Levelers: wheels off the ground ??

[bushpilot-TC]

Got a question for ya - just as a comparisons.

I had an issue w/ my levelers this past weekend....im pretty sure i caused it by bouncing around (unintentionally) in the coach while the system was leveling.

the coach got cock-eyed at a pretty INTERESTING <high> angle. I stopped it and took the coach DOWN and started over.

I always put boards under the coach "feet" - 1 to protect the ground, and 2, to provide enough REACH if its an "un-level" surface.

one of the guys next to me said "oh no, you should NEVER let the wheels leave the ground or loose contact w/ solid surface" (his coach was an older 3 jack system...so i could see why he would say that)...but is this true w/ a 4 jack systems ?

I dont see how you could GET the coach level w/out raising some wheels off the ground, in some cases...just wondering what youve heard, done yourself & seen.

 

[fastavenger]

no not true at all

 

[bushpilot-TC]

could you elaborate or be a bit more specific <please> ?

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Often times I have to have a wheel or two off the ground for the thing to be level. Never thought it was a problem. I think it looks kind of cool too. My son's '99 Vette is extremely low and when we load it in the trailer we block up the rear levelers and run them all the way up so it lifts the front of the trailer as high as possible making loading the low car less likely to scrape bottom in the trailer. I get my back wheels way off the ground doing that.

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

The only thing I'm careful about is that if you raise the rear wheels off the ground there is no braked wheel on the ground. The front wheels spin free when you've got the parking brakes applied on a big truck like ours. As long as you're not on a big incline/decline it should be fine but if you were on a hill or something and you got those back wheels off the ground I suppose it could slide down.

 

[ed s]

I dont like to have wheels off the ground, Makes first step up or last step down way to high. If the rear is high (ground) I will dump air and make leveling more reasonable. Some times the auto level wants to take to coach up to high...I will do it manual and guess what?? no wheeel off the groung. Bought a nice level from camping would when I do the manual thing.....think it is call EZ Level.

Maybe your levelers need to be reprogramed?????

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

I agree Ed. If your site isn't too off level. I have dumped the rear air bags to keep the whole thing lower depending if the site warrants that. I rarely use the auto level anyhow. I've calibrated mine a couple times and it still isn't perfect. Sometimes it'll get the thing all whacked out weird and sometimes it works fine. I've got bubble levels on the dash and a side panel above the driver's door window. I sit in the driver's seat and just push the buttons as needed to level it myself. I do like the "all up" button thought when it's time to get ready to roll.

 

[bushpilot-TC]

our levelers seem to be fine, they could use some minor adjustment and ive considered reprogramming "level" but for now the difference is NOT significant & not worth the reprogram.

where i could even <begin to> notice the non level <from automatic leveling> ive made the minor adjustment/correction manually.

I carry wheel chocks and i ALWAYS dump the air <rear bags> - and the system seems to want that anyway...but its a thought where extreme "non-level" situations may occur.

 

[GENECARP]

I was in Gaffney at Freightliner talking to a couple of mechanics, interestingly, TC can lift wheels off the ground with no problem, traditional DP should not leave wheels up in the air, another reason to get a TC......

 

[bushpilot-TC]

I was in Gaffney at Freightliner talking to a couple of mechanics, interestingly, TC can lift wheels off the ground with no problem, traditional DP should not leave wheels up in the air, another reason to get a TC......

did they say WHY ?

 

[GENECARP]

did they say WHY ?

No, unfortunately I only had a few minutes alone with the guy who Teaches Camp Freighliner in Gaffney. Hopefully they will be putting together a coarse that will be specific to Truck Conversions....G

 

[bushpilot-TC]

hummm that sounds like an interesting "course"....got any names/contacts ??

 

[GENECARP]

Here is a link, I will start a separate thread with the info....G

Camp Freightliner