Increasing Stability w/ added levelers

kcaravelli · 04-01-2010, 05:18 PM

I am wondering if anyone has added manual levelers to the frame in addition to the auto levelers. We have an 03 Suncruiser and we are big people. I weight 260. We are full timers and the coach levels nicely but it would be nice if I could reduce the bounce. I always worry about putting it up too high on the levelers when we are parked for a long time. I am wondering if it would be helpful to buy some manual levelers like people use on 5ers and put them under the fram for added support.

Any thoughts?

vbugles · 04-01-2010, 05:27 PM

If you have HWH levelers (jacks) the company recomends that the coach be stored with the jacks down, therefore, it would be logical that you would extend them until the coach is level and off the ground far enough not to bounce. I've had my coach since 2002 and it sits on the jacks all winter as per Winnebago GNR HWH Representatives recomendation. go the HWH web page to confirm for yourself. Hope this was helpful

GaryKD · 04-01-2010, 05:33 PM

Hi kcaravelli,
Worry not about your jacks. I level my coach and then raise it about 3" to take out almost all movement from people in the coach. Level the coach the way you want it. The jacks can handle it.

Chuck 1935 · 04-01-2010, 05:55 PM

If your coach is bouncing around with the jacks down there is something else going on. If you are on solid ground and there is no air in your system, it makes no differance how big you are. It should not be moving at all providing all 4 jacks are deployed.

kcaravelli · 04-02-2010, 12:57 PM

I only put the jacks down far enough to level it which doesn't take much where I am. I am on gravel but it is very solid ground. Based on the posts above, I will start raising them more. I have always been reluctant to do that because I don't want the back wheels off the ground which makes it unsafe. If fact when I am parked I don't really want any of the wheels off the ground but then again I am probably playing it too safe. I run our coach every couple months or sooner so the tires aren't a worry to me.

Chuck 1935 · 04-02-2010, 02:54 PM

First let me put out a disclaimer because 1/2 to 3/4 of the readers will disagree with me. Just because I do it it doesn't make it right. Nuff said.
You have never said if you have air suspension. If you do you should dump the air before leveling. Also if you jacks are the non folding type and are made by a reputable company, You should be able to lift the weight of your coach without any problem. You should give the manufacturer a call and see how much weight the jacks will support. As far as height is concerned, do only what you are comfortable with and what the jack mfg. recommends. Make sure all four of the jacks are extended and carrying some weight. That should be enough to eliminate all the shaking unless you and the Mrs are body slamming each other. I weigh exactly what you do and it works for me.

Easyrider · 04-02-2010, 06:33 PM

On our motorhome if you just extend the jacks enough to level it without raising the motorhome much there is a good chance that at least one of the jacks (probably one of the rear ones) and maybe two of the jacks (one in front and one in back) is not contacting the ground. Many times while setting up camp I have gotten all done leveling and stepped outside to connect to the hookups only to find when I look under the rig that one or more of our jacks is only partially extended and is not touching the ground. I then have to go back inside and finish extending jacks on the side that is not in contact with the ground(our system extends jacks in pairs when leveling, either two on either side or two fronts or backs).

joatmon · 04-10-2010, 11:48 AM

Have had issures with my jacks, after calls to hwh determinded that front jacks were just touching ground but not raising MH at all when using auto mode. Manually raising back then front after auto is done helps. Having examined the jacks closely while the wife tries to rock the MH I discovered that the jacks are spring loaded away from the frame at a slight angle. In the configuration after the MH is leveled side to side manually as described in the owners manually or the way that the auto feature is designed to work,when the other jacks are extended, the jacks on the second or high side actually push the MH slightly towards the side that is already on the ground. This action compresses the spring towards the frame. A think that this is to ensure that the jacks do not get bound up. Problem is it also builds in a little bit of movement side to side, the higher you push the MH up seems the more movement you get.

ernieh · 04-10-2010, 12:17 PM

When I first got my coach, it seemed to me that it moved quite a bit with the jacks extended. Upon further investigation, I found that the bolts securing the rear jacks were VERY loose. Tightening them made a significant difference in stability.

What nobody can explain is why the loose bolts had red tape wrapped around them. Apparently that is how it came out of the factory.

Dave from MN · 04-11-2010, 06:03 AM

I see you have a Suncruiser. Therefore it is not a pusher but a gas frame! NO air as some suggested. I have been fighting this problem since day one. No loose bolts either. I tried some extra jacks made for 5th wheels & trailers. Save your money, they don't work. The slide outs hang out too far from the frame where the jacks are. But don't be temped to put jacks under the slide outs!
I really don't the answer except to put it on a foundation. Good luck with your question because I have been down this road myself. I have people suggest I don't know how to level my coach!

cbeierl · 04-11-2010, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernieh

When I first got my coach, it seemed to me that it moved quite a bit with the jacks extended. Upon further investigation, I found that the bolts securing the rear jacks were VERY loose. Tightening them made a significant difference in stability.

What nobody can explain is why the loose bolts had red tape wrapped around them. Apparently that is how it came out of the factory.

I'll bet the red tape was put on by a quality control checker (because they were loose) and that was supposed to flag it so they would be fixed before it shipped--obviously that got missed.