Self levelling systems
- Thread starter Jewellbags
- Start date
Erm,sorry for the stupid question.......how do you get level.
Why be level? 1. Fridge. 2. I like to sleep flat (ish)
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
Had E&P on our Flair but they went with the van when we sold it, so specced them on the new van as well.
Martin
Martin
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My B524 naturally slopes a bit to the front. It's so annoying. Even when I think I've parked somewhere to counter act it it still seems to slope.
It certainly can affect the fridge, drainage and cupboard doors swinging open/closed.
I'd love a set of levellers. I won't be offended if anyone wants to set up a just giving page on my behalf. Once it's reached 5 grand I'll quite happily put the rest towards some reupholstering!
It certainly can affect the fridge, drainage and cupboard doors swinging open/closed.
I'd love a set of levellers. I won't be offended if anyone wants to set up a just giving page on my behalf. Once it's reached 5 grand I'll quite happily put the rest towards some reupholstering!
I think for those that have never had them and that say they are a waste and not required , if you had them for a week or a month then had to give them back you would secretly be a bit pi$$ed off.
We all like to make it as easy as possible if we are honest
We all like to make it as easy as possible if we are honest
It‘s not a stupid question, no need to be sorry....we try to find a flat ish spot, not on a hill or anything severe. We’ve never had a problem with the fridge and the shower tray is deep enough to cope. We don’t mind sleeping on a slight slope. We have a large pull down bed and orientate the pillow end to the highest side. Appreciate that it might be difficult to sleep with your feet at the high side. Having said that the full timers that first suggested the ‘no ramps‘ concept to us had a fixed bed. I guess it comes down to how you use your motorhome, if you’re stopping somewhere for a few nights it might be worth the faff. We’re touring Europe and have a new pitch every other night, we’ve got used to the wonk, so to speak
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No blog unfortunately just Instagram to keep family and friends updated
Last year we overnighted at the aire at la Canourgue and found the aire level enough so as not to need to use our ramps. Parked opposite us was an expensive French registered motorhome (can’t remember the make), which I noticed was sitting on levelling rams. Next morning they were preparing to move on and the owner retracted the rams and then appeared with a broom handle with a hook on the end. He then went down on his knees to retrieve four blocks of wood, each with eyes screwed into. The blocks were about the same footprint as the ram feet, the two at the front were about 50mm thick and the rear ones were about 100mm thick. It must be a right pain for him to level up with a system like that!
Dont understand why you would need to put blocks of wood under the feet as the feet are about 8 inches across, in 4 years of having levelling jacks i have never needed to put wood under them. If the ground is soft and it sinks a bit just press the button again and it re levells, simple really
If the ground is that soft the jacks just sink and sink then you are going to have a tough job driving on ground that soft
If the ground is that soft the jacks just sink and sink then you are going to have a tough job driving on ground that soft
I use LevelMatePRO
Same level position every time in seconds
Same level position every time in seconds
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Two on Tour
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- Sep 16, 2016
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Your RV levelling system must be pretty shit in the first place if you need the LevelMatePRO to get it right.
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
I do carry blocks of wood and would use them when the ground was very soft and I wanted enough lift to get some traction mats under the rear wheels, the other time I would use them is when I wanted a high lift on a severe slope and the blocks would allow the wheels in the air but still without full ram extension.
Martin
Lets be honest we would all probably like them if a little bit of weight isn't an issue....but the price !! £5k+ is a hell of a lot of money, and maybe better spent on fully adjustable air suspension...but if you are lucky to have cash lying around doing nothing then why not...as with everything else all down to personal choice....personally not felt the overwhelming need for them as yet..
CPhoenix
Free Member
We use wood blocks if we are on concrete with loads of stones. We also use them when on soft ground, I'd rather get the blocks stuck rather than the feet and not be able to drive off.
Puddleduck
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They are on my list of things to get along with air suspension.
But having a new hot water tank fitted in the house today will make quite a dent in the savings....... it's a solar twin tank as we have DHW solar panels. The old tank is no longer in production and the replacement has the input whatsits in different places to the old one so quite a lot of pipework to be modified.
Whilst they are busy the plumbers are also altering the pipework to and from the boiler to give straight runs rather than just putting elbows in to link in the new tank so all the units and the washing machine and the tumble drier have had to come out. Happy days.
The cost of the tank and the plumbers would have almost paid for the self leveling but the old tank had developed a weeping leak and with being away at my parents so much I didn't want a weep to develop into a flood. I would never have been confident that a repair would last or that another weep would not develop.
But having a new hot water tank fitted in the house today will make quite a dent in the savings....... it's a solar twin tank as we have DHW solar panels. The old tank is no longer in production and the replacement has the input whatsits in different places to the old one so quite a lot of pipework to be modified.
Whilst they are busy the plumbers are also altering the pipework to and from the boiler to give straight runs rather than just putting elbows in to link in the new tank so all the units and the washing machine and the tumble drier have had to come out. Happy days.
The cost of the tank and the plumbers would have almost paid for the self leveling but the old tank had developed a weeping leak and with being away at my parents so much I didn't want a weep to develop into a flood. I would never have been confident that a repair would last or that another weep would not develop.
