Raised The Bar…..Oops, I mean the leveling Jacks

[BryanValRox]

Well after two seasons of being nervous about the ground clearance of my rear leveling jacks while traveling, I decided to travel the path others have likely traveled already.

I was always concern with campground speed bumps, uneven terrain, tapered entries and exits. My fear was dragging a jack and bending it.

Well , the snow has melted and it was in the 50’s today, so I started with some preseason maintenance.

Lubed suspension, wheel bearings, topped off battery, and determined that I have clearance and enough slack in the hydraulic hoses to unbolt the rear four jacks and raise them one hole which works out to about two inches.

The jack project only took about and hour and was a simple unbolt/rebolt and torque project.

I realize that this will cost me two inches of stroke, but I prefer the clearance 100% of the time over the 10% of the time that I might run into an out of stroke error. Time will tell with usage this season.

While nothing is ever certain, I will have piece of mind knowing I have increased clearance back there.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Congrats!! That was one of my top "to do" items when I first bought the 340RL and saw that back jack. It just looked VERY low to me.

 

[2 Allies]

Great idea Bryan. The stroke error is nothing more than a couple extra blocks to solve.
I need to check mine out as well.

Thanks,

 

[BryanValRox]

Congrats!! That was one of my top "to do" items when I first bought the 340RL and saw that back jack. It just looked VERY low to me.

Jim, thanks! Totally agree that I should have done this sooner.
They were low to begin with and I lost some more clearance with the installation of snap pads, so it has been on my to do list for a while. Felt good to place a check mark beside it today.

 

[Lantley]

Good Job. I was nervous about the clearance as well. But so far it hasn't been a problem...yet!
As you mentioned its a fairly quick and easy job. I may have to take a 2nd look and consider adding raising the jacks to my to do list.
If do it I may need to add Andersen buckets to my shopping list. I seldom get out of stroke error, and I want to keep it that way. If raising jack increase my out of stroke episodes I won't be happy. Out of stroke is not a big deal it just means more blocks, I get it, But once again I have added to the amount of things to be taken out and put away, which is a big no no for me

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Good Job. I was nervous about the clearance as well. But so far it hasn't been a problem...yet!
As you mentioned its a fairly quick and easy job. I may have to take a 2nd look and consider adding raising the jacks to my to do list.
If do it I may need to add Andersen buckets to my shopping list. I seldom get out of stroke error, and I want to keep it that way. If raising jack increase my out of stroke episodes I won't be happy. Out of stroke is not a big deal it just means more blocks, I get it, But once again I have added to the amount of things to be taken out and put away, which is a big no no for me

I carry 1.5" thick blocks for these, but I would venure to guess I only use them ~25% of the time...maybe even less.

 

[BryanValRox]

Good Job. I was nervous about the clearance as well. But so far it hasn't been a problem...yet!
As you mentioned its a fairly quick and easy job. I may have to take a 2nd look and consider adding raising the jacks to my to do list.
If do it I may need to add Andersen buckets to my shopping list. I seldom get out of stroke error, and I want to keep it that way. If raising jack increase my out of stroke episodes I won't be happy. Out of stroke is not a big deal it just means more blocks, I get it, But once again I have added to the amount of things to be taken out and put away, which is a big no no for me

Thanks Lantley!
I guess the good news is it isn’t a permanent modification. You can always change it back if you find yourself running into stroke errors on unleveled sites. Only thing that is lost is some of your time.

With our style of camping, I have never run into a out of stroke error(yet), and hope to keep it that way.
I completed this mod with the “eyes wide open approach”, so now it is a wait and see how I make out this season.

We carry Stromberg Carlson leveling buckets with us. I have never used more than the two that I proactively place under the front landing gear to purposely reduce the stroke of those jacks. So, if I run into a really unlevel site I already have the buckets to deal with it.

Base on yesterday post project relevel on my very steap storage driveway, I still had enough stroke to do the job without the need to add any rear buckets or blocking.

Base Pad Extreme - Stromberg Carlson Products Inc.

FOR A LIFETIME OF USE! Stromberg Base Pad Extreme improves stability of your parked and leveled RV. Boasting a muted slate gray color that blends in better than competitor’s pads and a lower profile to fit under smaller units as well as units with a higher clearance, you won’t be disappointed...

www.strombergcarlson.com

Like many things in life, it comes down to a personal choice after weighing the risk and rewards.
I rolled the dice to see what happens!

 

[Lantley]

Thanks Lantley!
I guess the good news is it isn’t a permanent modification. You can always change it back if you find yourself running into stroke errors on unleveled sites. Only thing that is lost is some of your time.

