.

Having said that, if a site is as badly off level as you're suggesting, then regardless of diesel or gas coach, proper leveling can be very difficult if not sometime impossible.

[bshpilot]

kwilkins wrote:
We have a 33-foot Itasca gas coach with auto leveling jacks. From time to time we get a site that is so uneven the jacks are unable to level the coach. I was wondering if diesel pushers are better then gas models at leveling on uneven sites.

Does anyone know?

Ken

the levelers are independent of the engine - i don't know why levelers would work differently or better on one engine type vs another.

depends on what you mean about UNEVEN sites....if the ground is so uneven that the jacks are running out of travel room then no jack is ever gonna be able to level out.

have you tried stacking boards under the levelers to keep them 1) from sinking & 2) increase their travel height ?