Auto levellers. Shall we ?

[Conal]

I have spent a fruitless hour trying to find the total weight added by the AL-KO HY4 levellers without success. However I looked under the van whilst their engineer was checking the system and it looks light. The four legs are aluminium and the control unit is a small plastic box.
However, as gus-Lopez advises, if you are going to change a wheel you will need a back-up jack or two, or axle stands.
Whilst looking for the weight I read that the levelling jacks work in tandem; one will not work on its own so to change a wheel either the whole side, or the front or rear will be raised. In this case I assume a jack will have to placed in the middle, or two jacks are needed. This is to avoid unnecessary stress on the body of the Motorhome.
This brings me to a question: if only one jack is used to lift the vehicle enough to change the wheel, will the motorhome chassis twist and damage the integrity of the motorhome body? If so this would be another good reason to fit levellers.
Re: the last two posts, the instructions on using the levellers is clear. They must not be used as the only means of lifting the vehicle when changing a tyre. If they failed a person could be injured and I am sure an insurance company would not accept liability.

 

[two]

You do not need axle stands. You are not going to crawl under the van. There is no stand provided with the supplied jack. The advice provided is probably to avoid being sued.

When using a single jack, the rest of the chassis is on the suspension, which will support the rest of the weight evenly. When all jacks are down, the chassis is held rigidly - one of the main benefits of having them - and it is then that jacks need to be deployed in pairs.

 

[funflair]

Last time I read the E&P FAQ's they said you could use the jacks to change a wheel and I have had ours sat on the jacks without wheels for over a week, OK I put axle stand under to go underneath but still kept the weight on the jacks.

Martin

From E&P web site,

Can I use the levelling system to help me fit security devices to my wheels and/or change a tyre?

Yes, a massive benefit to the E&P Hydraulics levelling system is that it aids with lifting the vehicle, to change the wheels & tyres quickly and easily. However it is the user’s responsibility to ensure the vehicle is safe to lift and that it is adequately supported with axle stands if any work is being carried out under the vehicle. Please do NOT work under a vehicle if the only method of support is the E&P Levelsystem.

 

[PeteH]

Let me first say. I have had 3 R-V`s, over a 20 year period. Levelling jacks are brilliant. Park, level, put kettle on/open wine. However, on your "average" Euro-box, limited to 3.5T, especially for those over 70, (Ageism Grrrrrrrr) the payloads are already so small they are actually "unfit for purpose". There are Motorhomes being built which are overweight by the time Driver Passenger and an overnight bag each is loaded!. So adding circa 50kg to this pathetic figure is a recipe for potential "crime". And the cost, which I have seen bandied about of anything between 3 and 5k. Must be a further drawback?. Obviously some Euro built vans do have capacity to cope. But it should not be forgotten that the B1 licence will have to be taken to C1 level before it is legal.

In my view the answer lies with the creation of the separate category for "motor caravan" with a sensible weight limit of 4t (ish), drivable on the standard B or B1 licence.

 

[peterc10]

I have spent a fruitless hour trying to find the total weight added by the AL-KO HY4 levellers without success. However I looked under the van whilst their engineer was checking the system and it looks light. The four legs are aluminium and the control unit is a small plastic box.
However, as gus-Lopez advises, if you are going to change a wheel you will need a back-up jack or two, or axle stands.
Whilst looking for the weight I read that the levelling jacks work in tandem; one will not work on its own so to change a wheel either the whole side, or the front or rear will be raised. In this case I assume a jack will have to placed in the middle, or two jacks are needed. This is to avoid unnecessary stress on the body of the Motorhome.
This brings me to a question: if only one jack is used to lift the vehicle enough to change the wheel, will the motorhome chassis twist and damage the integrity of the motorhome body? If so this would be another good reason to fit levellers.
Re: the last two posts, the instructions on using the levellers is clear. They must not be used as the only means of lifting the vehicle when changing a tyre. If they failed a person could be injured and I am sure an insurance company would not accept liability.

You cannot operate a single jack. They only deploy in pairs.

But in any event there should be no more twisting than if you drove one wheel up onto a high kerb.

