Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

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Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

August 25, 2015, 09:17:43 pm

New user question:
I have a motorhome with no levelers and previously owned one with hydraulic leveling jacks. I am very intrigued by the air leveling in the Foretravel units and my wife loves the look of the Grand Villas. We tend to stay at Wal-Marts en route and we know you should not use leveling jacks while boondocking. I am curious to hear actual experience with leveling the unit with air bags on the sloped parking lots (and even campgrounds with uneven spots!).

We have a serious itch for a U-280.

Thanks.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #1 – August 25, 2015, 10:10:47 pm

I use my airbags to level all the time in rest stops and wal marts. Easy and nothing to push thru the blacktop or freeze to the ground.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #2 – August 25, 2015, 10:22:52 pm

I've had both. Air leveling is by far way better. I seem to be able to level about the same as when I had jacks. Best thing is that you can't lift the rear wheels off the ground, thus losing your emergency brakes.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #3 – August 25, 2015, 10:24:19 pm

We stay at Walmart quite often, if you pick a somewhat level spot, just a small adjustment is necessary. The 3 lever manual air bag leveling system will never leak oil, or have a sensor or control module fail, or a jack that fails to retract.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #4 – August 25, 2015, 11:03:05 pm

I level with air everytime I park, anywhere. I also use the leveling system to lean over while filling with cheap diesel to get the tank completely full.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #5 – August 25, 2015, 11:04:09 pm

We level almost every time we stop the coach. The system works easily, quickly, and well. It will accommodate up to about 8 inches of difference between the highest and lowest tire position. A shorter coach will handle a steeper slope.

We can park in almost any spot where parking a large vehicle is appropriate. No jacks are down, so we are not "camping." We are simply parking while shopping or resting.

In a sloping parking lot, the coach looks broken. There is a Walmart with a sloping parking lot in Chadron, NE, where we have shopped a couple of times during trips. The coach looks like somebody's idea of a "custom ride" while parked. The front is almost on the pavement and the back end is high. However, the refrigerator is "happy" and the coach quickly returns to a traveling posture when we start the engine and release the parking brake.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #6 – August 25, 2015, 11:11:06 pm

Quote from: car54 – August 25, 2015, 11:03:05 pm

I level with air everytime I park, anywhere. I also use the leveling system to lean over while filling with cheap diesel to get the tank completely full.

I prefer to level the coach when filling with fuel.

I do often tilt the coach "hard to the left" when dumping the waste tanks. The tilt facilitates a fast and thorough flush of the waste tanks.

I also generally put a very slight tilt toward the front of the coach when parked overnight. It cuts down on the "drip, drip, drip" of moisture at the bedroom end of the coach. A pair of carefully calibrated levels at the driver's position facilitates "attitude adjustment."

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #7 – August 26, 2015, 08:26:32 am

Quote from: ViewRVs – August 25, 2015, 09:17:43 pm

We have a serious itch for a U-280.

Welcome, Fred and Monique! If you are interested in anything pertaining to Foretravel, this is the place to be. I recognize your itch, and urge you to seek the only remedy possible: GET ONE! As owners of a U280, my wife and I believe our classic coach offers (for us) the perfect combination of comfort, livability and performance. We could have spent a LOT more money on a newer-fancier model, but we wouldn't be any happier. You already own a quality coach (Airstream), but even so, I think you might be very impressed if you could spend some time in a nice Grand Villa.

Take one for a ride, and you'll be sold!

PS: If you would like to "snoop around" inside our coach, we have a public photo page. Feel free to visit: cja

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #8 – August 26, 2015, 09:51:37 am

The HWH leveling system works well as long as the gradient is not too steep. I prefer the manual controls but our later automatic type has not caused any problems. It is nice to punch the button twice and then go to other things while the coach levels. We just got back from a week on the road and it worked faultlessly.

You do have to make sure you don't back over the end log at a campsite and then let the coach down on top of the log. I did that once. Lucky no damage was done.

Pierce

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #9 – August 26, 2015, 10:20:41 am

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – August 26, 2015, 09:51:37 am

You do have to make sure you don't back over the end log at a campsite and then let the coach down on top of the log. I did that once. Lucky no damage was done.

Yes, indeed! One of our fellow travelers lowered the rear of the coach while over a parking block. Fortunately, they were able to install the new oil pan the next day so they could continue traveling with the group. It is prudent to check what is under the coach before lowering a significant distance. The overhang at the rear is particularly vulnerable.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #10 – August 26, 2015, 04:58:00 pm

We always level with our airbags- one of the features that attracted me to Foretravel in the first place. Having had to dig out jacks sunk in mud, jacks that won't work, jacks that won't come up, I am so happy to say " so long Jacks".

Just my opinion- been full timing in our coach for 7.5 years so far.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #11 – August 26, 2015, 05:22:35 pm

Quote from: J. D. Stevens – August 26, 2015, 10:20:41 am

Yes, indeed! One of our fellow travelers lowered the rear of the coach while over a parking block. Fortunately, they were able to install the new oil pan the next day so they could continue traveling with the group. It is prudent to check what is under the coach before lowering a significant distance. The overhang at the rear is particularly vulnerable.