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Air suspension can perform limited levelling but is a suspension system (and even more expensive than hydraulic jacks). Because, when levelling, it exhausts all air from the system before re-inflating the lowest wheels to get level, you will always be sitting on one or more partially inflated bags and the van will wobble. One advantage it provides over jacks is that it’s not obvious to others that you have parked-up (no jacks visible) and you can drive straight off without waiting, should you need to.
Hydraulic jacks are a luxury, so forget them if you struggled to buy the van. They do, however, provide a rock-solid and level platform. They can also accommodate a greater degree of uneven ground than air suspension, although will not overcome steep slopes (even with added blocks). Used in combination with air suspension, jacks can achieve an even greater range of correction because the vehicle can be lowered before the levelling starts.
You can still enjoy motorhoming without such luxuries (and keep more money in the bank). If affordable (in terms of weight as well as cash), I’d encourage you to get both of the above.
Hydraulic jacks are a luxury, so forget them if you struggled to buy the van. They do, however, provide a rock-solid and level platform. They can also accommodate a greater degree of uneven ground than air suspension, although will not overcome steep slopes (even with added blocks). Used in combination with air suspension, jacks can achieve an even greater range of correction because the vehicle can be lowered before the levelling starts.
You can still enjoy motorhoming without such luxuries (and keep more money in the bank). If affordable (in terms of weight as well as cash), I’d encourage you to get both of the above.
Thought it was only me!
Right choice. You use the water system every day but hydraulic levellers only once in a while. If I divided the cost of my legs by the number of times I've used them, the figure would be rather worrying.
A big advantage, not often mentioned, of hydraulic legs is that you can lift the van off the wheels when laid-up. This removes stress on the tyres and is also a theft deterrent (of the vehicle rather than the wheels).
Martin Stacey
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I have HPC-HYDRAULICS on our Autorail Tracker RB . I thought long and hard about spending that amount of money on them BUT now I have used them for a year I'd not be without them.
- Feb 19, 2018
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Jacks?. Most R-V`s come with them New. I had them on mine, and yes I miss them, park, press a button (literally) and go and put the kettle on or open the beer!. However, I don`t think I could justify 5K or thereabouts to retrofit them.
OH!. and on soft ground, you still need large pads to spread the load or by Sunday, you have buried them 6 to 9" deep and they refuse to come back up, because they power down, but rely on springs to bring them back up!. We once had a 12M 4 slide R-V. who`s owner would not take advice, on where best to park, buried, and it took a truck recovery firm to get him out, the site owners ( a football club) where NOT at all amused
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EP jacks power up as well as down, as the saying goes (there the best thing since sliced bread).
As for cost ,you can’t take it with you!.
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funflair
LIFE MEMBER
I believe you can lock out the air suspension in a level position if you have the "active" damping system which essentially employs magnetic dampers to control pitch and roll when driving, not available on all systems and adds to the price of course and you still can't change a wheel with it
Martin
Honest opinion:
I bought a hydraulic levelling system after dozens of people cheered and took videos of the van rocking wildly one evening (high van with transverse bed over garage), cupboards opened, crockery smashed etc.....
Justified for me as I live full time in my motorhome now (mostly wild camping in mountain areas) so make use of it every day - unlike those who just go to a site for a few weeks and only need to level once (so ramps would do).
The cost was outrageous (around £4700) and the customer service at MAVE HQ in Stoke was appalling. Absolutely awful people to deal with. The system is a bit clunky, reduces the ground clearance, and definitely does not live up to their advertisement - ie it will self level on slightly uneven ground, but can't manage any more of a slope than ramps could do. Adding blocks is easy though, and essential for any more than a couple of degrees of unevenness.
The main benefit is ease of use, and steadying the van. No more shaking in strong wind (or vigorous bedtime activities
) and hard to imagine being without them now. Just walking around the van without the hydraulics down feels weird now, like being aboard a boat.
Couldn't recommend them for everyone - it really depends on your budget and how you use the van. Even then it is hard to justify the cost, but once fitted they are certainly worth having.
I bought a hydraulic levelling system after dozens of people cheered and took videos of the van rocking wildly one evening (high van with transverse bed over garage), cupboards opened, crockery smashed etc.....
Justified for me as I live full time in my motorhome now (mostly wild camping in mountain areas) so make use of it every day - unlike those who just go to a site for a few weeks and only need to level once (so ramps would do).
The cost was outrageous (around £4700) and the customer service at MAVE HQ in Stoke was appalling. Absolutely awful people to deal with. The system is a bit clunky, reduces the ground clearance, and definitely does not live up to their advertisement - ie it will self level on slightly uneven ground, but can't manage any more of a slope than ramps could do. Adding blocks is easy though, and essential for any more than a couple of degrees of unevenness.
The main benefit is ease of use, and steadying the van. No more shaking in strong wind (or vigorous bedtime activities
) and hard to imagine being without them now. Just walking around the van without the hydraulics down feels weird now, like being aboard a boat.Couldn't recommend them for everyone - it really depends on your budget and how you use the van. Even then it is hard to justify the cost, but once fitted they are certainly worth having.
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Puddleduck
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Jacks are also a great anti theft device, when I park mine up at our store I always jack so the front 2 wheels are off the ground then disable the system so nobody can drive it away in a hurry.
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