Lippert Levelers & Slideout - Page 2

starburst2 · 08-20-2010, 07:30 PM

Hi NW Jeeper
I don'tnow if the jacks are extending and retracting normally as I have no reference. Certainly they are much more erratic than my HWH's and they do whine loudly when leveling. I did not have that on the HWH's which are my only reference to "what is normal". There is no leaking but the whining/screeching and shuddering seem abnormal to me. I should probably have them checked by a Forrest River dealer or are the jacks part of the Ford chassis?
Lloyd

NWJeeper · 08-20-2010, 08:42 PM

They are not part of the Ford chassis, they are added by FR at the factory. And they aren't HWH so don't expect HWH quality. I do think they are a bit small in diameter but then that is what keeps the costs down. As myself and others have experienced the same elevator drop and rapid and erratic extension since new that can be assumed to be "normal operation". Ours has never failed. From what you describe it sounds like yours work just like ours does.

starburst2 · 08-21-2010, 12:20 AM

My god. What a revolting development. Too late to change our mind. The deal is done.
Thanks again NW Jeeper for the feedback.
Lloyd

ynott96 · 08-21-2010, 09:55 AM

I experienced the exact same problem recently when my left fron jack went "beyond" then nothing worked slides/jacks, but panel lit up!
Good Sam serviceman located the 15 ampere blown fuse, ad teh tripped "hidden" breaker beneath the steps!
All is well and now I know what to do in the future!
George
2008 Forest River Georgetown 374

Rick Cunningham · 08-22-2010, 06:26 AM

This is different on every unit, I believe. On my '07 391, the reservoir is inside a carpeted box in the pass through storage - it's on the driver's side, directly below the fresh water tank, and accessible through a fold down door.

I too had the 90 amp breaker blow and I too spent over an hour trying to figure out what happened - in my case it resulted from having to level, pop out slides, and then move a couple of feet and repeat, and this must have tripped the fuse. My fuse is in the house battery compartment, on a bulkhead, and as noted above doesn't look like any fuse I've ever seen. A lever pops out of the side and just has to be pushed back in. The location is easy to find because some very heavy wire is necessary to provide 90 amps, and I'd bet that all these breakers are close to the house batteries. Even though none of my documentation tells me about this breaker, there is a 12V wiring diagram pasted to the bulkhead in that compartment which does show there is a breaker. Take a photo of it and print it out for reference...

Finally, on the subject of sudden, jerky operation of the jacks, mine also drop like a rock when retract all is pushed. I've gotten used to it. Also, while leveling, we all know that the manual controls let you raise 2 jacks at a time - front two, rear two, left two, or right two. On my 391, the rear wheels have about 8000 pounds apiece on them and the front wheels have 4500 pounds apiece. When the front and rear have both been raised a bit and the left or right button is pushed, a front and a rear piston are momentarily connected to the same pressure, even though they have different forces on them, and that accounts for one of the big klunks that you experience - some of the fluid from the rear strut is immediately pumped into the front. The automatic leveling "algorithm" seems to be aware of this issue and does a couple of left/right rocking actions at the end of the process to even things out...

jd-ford-hd · 08-22-2010, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Cunningham

Finally, on the subject of sudden, jerky operation of the jacks, mine also drop like a rock when retract all is pushed. I've gotten used to it. Also, while leveling, we all know that the manual controls let you raise 2 jacks at a time - front two, rear two, left two, or right two. On my 391, the rear wheels have about 8000 pounds apiece on them and the front wheels have 4500 pounds apiece. When the front and rear have both been raised a bit and the left or right button is pushed, a front and a rear piston are momentarily connected to the same pressure, even though they have different forces on them, and that accounts for one of the big klunks that you experience - some of the fluid from the rear strut is immediately pumped into the front. The automatic leveling "algorithm" seems to be aware of this issue and does a couple of left/right rocking actions at the end of the process to even things out...

I am impressed Rick..!