With our style of camping, I have never run into a out of stroke error(yet), and hope to keep it that way.
I completed this mod with the “eyes wide open approach”, so now it is a wait and see how I make out this season.

We carry Stromberg Carlson leveling buckets with us. I have never used more than the two that I proactively place under the front landing gear to purposely reduce the stroke of those jacks. So, if I run into a really unlevel site I already have the buckets to deal with it.

Base on yesterday post project relevel on my very steap storage driveway, I still had enough stroke to do the job without the need to add any rear buckets or blocking.

Base Pad Extreme - Stromberg Carlson Products Inc.

FOR A LIFETIME OF USE! Stromberg Base Pad Extreme improves stability of your parked and leveled RV. Boasting a muted slate gray color that blends in better than competitor’s pads and a lower profile to fit under smaller units as well as units with a higher clearance, you won’t be disappointed...

www.strombergcarlson.com

Like many things in life, it comes down to a personal choice after weighing the risk and rewards.
I rolled the dice to see what happens!

So tell me about the Stromberg Carlson Leveling Buckets. They don't have magnets. Do they attach to the jack pads somehow? Or do you align them trial and error as you lower the jack leg?

 

[BryanValRox]

So tell me about the Stromberg Carlson Leveling Buckets. They don't have magnets. Do they attach to the jack pads somehow? Or do you align them trial and error as you lower the jack leg?

Lantley, you are correct they do not have magnets, even if they did it wouldn’t matter because I have snap pads installed and obviously they wouldn’t stick to the rubber.

As, I am lowering the front landing gear, I just eyeball them. Once they are getting ready to make contact, I center them and continue with my disconnect.

 

[Lantley]

Lantley, you are correct they do not have magnets, even if they did it wouldn’t matter because I have snap pads installed and obviously they wouldn’t stick to the rubber.

As, I am lowering the front landing gear, I just eyeball them. Once they are getting ready to make contact, I center them and continue with my disconnect.

Just as I figured for the front, but how do you install on rear jack legs,? How do you align and push button to lower jacks?
Am I making it harder than it is?

 

[BryanValRox]

Just as I figured for the front, but how do you install on rear jack legs,? How do you align and push button to lower jacks?
Am I making it harder than it is?

😂, I think you are making it harder then it is!

You would just follow the same eyeball process and hit the button. Also remember that typically, the rear jacks start out closer to the ground then the front jacks so it is a bit easier to eyeball.
As long as they are reasonably centered, they will be fine. I have a small amount of overhang do to the snap pad.
It really isn’t a big deal at all to eyeball them.
No different then lumber I guess, maybe a smaller target.

Fully disclosure, I have never had to use any under the rear jacks, but I would follow the process outlined above.

 

[Lantley]

😂, I think you are making it harder then it is!

You would just follow the same eyeball process and hit the button. Also remember that typically, the rear jacks start out closer to the ground then the front jacks so it is a bit easier to eyeball.
As long as they are reasonably centered, they will be fine. I have a small amount of overhang do to the snap pad.
It really isn’t a big deal at all to eyeball them.
No different then lumber I guess, maybe a smaller target.

Fully disclosure, I have never had to use any under the rear jacks, but I would follow the process outlined above.

Got it Thanks

 

[Flyer32RLS]

The magnets are the selling point for me. Click they are attached. Have rarely used the rear as they normal don't fit.
Doesn't the buckets kind of negate the use of snap pads? I've never needed them with the Anderson buckets.
Do you ALWAYS us the buckets mainly on the front legs?

 

[UFF]

Raised my back 4 stabilizers before my first trip last year. Always carried blocks anyways. Will not go back, really like the extra clearance. My rule of thumb is if I used leveling blocks on tires I also use them on stabilizers and of course if the ground is out of wack.

 

[BryanValRox]

The magnets are the selling point for me. Click they are attached. Have rarely used the rear as they normal don't fit.
Doesn't the buckets kind of negate the use of snap pads? I've never needed them with the Anderson buckets.
Do you ALWAYS us the buckets mainly on the front legs?

Hey Flyer, not sure if this is directed at me, but here is my two cents.

I don’t disagree that the magnets add convenience to the set up process.
I disagree that the buckets negate the use of the snap pads. It is my belief that it really just depends on the environment and condition the coach is being leveled or parked in. They are not needed with the Stromberg Buckets either, key word needed.

