Using Rear Scissor Jacks with Auto-Level

[jj95]

All,

I recently purchased a 2020 Sandpiper 372LOK (~41' long). It has the 6-point auto level system. The rear most hydraulic jacks are roughly 12' from the rear. The rear of the TT is the living room, and when you are sitting on the couches you can feel a bit of motion from the wind, people walking, etc.

I have an extra set of scissor jacks, so I decided to put them under the rear to help. (Not sure if I will be able to permanently install them or not yet). I thought I would run them down and snug them up with a drill and see if that helped. It didnt take much pressure before the rear (hydraulic) jacks started to loosen.

Curious if anyone else has used scissor jacks in a situation like this and if you found a process that works well.

Thanks in advance!

[Semperfi24]

After your auto level system finishes, have you tried to manually lower the rear 2 jacks just slightly beyond where the auto level stopped? That extra 1/8 to 1/4 inch might serve the same purpose as the scissor jacks without impacting whether you are "level"

[ependydad]

I haven’t tried that but have thought about doing similar with the Valterra RV Stabilizer. Interesting to hear that it lifts the jacks. I can see how that would happen.

I’ve been meaning to add the SteadyFast stabilizers. Get it locked down and then see if we need to do more.

[jj95]

Semperfi - I thought about doing some "manual mode" adjustments after auto-level completes, but have not tried it yet.

Ependydad - I was actually surprised that it lifted them - I (wrongly) assumed that the hydraulic jacks would exert more lift than what my cheesy 18v drill could negate. I also had the jacks at the very rear of the frame (with hopes that if it worked, and I decided to mount them, that I could also install the JT Strong Arms I have in my garage) - perhaps I should try moving them 5' or so forward.

Looks like I have a few more things to try!

(FYI, my wife has a history of motion sickness, so I end up fiddling more with stability than most do. Her medicine of choice is dramamine; mine is beer).

[SlowrideHD]

What might help is to put some blocks under the levelers so the cylinders don't extend so far. I carry a bunch of 2"x8" blocks to stack under my jack pads. The farther those cylinders extend, the more unstable they become and are more prone to getting bent in a windstorm.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by jj95

(FYI, my wife has a history of motion sickness, so I end up fiddling more with stability than most do. Her medicine of choice is dramamine; mine is beer).

I feel you. My wife deals with motion sickness AND has a bad back. Some days, just the kids walking around is enough to hurt her back.

[NMWildcat]

Everytime we setup is a different feel with the 6point. Sometimes it is rock solid, others it's like a riding a wave.
In trying to discern the difference we have found on those unstable setups that running all the jacks down slightly to take more weight off the axles helps significantly. And when boondocking in unlevel spots that have the tires off the ground on one side, we are usually really stable
We also tried using major blocks under the jacks to shorten the extension, but that didn't seem to make much difference.

[jj95]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

In trying to discern the difference we have found on those unstable setups that running all the jacks down slightly to take more weight off the axles helps significantly.

NMWildcat -

(Disclaimer - I am new to a 5er with the auto-level feature).

How do you do this? My keypad has front/back/left/right, but not sure if/when/how that adjusts the jacks in the middle? Or perhaps "left" is the 3 on the left, and "right" is the other 3, all at once? But I thought it tended to run just one jack at a time...

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by jj95

NMWildcat -

(Disclaimer - I am new to a 5er with the auto-level feature).

How do you do this? My keypad has front/back/left/right, but not sure if/when/how that adjusts the jacks in the middle? Or perhaps "left" is the 3 on the left, and "right" is the other 3, all at once? But I thought it tended to run just one jack at a time...

I will do the auto level first. All jacks are deployed. I usually bump the left side extend arrow, and all the jacks on the left side will slightly extend. Then the right side, to keep it level.
You will notice when you raise/lower the front/back (when all jacks are deployed), that the rear and middle jacks also move to accommodate the action.
At least on mine, you can't control single jacks. I have three jack valves that work on pairs of jacks when all jacks are not deployed. The pairs are front, left (driver) side rear/middle, right side rear/middle. And that's the order they will ground when auto level is first engaged (front landing pair already down of course). You can control the pairs individually by putting it in manual mode.
The level up system is really versatile as to what you can do with it. You just need to read the manual and then play with it. I have used it many times to change tires and repack bearings, one side at a time (and yes, use jack stands for safety). Never lift all the tires off the ground as the shackles will flip, and might be fun to get flipped back
You can't really hurt it, it protects itself, like telling you when a jack is extended to its max, or battery power is low.
Enjoy! It's the best option ever

[Semperfi24]

This is an interesting conversation about the hydraulic leveling jacks. I had a similar question pop into my mind with regard to "individual jack operation". I have a 4 point system, so I dont have experience with the 6 point. On my 4 point I can control them in pairs (both of the front, both of the rear, both of the left, or both of the right) and I can control each of the 4 alone. Just the left rear for example. But then I started thinking, I wonder if that is possible on the 6 point system. Sounds like that isnt an option (Thanks NMWildcat). For the 4 point, if you are in manual mode, you can press the up arrow and the left arrow at the same time, to pinpoint just the front left jack, for example. Its fun to learn the different ways the various systems operate, but also kind of frustrating to see how many variations of "the same thing" exist.

[Kpinto]

You can adjust what "Level" is. Instead of having to adjust it each time you use it. I lowered my whole camper about 2 inches to let the tires and chassis help with motion. I also have a slight lean to the front and opposite door side so the water from AC's run off on that corner. Didn't want it running off the back because it is a Toy Hauler. I actually tried about 3-4 different ways of it leveling before I got what I wanted. Lippert has videos on YouTube to show you how to reset it.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Kpinto

You can adjust what "Level" is. Instead of having to adjust it each time you use it. I lowered my whole camper about 2 inches to let the tires and chassis help with motion. I also have a slight lean to the front and opposite door side so the water from AC's run off on that corner. Didn't want it running off the back because it is a Toy Hauler. I actually tried about 3-4 different ways of it leveling before I got what I wanted. Lippert has videos on YouTube to show you how to reset it.

Zero Point Calibration. Look up the procedure for your particular model in this LCI master manual: https://support.lci1.com/master-owne...-stabilization

[jj95]

Originally Posted by Kpinto

You can adjust what "Level" is. Instead of having to adjust it each time you use it. I lowered my whole camper about 2 inches to let the tires and chassis help with motion. I also have a slight lean to the front and opposite door side so the water from AC's run off on that corner. Didn't want it running off the back because it is a Toy Hauler. I actually tried about 3-4 different ways of it leveling before I got what I wanted. Lippert has videos on YouTube to show you how to reset it.

Interesting - I would have thought that raising the camper up, taking weight off the leaf springs, would have stabilized more?

Regardless, I appreciate everyones input, I now have several more things to try on my next trip!