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Old 02-10-2017, 06:56 PM   #1
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Itasca Leveling system

Hello all,

I am new here. My wife and I are picking up a used 2014 Itasca Sunstar 35F on Valentines Day. We could not pass up the trade in price they gave us for our 2002 class C.
when we decided to purchase the coach, and when we were checking some of the systems, we set the leveler to auto. The coach started to level and then stopped. When we entered the coach, the system was saying out of level.
The salesman, said it was because of the parking lot not being level and we would have to put some pieces under the jacks to make up the differance.
Now I called him on it, I am not dumb, we were barely unlevel in the parking lot and told him this needs to be checked or calibrated.
now that I wrote a novel, my question is, how far will th leveling system travel to level the coach? This in one of the must have items I wanted. I had to hand crank my Class C after building a pyramid of the orange square thingys under the front tires.

Any info would be appreciated!!!
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Old 02-10-2017, 09:38 PM   #2
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Very Level...

I never have to self level after the auto adjusting. Remember that the coach needs to be level to drive the slides.
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Old 02-11-2017, 06:40 AM   #3
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With any new system there will be tweeks that are needed. Our Power Gear leveling system does not 100% level our coach to my taste, I just use the manual mode to tweek it to the point of level I want. For what it's worth to keep the DW happy I use the microwave oven as my leveling point. Makes here cakes come out level instead of 1 sided.
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Old 02-11-2017, 06:52 AM   #4
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There is a simple to do calibrate protocol in the jack book with instructions. I parked ours on a very level pad first. Then leveled the coach manually and checked the level at several locations inside including inside the refer, several spots on the floor, opened the bathroom door and microwave dooras well.

When I got it a close as i could, found a spot on the dash that showed level on a small bubble level. I then marked the spot and then calibrated the jacks to always auto level to this exact point.

If you are on a very unlevel pads if you can park in a way to minimize the unlevel condition, and use some pads under some of the jacks to help it stay in range. I carry six pads for that purpose.
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Old 02-11-2017, 10:12 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tconn308 View Post
Hello all,

I am new here. My wife and I are picking up a used 2014 Itasca Sunstar 35F on Valentines Day. We could not pass up the trade in price they gave us for our 2002 class C.
when we decided to purchase the coach, and when we were checking some of the systems, we set the leveler to auto. The coach started to level and then stopped. When we entered the coach, the system was saying out of level.
The salesman, said it was because of the parking lot not being level and we would have to put some pieces under the jacks to make up the differance.
Now I called him on it, I am not dumb, we were barely unlevel in the parking lot and told him this needs to be checked or calibrated.
now that I wrote a novel, my question is, how far will th leveling system travel to level the coach? This in one of the must have items I wanted. I had to hand crank my Class C after building a pyramid of the orange square thingys under the front tires.

Any info would be appreciated!!!
tconn308,
The salesman, as usual, is full of caca. Now, on most auto leveling systems, there are LIMITS on just how much it will work, to TRY and get your coach level. Each coach and it's leveling system, will vary some in it's ability to achieve level. There are times when, the camp spot, RV pad, camp ground and more, LOOK more level then they really are and, hence, your leveling system runs into a situation where it can't do what you ask of it.

But, if the parking lot you were on is as you say, barely "un-level", then the jack system should not have had any trouble getting you level. The the salesman to pound sand and get that system checked out. I've adjusted our HWH Computer Controlled Automatic Leveling System a few times because, for some reason, they tend to get OUT of adjustment, every once in a while.

While the factory sets up the pre-adjustment, as stated, they can get out or, even develop a bad circuit board or, even a bad leveling sensor. But, in any case, get the dealer to check it out pronto so that you know it CAN work as planned.
Scott
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Old 02-11-2017, 01:35 PM   #6
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On ours which likely has the same leveling system ours has. Barely unlevel can be deceiving. I use a bubble level. When we first park if the bubble is completely outside of the circle I try to reposition the coach. If that fails I put the spacer boards under where the jacks that will have to extend the farthest. Warning, the rear wheels must not be raised completely off the ground. If the rear must be raised that much reverse the ends of the coach.

