seraphim
Ohio
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Joined: 02/03/2008
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Just unloaded our camper for the first time. In the photo below, the camper is level and the driveway is inclined.
1. The front jack isn't straight up and down - you can see its not parallel with the front of the camper.
2. While lowering all four jacks at once, with the camper level ( not parallel with the drive) one of the rear jacks raised in te air, causing me to wonder if there was too much weight on the front jacks.
3. Im concerned about lowering the rear any more than what's pictured - I was warned the stands could come throug the top of the motor case
4. Is it safe to be stored/used in this configuration, or should it be store with the front lowered so the unit is parallel with the drive?
5. Was my method of lowering the unit - making it level then lowering it all at once - the best way?
Finally - lol - is it safe to leave it on the drive as pictured?
Sorry for all the questions, but I want it to be safe.
Untitled by jglennhart, on Flickr
2012 GMC 3500HD Crew Cab LB 4x4 DRW with Duramax 6.6 diesel
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enblethen
Moses Lake, WA
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I would make some wedges to get the front jask plates level to the world. Slight angles can be tolerated, but it will put lateral strain on them making them easier to collapse the tube.
You support front of camper with some cribbing.
I would not get into the camper as is.
Bud
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SoCalDesertRider
SanDiego, CA, USA
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That's not very much incline. I've loaded/unloaded on a lot steeper than that, and sloped side to side too. Your camper is just fine.
Put some stands under the floor to support it and let the jacks stabilize it. You're just fine.
No worries about the jacks. I've had the jacks on both my old campers curved a lot more than your picture shows and no problems.
Yeah, you're right on with keeping the camper level as you lower and raise it. Don't try to parallel it with the ground, just keep it level with the bubble or reasonably close to.
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iwon415
Northern California
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I made some sloped jack stands matching the driveway slope and it works fine.
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wcjeep
Tacoma, Wa
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Joined: 04/11/2008
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Not all jacks work at the same speed. Tolerances can be slightly different. Distance from the battery and cable resistance play a factor. One jack can lift in the air due to speed difference. I also have Reico Titan on my AF 811. Every few seconds I stop and adjust driver rear to make up for speed difference.
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sirdrakejr
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Every now and then I stop and look to be sure all my jacks are touching the ground. Just a little difference in speed will cause one to come up and leave the ground. When I have the unit lowered I use it all the time in storage with no problems and never feel any shakiness. All my jacks are vertical though. I would use washers as spacers to get them all vertical.
I did have a Rieco jack that seemed to be bad when I bought the unit and Rieco came thru with a new head immediately. Shipping back and forth was paid by them. Have question? Call them. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Frank
2011 Palomino Maverick 1000SLLB on a 2004 Dodge Quadcab CTD Ram3500 SRW long bed equipped with Timbren springs, Stable Load bump stops, Rickson 19.5" wheels/"G" range tires and a Helwig "Big Wig" rear anti sway bar.
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17oaks
17 Oaks Ranch
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SoCalDesertRider wrote:That's not very much incline. I've loaded/unloaded on a lot steeper than that, and sloped side to side too. Your camper is just fine.
Put some stands under the floor to support it and let the jacks stabilize it. You're just fine.
No worries about the jacks. I've had the jacks on both my old campers curved a lot more than your picture shows and no problems.
Yeah, you're right on with keeping the camper level as you lower and raise it. Don't try to parallel it with the ground, just keep it level with the bubble or reasonably close to.
I have got to go with SoCal on this. I see nothing that would alert me to a pending moderate issue.
When you lift the TC off the truck, the first thing I do after driveing out from under is to LEVEL out, f-r and side to side. Then LOWER! Lower about 1/3 of the way and check your bubbles, then RE-level and continue stopping about 1/3 again and RE-level.
1) The legs can shift when raising/lowering due the TC NOT being level as it is being L/R. The legs will all move at slightly different speeds, get to far out of sync and if the leg is on a surface that will allow it to shift is can do so.
2) Your pic may not be totally on point. There are lots of angles going on and it may be that the leg is really vertical, when viewed from a different angle.
Always remember, keep the TC level and the ground plane does not count...
Don
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KD4UPL
Swoope, VA
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I don't think your picture looks that bad. It is common for the jack motors to run at slightly different speeds. I would think it's impossible to lower the camper totally level because of this. I lower mine while watching all 4 jack pads. When one lifts I stop and correct it. I keep it roughly level by eye but not by a "bubble". When the camper is finally all the way down then I get out the level and make sure the whole thing is level before walking away. Actually, I keep the front slightly higher than the back. My owners manual says to do this, I've heard others say the same thing. If you make the front lower than the rear it will put lots of extra weight on the front jacks.
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seraphim
Ohio
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"2) Your pic may not be totally on point. There are lots of angles going on and it may be that the leg is really vertical, when viewed from a different angle."
The leg leg is really off vertical that much. I'm a photographer. Just for info. I took the photo to capture that angle correctly.
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seraphim
Ohio
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Quote: If you make the front lower than the rear it will put lots of extra weight on the front jacks.
That's what I thought, so I hesitated to lower the front. I was going to crawl into the bed area and install the window shades, but I'm still leery.
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