In my case I had the snap pads installed long before I purchased buckets. Mainly to expand the foot print some while parked in our driveway. Trying to prevent divots in the asphalt while leveled and in storage. Additionally, I saw value installing them for our style of camping. We like others park on a lot of either stone, or semi stoned sites or even some sandy sites. Figured the enlarged foot print would help with distribution of the campers weight.

We never carried any lumber( and still don’t) and along came the one campsite that had the north/south crown.
During our unhooking process, I realized that the front landing gear was getting ready to run out of travel just as the Gen-Y cleared the goose ball.

That event is what drove me to research and purchase the buckets.
From that point on, I use buckets on the front landing gear each time we set up regardless of the site.

I can’t use them during storage in the driveway because it has a decent front to back slope and the front landing gear is almost fully retracted during storage to get the coach level.

I am not in anyway advocating that others should travel the same path, I am just sharing my prospective.
No one know their style of camping better than them, so they are best positioned to determine what strategies will work best for them.

Best regards

 

[Lantley]

I also consider the buckets a selling point otherwise you play the alignment game which is easy enough on the front jacks. But can get complicated on the rear jacks.
The thought of out of stroke on the rear due to raising rear jack led me to mentioning Andersen Buckets. Andersen Buckets have magnets which simplify their use vs. manual alignment with jack leg.
Since this thread started I have read a few reviews of Andersen buckets cracking and splitting when used regularly on loose soil.
They seem to hold up well on solid concrete pads but gravel, sandy loose soil cause wear issues and the buckets self destruct over time.
So Andersen Buckets are not the ideal solution for me at this point either.
Bryan I totally respect your point about camping style and that jack raising with or without buckets may not be beneficial for everyone.
Your post has giving something to think about.
I gonna put it in the category with slide toppers. My thought is slide toppers create as many problems as they resolve. (I know many find slide toppers beneficial and do not agree with this opinion.) ..I digress
Does raising jacks create an out of stroke problem or resolve a clearance problem. ...Inquiring RV minds want to know

 

[BryanValRox]

I also consider the buckets a selling point otherwise you play the alignment game which is easy enough on the front jacks. But can get complicated on the rear jacks.
The thought of out of stroke on the rear due to raising rear jack led me to mentioning Andersen Buckets. Andersen Buckets have magnets which simplify their use vs. manual alignment with jack leg.
Since this thread started I have read a few reviews of Andersen buckets cracking and splitting when used regularly on loose soil.
They seem to hold up well on solid concrete pads but gravel, sandy loose soil cause wear issues and the buckets self destruct over time.
So Andersen Buckets are not the ideal solution for me at this point either.
Bryan I totally respect your point about camping style and that jack raising with or without buckets may not be beneficial for everyone.
Your post has giving something to think about.
I gonna put it in the category with slide toppers. My thought is slide toppers create as many problems as they resolve. (I know many find slide toppers beneficial and do not agree with this opinion.) ..I digress
Does raising jacks create an out of stroke problem or resolve a clearance problem. ...Inquiring RV minds want to know

Specifically to your last sentence, what is more of a priority to you? Feeling better about having increased clearance or being worried about the out of stoke errors that might or might not ever be encountered.

As you know, I chose increased clearance.😂

It is good to see that folks are thinking about the subject and sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Chalk one up for the forum!🍻

 

[RoadJunkie]

The "Base Pads" have finger cutouts that could be used to quickly bungie-strap onto the leveling base plates. If anyone plans to use them on a soft surface, then a base pad is still necessary to avoid sinking. It's all a trade off.

 

[BryanValRox]

The "Base Pads" have finger cutouts that could be used to quickly bungie-strap onto the leveling base plates. If anyone plans to use them on a soft surface, then a base pad is still necessary to avoid sinking. It's all a trade off.

Excellent point regarding the finger holes and bungee straps. Totally agree, everything is a trade off.

 

[Lantley]

The "Base Pads" have finger cutouts that could be used to quickly bungie-strap onto the leveling base plates. If anyone plans to use them on a soft surface, then a base pad is still necessary to avoid sinking. It's all a trade off.

It is a trade off. I have free 6x6 scrap timbers that will work just as well as the fabricated buckets. Attaching with magnets is an improvement over my wood blocks. Attaching with bungees and the plot thickens more to do , more to set up ,more to put away, more to keep track of, more to store.
Yes it's all a trade off. At this point in my camping convenience is a huge positive factor, increase in workload is a deal breaking negative factor.
For me to purchase a "bucket" it must be a improvement over my 6x6 blocks" Magnets are an improvement, bungee cords not so much.