There is a simple calibration process described in the Lippert jack manual. PM me if you need more leveling info prior to calibrating.
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Old 02-11-2017, 02:45 PM   #7
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You're right to get the dealer to make it work correctly as part of the purchase agreement. It may only need some oil or to be calibrated. If more than that, make sure he gets it working correctly.
My unit is a year newer and may have more sensors than yours. I have a front and rear level sensor. In my opinion, you can't get the coach level enough with the jacks to calibrate the leveling system. I take my coach to the semi scale of the local salvage yard to calibrate the leveling system. I first check with them first and do it in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon when it won't bother their business. It's the most level platform to park on I know of. I take some pieces of plywood to drive the tires up on to level the front & rear side to side. The front to back of the coach on the scale is OK. When I'm satisfied with the levels I do the calibration process.
On this coach I usually do the automatic level, then go to the manual setting and bump the front jacks once to release any twist the automatic may have left on the coach when doing the side to side setting. It's a rather long explanation about the twist so please just accept that I feel it is needed.
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Old 02-11-2017, 05:21 PM   #8
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How far out of level will the leveling system correct?
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Old 02-12-2017, 01:27 AM   #9
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Auto leveling will level within parameters depending upon the leveling system. You can always re-select auto level or just tweak it manually if needed. Something as simple as dirty electrical contacts at the jacks will affect this, which we experienced on ours. But, our HWH system may be different?
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Old 02-12-2017, 01:46 AM   #10
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The OP was asking "how much" will an autolevel do and it wasn't answered I think. Our MH is a 42 foot tag and our previous was a 37 foot gas. It seems that the gas unit wold only handle about 8 inches of lift in the front...maybe less. The DP we just got seems to not handle more than 4 or 6 inches. I'm just covering how much front wheel lift you get and guessing. For even more anecdotal comments I can add that it doesn't take much of an unlevel site to make this new one be unable to level. That's just a perception and those measurements are trying to recall what has occurred. Others surely have more data.
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Old 02-12-2017, 05:24 AM   #11
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Thank You everone! We will be thoroughly checking the coach over proir to signing. Again, the leveling system was a must have for us and want it to function properly, as with everthing else. Needless to say, we will be married to the MH for a long time!!!
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Old 02-12-2017, 08:11 AM   #12
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To better answer the question of "how much" it will level: my jacks are 8000# front, 14000# rear and both have 15" strokes. The jack platform is 9" off the ground so they will lift the coach 6". The front to rear jacks are about 18' apart so they will adjust front to rear (at the jacks location) a little more than 1.5*, or 6". Side to side is about 6' from jacks on one side to tires on other side, that would be fully extending the jacks on one side and the other side supported by the tires. That would adjust the side to side max. about 4.8* or 6" (from side jacks to opposite side tires).

I carry 2x12 platforms sandwiched together for all jacks which are 3" thick. This adds 3" to the original 6" of the jacks, so each jack can lift 9" max.

What you are looking at should be similar.
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Old 02-12-2017, 10:41 PM   #13
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If the system states out of level then move the MH to another (more level) spot and perform the Auto Level again. The system is pretty good as long as it was properly setup in the beginning.
If you want to check the system then purchase or borrow one of these: RV EZ Level - Camco 25505 - Levels - Camping World

You can also use 4ft level to check fore and aft but will need a shorter level to check side to side. Basically the longer the level the better.

Things to look for on this model: The half bath black tank empties correctly and indicates correctly. The slides move in and out and sit flush against the side properly; All the TV's work from every source, Antenna , SAT, cable. Both AC's/Heat pumps work properly, the generator can carry the full load of the RV.
Check the batteries and charge, make sure they are good. Check the invertor also.

This is a great layout so enjoy it, the only thing I wish mine had was the drop down bed, which at the time was not available.
Good luck and may home be where you hang your hat.
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Old 02-13-2017, 08:24 AM   #14
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There are a lot of variables that go into answering the "how much lift?" and "how accurate is the leveling process?" questions with different motor homes and different leveling system manufacturers.