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[Nasher]

In my view the answer lies with the creation of the separate category for "motor caravan" with a sensible weight limit of 4t (ish), drivable on the standard B or B1 licence

OR motorhome manufacturers/converters could design lighter, simpler motorhomes

 

[funflair]

I have spent a fruitless hour trying to find the total weight added by the AL-KO HY4 levellers without success. However I looked under the van whilst their engineer was checking the system and it looks light. The four legs are aluminium and the control unit is a small plastic box.
However, as gus-Lopez advises, if you are going to change a wheel you will need a back-up jack or two, or axle stands.
Whilst looking for the weight I read that the levelling jacks work in tandem; one will not work on its own so to change a wheel either the whole side, or the front or rear will be raised. In this case I assume a jack will have to placed in the middle, or two jacks are needed. This is to avoid unnecessary stress on the body of the Motorhome.
This brings me to a question: if only one jack is used to lift the vehicle enough to change the wheel, will the motorhome chassis twist and damage the integrity of the motorhome body? If so this would be another good reason to fit levellers.
Re: the last two posts, the instructions on using the levellers is clear. They must not be used as the only means of lifting the vehicle when changing a tyre. If they failed a person could be injured and I am sure an insurance company would not accept liability.

Fourth result down on Google

Martin

Optimal weight distribution

• Four independent hydraulic assemblies directly on the chassis
• Low centre of gravity
• Net weight of the system approx. 69 kg (depending on vehicle variant)

 

[The Wino]

I recon if we manage without a levelling system and use blocks every time I park up I've saved the equivalent of a free bottle of wine.............result!!!!

 

[funflair]

I recon if we manage without a levelling system and use blocks every time I park up I've saved the equivalent of a free bottle of wine.............result!!!!

If you assume the system has no residual value after being fitted then ours have cost us about £6.66 per night, just a little bit less than the £x per night on the van depreciation, or if you assume 50% value at resale it's still a bottle of wine at £3.33 per night so yes quite an expensive "luxury".

Martin

 

[Ninjabob]

System is relatively easy if not a little messy to transfer to a new vehicle (95% bolted under the vehicle) so a bit like buying a trailer imho

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[two]

OR motorhome manufacturers/converters could design lighter, simpler motorhomes

I think the weight of motorhomes is driven more by what people want to take with them.

If you assume the system has no residual value after being fitted then ours have cost us about £6.66 per night, just a little bit less than the £x per night on the van depreciation, or if you assume 50% value at resale it's still a bottle of wine at £3.33 per night so yes quite an expensive "luxury".

But you only use them on arrival and departure. And did you remember to include the time spent stored (raised up)?
I reckon mine cost me about £100 a time or £5 a night, but I don't try to justify things based on cost. I've bought many things that seemed like a good idea at the time but think I'd be using public transport and B&B if I was to analyse costs.

System is relatively easy if not a little messy to transfer to a new vehicle (95% bolted under the vehicle) so a bit like buying a trailer imho

True but, a bit like carpets, not as good a fit the second time around. If buying new, I prefer all new and upgraded technology. Accessories tend to be ignored in resale values but they make it a lot easier to sell.

 

[jdk62]

We have an 8 metre van and with levelling blocks we always found our selves on the top level of millenco quattro’s, even carried a second set for some uneven sites for the rear. Even on the top level we were not always level.

We had E&P fitted by SAP and really happy. No nonsense, easy, all the benefits as noted by previous posters.

Not cheap, but a vocation we have not regretted.

 

[JJ]

I don't have levelling jacks BUT...

As far as I can work out, all the people who have them love them and dont regret buying them despite the expense.

All the people who don't have can think of many reasons to validate their decision.

I don't have them because I am too mean...

I recommend the OP to invest in them.


JJ

 

[Russ M]

We have Al-ko Kober HY4 levellers fitted May 2018 and don’t regret it. They had a show price offer at the NEC which we took up but I think their list price then was £5,600.
I had a small error reading on the control in January in Spain, and the engineer came to our storage site today to update the software and check the system. I thought I would have a £200 mile round trip to get it sorted so was very pleased.
He told me that they spent a long time developing the product and have timed the drop and lift cycles at just over a minute each.
There is no maintenance requirement and they operate very well on uneven surfaces as the feet are large.
Just one point about previous posts. They very clearly state that the legs must not be used as the only means of support when changing tyres or carrying any other work out. I suppose it is a sensible health and safety issue.

Hi. Thanks for your response.
Having just been away for the weekend and faffed for ages with the rubbish corner steadies that came with the van , I’m mused to go with Alko hy4.
How good was the discount you got at the show ? As there is currently a show at the nec it may be worth me shooting up there to get a deal ?
Many thanks. Russ

 

[Conal]

funflair
Probably the first time I did not use google, I went straight to AL-KO and spent the hour going through their present and back catalogue. That’ll teach me!

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[Conal]

Russ M
We paid £4,800 so £800 discount.
However we knew that, at the time, there were no units in the country and waited Oct 2017 to May 2018. This wasn’t a problem to us and they may have stock now.