Leveling with front tires off the ground

[Prucrew]

Hello, any advice on having the front tires off the ground after leveling? Is this ok?

 

[Jireh Financial]

It happens with our motorhome sometimes. We are generally short term campers so I don't worry about it. I often try to reposition to minimize the space. Sometimes there is no option. My opinion, it looks worse than it is. Jack stands are made to support the weight. If we were parking for a long season, I would probably put something under there so it would not rock.
Ken

 

[Prucrew]

Good to hear. I wasn’t sure of the stress on the suspension. Thanks!

 

[Rich W.]

While its ok, as stated above, if its ugly or makes you nervous, just go up a couple extra inches, put some blocks under the tires and lower it back down to level. This will take some of the strain off the jacks, the coach will be more secure, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about. The suspension can handle hanging but the jacks can seem a bit spindly depending on how high you have to lift the front to get the coach level.

 

[Prucrew]

Got it…. Thanks!

 

[Jireh Financial]

Good to hear. I wasn’t sure of the stress on the suspension. Thanks!

When in storage for the winter, we put our MH on the jacks. No different that people in warm weather in a park setting for 6 months. It sure beats flat spots on the tires when we start the year. (thump, thump, thump)

 

[Buly]

If you have air bags, then maybe it is a concern? People have pulled air bags apart by lifting the wheels of the ground ( I hear).

 

[Gizmo]

I'm in the camp it doesn't hurt but I try to avoid as much as possilbe. I fnd that if I'm going to have a long term stay I like something under the wheels or people wlll stop by and give me friendly advice. I have been told that thier buddy did and twisted the frame and kitchen cabenits felll off wall and tire went bald in just a few miles or slide down a hill in damage other RVs. Then I have to explain that with airbags you lower the coach down onto stops and then when you level it will up pick the coach off those stops so 95% of the weight of the coach is on the jacks.
If you have to stack blocks under the front of a Class A DP then the steps can be 3 feet to the first step.

 

[J&JD]

You hear so many tales about ruined suspension parts lifting the coach off the ground with the jacks. Freightliner has no problem doing it, Newmar does it (I have personally seen it), tire shops do it, and HWH does it all the time at their repair facility.
I do agree with above comments about the look and stability of being off the ground, especially for long term but I wouldn’t be concerned with coach damage.

 

[Jim]

Is it actually a necessity to store a motor home level if all the systems are turned off anyway?

 

[Jireh Financial]

And NEVER open slides until you are level. Level first, then slides.
Ken

 

[Neal]

And NEVER open slides until you are level. Level first, then slides.
Ken

Not how I do it, slides out then level. In my case there is a ton of weight going out (moment arms for the engineer types) that can easily throw off a level done with slides in.

 

[Gizmo]

And NEVER open slides until you are level. Level first, then slides.
Ken

My Discovery said to level then deploy sides but my Newmar I have a warning letter from Newmar that states to check the gap on full wall slides then deploy slides and the last step is to level the coach. I always say to follow your manufacture's recommendation on deploying slides before or after leveling.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

I find that my rig 34ft Georgetown is the most stable with the jacks down, but with some weight still on the tires. The tires are a lot further outboard than the jacks and hel stabilize. If necessary, I drive up on blocks to make the rig "eyeball level" before I drop the jacks.
I "level" manually with the tail down slightly for water (A/C condensation)) runoff. I level before I extend the slides.

 

[Jim]

Is it actually a necessity to store a motor home level if all the systems are turned off anyway?

OK, never mind. Apparently it matters.

Can You Store An RV That Is Not Level?

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[J&JD]

Is it actually a necessity to store a motor home level if all the systems are turned off anyway?

Certainly not but if you simply shut down & walk away some of the air bags will slowly leak until the coach settles on the frame. If you’re lucky and have a leak free air system then it will stay at ride height. It doesn’t really matter for storage purposes unless you want to operate the slides. In my case, with the coach parked in the backyard, my right front airs down in about 3 days. Sometimes I leave it that way for weeks with no problems and everything in the coach works just fine except the slides. If I want to operate the slides I start up the coach and let it return to ride height which is where Newmar recommends the coach to be for slide operation. Bottom line, IMHO, store it any way you want, just be careful with slide operation. And, I have a residential refer which doesn’t seem to matter being a bit out of level.

 

[Jim]

In my case, with the coach parked in the backyard, my right front airs down in about 3 days. Sometimes I leave it that way for weeks with no problems and everything in the coach works just fine except the slides.

Didn't your coach come with the Valid leveling system?

 

[J&JD]

Didn't your coach come with the Valid leveling system?

No, but I had Active Air installed by HWH several years ago. Sometimes I air level while in storage but since we go in and out of the coach a bit since it’s right at the house and there is some air bag leakage the small auxiliary compressor operates more than I like to keep the coach level. If the coach is going to sit for just 2 weeks or so I will air level. Otherwise I just let the coach do its thing.

 

[Jim]

No, but I had Active Air installed by HWH several years ago.

Made a whole different coach, didn't it?

 

[Andre]

Hello, any advice on having the front tires off the ground after leveling? Is this ok?

I am new to this RVing, my third trip out, I was on ground that was not level. I put wooden blocks under my back tires and Jack's. The back was much lower ground than the front. When retracting the jacks they all come up at the same time, I think. When I was retracting the jackets the rig moved forward about an inch, I bent one and broke one off completely. Keep in mind this was all my fault. I had taken the wooden blocks out from under the tires. By doing that the back tires are off the ground and now no emergency break!! I will never have my tires off the ground again. I have Lago blocks and will drive my rig on them along with Lago blocks up the Jack's.