One main issue to figure out is the total stoke of the jack on your unit. If you have a 15" jack, and 8" ground clearance, you obviously have 7" max lifting ability. Whether or not that's going to be enough really depends on what kind of slope you're parked on. You always have to option to block up any jack that's just not getting the unit high enough to finish the process.

Accuracy really depends on the program the system uses to determine where level is. At Equalizer Systems, our controller levels within a half degree of level. This is currently the most accurate leveling program available, and under our patent. If you're not satisfied after the system finishes the leveling process, you can always use the key pad to manually fine tune your coach.
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Old 02-16-2017, 09:08 AM   #15
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When i was confident we were completely level using a small bubble level in several locations and all doors not moving either way when open I calibrated the auto level to that position.

I have reverted to the manual level option. I find it uses less jack stroke usually, and our control panel tells you to .10 of a degree of level each way. I know the numbers i see on the control panel are quite accurate (for us anyway) because they completely agree with the bubble level and the swinging door test.

The manual option is easy to do and takes a very smalll amount of practice. Using the control panel degree out of level screen I now know how much out of level each jack can correct. If it is beyond the limit, I just use spacer pads to help the jack a bit before I even try to level.
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Old 02-16-2017, 05:58 PM   #16
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How far out of level will the leveling system correct?
If you have the Lippert system it will level the coach up to 3* out of level either side to side or front to back
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Old 02-16-2017, 09:07 PM   #17
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When i was confident we were completely level using a small bubble level in several locations and all doors not moving either way when open I calibrated the auto level to that position.

I have reverted to the manual level option. I find it uses less jack stroke usually, and our control panel tells you to .10 of a degree of level each way. I know the numbers i see on the control panel are quite accurate (for us anyway) because they completely agree with the bubble level and the swinging door test.

The manual option is easy to do and takes a very smalll amount of practice. Using the control panel degree out of level screen I now know how much out of level each jack can correct. If it is beyond the limit, I just use spacer pads to help the jack a bit before I even try to level.


How do you find the control panel degree out of level screen?
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Old 02-17-2017, 05:04 AM   #18
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The amount of out of level will be displayed on the message line when in the manual mode. Here's a link to the Winnebago quick reference guide on how to operate the system:


http://www.lci1.com/images/support/lipsheet/0231.pdf


About 2/3 of the way down the first page it explains how to use the system in the manual mode.


When we initially tried to use the system in the automatic mode on our 2013 Adventurer it wanted to raise one or more of the front wheels off the ground even when we were on a level surface. We performed the recalibration and have never had a problem since.


Now the only time it wants to raise a wheel off the ground is when the surface is extremely out of level. If the site is really bad it will display a message that the jacks are fully extended and the coach cannot be leveled.
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Old 02-17-2017, 06:23 AM   #19
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How do you find the control panel degree out of level screen?
As stated above it is displayed in manual mode. Simply scroll down thru the menu, look at degrees out of level. Before we park I eyeball the site if it is not concrete and park so that the rear will not have to be raised too far and lift either wheel off the ground.

I find I can correct 3 deg side to side without shimming the jacks. Front to back I am not sure how many degrees it is, I just look now and can tell.
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Old 02-22-2017, 06:01 PM   #20
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thank you for all the advice and concern. so an update, we purchased the coach, and the leveling system worked fine when going through the demo. I went into the coach and went to hit auto level so my wife can put all our belongings in it from the old MH, and I got an error, ' Retract time out' and 'return leveler for service'. i can't believe this, the 2 things i wanted was auto tank flush and auto leveler, and the one does not work.
I called the salesman and he told me how to reset it, (i am out of town on buisness) and told me I probably did not turn it off when i should have.
i cannot believe we have to be this meticulas on such a system. I am concerned that this will happen away from home. I don't want to worry once i go somewhere, i just want to go, thats why i got rid of the 2002 unit,,


ugh, KILL ME!!!!
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