I dare say 95% of RV owners owners out there never weigh there units by axle. One of the first things that I did after filling the tanks, the fridge, the pantry, the closets and the basement storage areas was to weigh it by axle. Tongue weights for FW,TT and Motorhome towing are equally important. Your understanding of the front rear weight distribution and how it relates to the hydraulic stabilizers and their operation is "spot on".

NWJeeper · 08-22-2010, 10:19 AM

Thanks for explaining the "sequence of events" Rick. I am used to it so it doesn't bother me. I suppose that unlike HWH, Lippert must feel that we are in a bigger hurry and thus pulls the pressure from the jacks much quicker when the "retract all" button is pushed. Like I said, doesn't bother me.

Lawfive · 08-22-2010, 10:29 PM

Hello Rick, long time no talk. Hope your shower is holding up as well as mine.

Like most of the other folks in this forum I've gotten accustomed to the Lipperts bouncing the MH around. We use our rig for dog competitions and SWMBO takes the three dogs out when we arrive before I do all the herky jerky setup. Otherwise they get so freaked out they don't want to get into the MH.

I also have defaulted to a manual leveling process. The bubble level in the fridge tells all. Is anyone happy with the Lippert automatic mode? If you are, share your secrets.

NWJeeper · 08-22-2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawfive

I also have defaulted to a manual leveling process. The bubble level in the fridge tells all. Is anyone happy with the Lippert automatic mode? If you are, share your secrets.

I for one am not. I do not like the amount of time it takes it to "sense" the ground and stop the jacks. As it always runs in the same sequence on mine (front jacks first) if I am already nose high it lifts the nose even higher out of level until it "senses" the ground and stops, then the rear has to lift even higher to compensate. I use automatic about 50% of the time but prefer to do it myself. I have bubble levels on my drivers door for fore/aft indication and one on my dash for side to side so that I can do it myself.

Lawfive · 08-22-2010, 10:43 PM

I have found the Lipperts send up to the sky and then try to level. I think the final position is unsafe. My RV friends would look at my "automatic" position and tell me to bring the MH down cause it wasn't secure. All the wheels were usually off the ground negating the emergency brake. Even after going through the reset level process I still didn't find things to be any better. Like most other things in the RV world I've found depending on yourself is the best choice. It's a bit of a shame cause the quality of the Lippert system seems to be pretty good.

cfsoistman · 08-23-2010, 06:48 AM

I use the auto level if I'm on fairly level ground while I'm setting up other things but still rely on the manual to final level it. One place we went last year though confused the heck out the thing. It looked like it would almost lay over on it's side. That was the day I learned to use the manual only if the ground is a bit slopey. Is that a word?

jd-ford-hd · 08-24-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfsoistman

That was the day I learned to use the manual only if the ground is a bit slopey. Is that a word?

It is when used here..!!!

Mac · 09-16-2010, 08:39 PM

I'm having trouble locating it.

megaman07 · 09-16-2010, 10:10 PM

Mine is under my entry steps in the coach, use the small round key to loosen the steps and there it is! I just got my 2011 350 and found mine to be fairly smooth and easy going when you hit the retract all button. First camping trip in it this weekend!

whitebb · 09-20-2010, 11:13 PM

I have had this problem several times and also had the 12VDC power center replaced because circuit board went bad, and next time I had the problem I forgot to check both fuses, the one on frame was tripped, forgot the 15 amp fuse. called tech and found a honest one only cost $20.00 and a nice tip. Since the power goes through ignition switch (switch relay) and motor is not running to recharge battery, the cables gets real hot and then trips and blows fuse. He suggested I wait say 10 minutes between slides going in/out. Works fine doing this, also rewire the power to go through a new relay on emergency brake like the leveling jacks work. I probably will do this when I return to Houston this fall. This makes since because it also solves a problem of slides moving out when some bumps slides switches, also happened at a rest stop. Hope this helps.

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