Lippert Level-Up Tires Off Ground

[swbouton]

I decided that I want all 4 wheels on the ground, so I put several hard rubber spacers in the back of my truck. I'll use them beneath the jacks that need the additional space.

[NMWildcat]

We frequently have 2 tires off the ground for weeks at a time. Our rig is 5 years old. No problems. In fact it seems steadier when the tires are off the ground When I know the spot is un-level I do use those stack-em plastic blocks under the leveler pads to shorten the the stroke.

Also, I have changed tires using the level up system. Works great!

But if having your tires off the ground bugs you, don't do it

[btritschler1437]

Something to be aware of when the tires come off the ground is one of the shackles may flip. See the thread Crusader Shackle Flipped for a picture of this problem.

[Bobh62]

I'm new to this but the few times I've used the level up I unhooked from the truck first. Could it be that the front was too high being hooked to the truck that the wheels came off the ground to level to that height? The reason I ask is when I use it I hooked the front always goes down first and then it levels itself. Just wondering for future reference. Have a good evening!

[Oscarvan]

I'll leave all of you to the "tires in the air" discussion. I think with six legs on a fiver it's fine. My bus is 28000# and has 4 legs.... not so much.

BUT........BUT.....

If you retract the landing gear the front of the trailer does not come down? Say WHAT? ZERO tongue weight? How about 15% of GVW? My 18000# Cyclone had about 3700# on the tongue. No way in HELL would that thing have stayed up if I retracted the landing gear....

Am I missing something here?

[jdavanzo]

Raising the front landing gear does lower the front o the fifth wheel, but it is still sitting on the landing gear, when when fully raised. I've done that to wash the front of the RV. It sure makes cleaning the top of the nose easier.

[Oscarvan]

Originally Posted by jdavanzo

Raising the front landing gear does lower the front o the fifth wheel, but it is still sitting on the landing gear, when when fully raised. I've done that to wash the front of the RV. It sure makes cleaning the top of the nose easier.

In my case it would also have put a SERIOUS load on the front axle...... But yes, I guess for a very short period (to reset the leveler zero) you could do it.

Now that I think about it, a few 6x6 blocks under there and the trailer would stay pretty level.

[Cumminz]

My Champagne has not left my yard since I purchased it several weeks ago and have only raised it twice and have already decided that we will never go thru the self level again until we put boards under one side or the other to level side to side. Remember the jack system are mounted on frame with a slight outward mounting of the jacks. If your rig when you park it is off let's say 2-3" from side to side then all of your jacks are greatly offset way to much more than normal. The first time mine went up one of the front jacks sprung out what looked like 3"s off square. It almost looked bent. Never do that again. Hdy cylinders are NOT designed to flex. Sooner or later if your rig is being lowered and raised in a way it was not designed to do will spring leaks and will disfunction.

[Narboza]

The standard Lippert hydraulic jacks are pretty hefty. In a 6-point system, the four rear jacks are rated at 8,000 lbs each. The two front/landing jacks are rated at 14,000 lbs each. The jack mounts are tilted at 1-2 degrees inward for stability. Lippert does not recommend lifting the wheels off the ground because their lawyers are involved. I think they say that technically in the event of side forces (wind primarily) on the unit. The wheels/axels can handle side forces much better than the jacks by themselves.

That said, I have lifted the wheels off the ground for inspection and at some tilted sites. The jacks can reach the end of their stroke before the trailer gets level and the touchpad will display an error.