I have an oil pan guard. Is this standard equipment? I haven't noticed any others like this...

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #12 – August 26, 2015, 05:30:41 pm

Quote from: Doug Weil – August 26, 2015, 05:22:35 pm

I have an oil pan guard. Is this standard equipment? I haven't noticed any others like this...

Same as mine. Only problem is you lower the RV over something you still could put a hole in oil pan if the guard pipes do not catch the offender.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #13 – August 26, 2015, 10:02:04 pm

I don't think I can achieve level on as much slope with my FT as I could with my Barth Breakaway. The latter was only 30' on a Spartan chassis with HWH hydraulic jacks. While neither end of it could actually be lowered (as with the FT), either end could be raised more than air suspension bags can do. So, I carry some lumber to roll onto, if necessary. My concrete driveway has a gentle slope. I have neither measured the angle in degrees nor the drop in inches. I do know that the leveling system in my 36' U295 FT lights the EXCESSS SLOPE warning lamp and fails to level the coach.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #14 – August 27, 2015, 08:06:15 am

There are definite limitations to the amount of leveling capability available with Foretravel's air-bag leveling system--particularly with a 40-ft coach. However, for us the benefits far outweigh any limitations. We have Lynx Levelers (available at Walmart, Amazon, etc.) in case we need them, but haven't yet needed them. I'm thankful we don't have hydraulic jacks and the issues that seem to go with them.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #15 – August 27, 2015, 09:25:35 am

The easiest way to work around the limitations are to park sideways to the steepest grade, and front to back to the lesser change. works great.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #16 – August 27, 2015, 10:06:42 am

I carry some 2x6's if the slope is too much. Just put under the low side. No need to be exact like those poor sobs

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #17 – August 27, 2015, 10:22:58 am

If the slope is too much- go to another site. Life is too short to mess around and damage our coaches trying to level on a spot where we shouldn't be in the first place. Just my opinion.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #18 – August 27, 2015, 10:49:28 am

Quote from: turbojack – August 26, 2015, 05:30:41 pm

Same as mine. Only problem is you lower the RV over something you still could put a hole in oil pan if the guard pipes do not catch the offender.

My friend may have had a drain valve that extended below the guards. He lowered onto a parking block and cracked the oil pan around the drain port.

I really like the feature of leveling with the air suspension. I usually use the automatic feature to start, tweak to my satisfaction with manual adjustment, and then turn the automatic leveling feature back on.

Our first coach had hydraulic jacks. I prefer not to return to that mode of leveling.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #19 – August 27, 2015, 12:19:44 pm

I liked the original unihomes manual leveling levers system but for a different reason other than the leveling.

Like the old foretravels dodge chassis with the tag wheels on the 35's you could raise the downwind side in a strong steady cross wind like crossing the Great Plains east to west and without much actual suspension travel movement you could lessen or eliminate the counter steer needed and straighten the steering wheel up.

The old dodge has an air ride tag axle and each side had a seperate adjustment on the dash which allowed the same thing. Or allowed minor leveling adjustment without deploying the jacks.

Love to have a set of the unihome manual levers and the cabling and pivot pins and mounts the ride height valves were mounted on to allow the manual ride height adjustment on my m11.

And still keep the auto system as an option.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #20 – August 27, 2015, 07:22:46 pm

Sounds just like my 1985 35' Vogue P30, Chevy 454.

But I always lusted for a Grand Villa !

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #21 – August 27, 2015, 09:33:56 pm

In 9 years I've never found a situation where I couldn't level my 42' coach enough to be comfortable. On occasion I've purposely parked with the front on the low side just because the front air bags react so much quicker than the rear with tag.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #22 – August 28, 2015, 01:11:57 am

The only "problem" with air bag leveling, if you want to call it a problem, is that the range of leveling is not as great as some leveling jacks. If I need a lot of leveling front to back, I may not have enough range to satisfy the system.

This leaves me with three solutions.

One is to call it close enough and shut the system down. Since I now have a compressor driven marine refrigerator, close enough only means close enough for my comfort.

Another solution is to add some lumber, ideally under the front wheels.

The third solution, if the situation allows for it, is to park so the non-levelness is side to side. The air bags can handle quite a lot of side to side range.

I have no interest in having leveling jacks. This is the way to go. Setting up camp is pushbutton easy, pushbutton automatic leveling, followed by pushbutton slide extension, and finally a pushbutton to extend the Girard awning. The hardest part is setting up the camp chairs outside.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #23 – August 28, 2015, 01:15:35 am

I built several country coaches with both hydraulic and Hwh air leveling.

Straight action. Not swing down. Bluebird also used that.

Take all the tires off the ground.

Re: Leveling with air bags? Wal-mart?

Reply #24 – August 28, 2015, 09:43:38 am

Downside of now jacks: RV rocks and rolls when walking around and stuff. Annoying when sleeping and a guest is moving about.

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