Auto Levelers / Class C RV Front Wheels off the ground?

[714Greg]

First off if there is another thread about this let me know.

I have a 2021 Thor Tiburon it seems to me that the Sprinter Chassis is such that I need to raise my front wheels 4-5 inches driving onto levelers. In fact I found that if I park on my slight slanted driveway that I am almost level.

So I decided to order a Bigfoot Auto Leveler System. I know I read that the system never raises the rear wheels, but it looks like it will raise the front wheels in many instances to level my Coach. Now that I've ordered the system to have it installed, I'm reading at various places that you shouldn't raise the front wheels off the ground. So if the system wants to raise the front wheels do I need to support the wheels with plastic leveler blocks. The few times I drove up on the plastic blocks that didn't seem right either. It seemed to me that having the Bigfoot Hydraulic front jacks supporting the coach would be better that driving onto the plastic levelers.

So if in order to level the Coach do I need to support the front wheels if the system raises them off the ground?

[Bob Denman]

My Outlaw used to pull the front wheels into the air; it never seemed to make any difference.
Some folks will tell you that your wheels should always be on the ground...

... Ask them why...

[Yaktop]

I have the big foot and manual is the way to go. After the initial start if you need to raise the front I always try lowering the rear first. If then still need more you raise the front. If necessary I’ll then use blocks and always avoid an off the ground situation.

[paulwadley]

On my 2018 Thor Siesta which is built on a Sprinter chassis, I have had to raise the front wheels off of the ground to get it level and never had an issues. I do try to lower the rear in order to keep the front wheels from going too high. The driver's cab is built tilted down which is the reason you have to raise it so high to make it level.

Paul

[Yaktop]

From their website:

Rear tires must maintain contact with the ground as the bolt-on system is not designed for this and the jacks may shift. Front tires are typically OK to leave the ground, as they may need to do so to level.

I certainly would not want full extension.

[714Greg]

Originally Posted by paulwadley

On my 2018 Thor Siesta which is built on a Sprinter chassis, I have had to raise the front wheels off of the ground to get it level and never had an issues. I do try to lower the rear in order to keep the front wheels from going too high. The driver's cab is built tilted down which is the reason you have to raise it so high to make it level.

Paul

So do you support the front tires when they are off the ground?

[Bob Denman]

It's just my opinion; but if you need to raise your rig that much: you should request a different site...

[Yaktop]

Originally Posted by 714Greg

So do you support the front tires when they are off the ground?

If they are cocked in I don't but if "off the ground" it doesn't take much effort and only if more then a night. I think it helps having another two points of contact with stability. Also depends on the ground, if soft, absolutely. If your on soft / sandy soil and it down pours not much to wear the ground away from the levelers.

Bob, sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. Sometimes I'd rather be a jack and have a great site then one thats flat no one wants. Again, if more than a night.

Its infrequent I would ever have to block the tires, just saying I think its prudent in those circumstances mentioned.

[Bob Denman]

I can agree with that: take a look at the place, and you'll get an idea of what the best solution will be.

[paulwadley]

If the sight is that far from level, I try turning around to avoid to high of a lift.


Paul

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by 714Greg

So do you support the front tires when they are off the ground?

Here’s a good time on Pismo Beach with fronts off the sand

[LandKO]

Had the Bigfoot system installed on our Freedom Elite 30FE last year.
I found that when using the “automatic “ function, the system tended to lift the front wheels to where they where either just touching the ground or actually off the ground. The initial setup was done at the Bigfoot factory.
It seems it wants to raise the rear first and then the front. So I now do it manually. I set the rear levelers down first so they just touch the ground and then level the front. 9 times out of 10 this works great. On the rare occasions where the front needs to be raised 5-7 inches, I use my Anderson ramps under the front tires to get it within an inch or two and then use the levelers to fine tune it. I use the Levelmate Pro to determine what is level.
I’ve never had a campsite that required the back to be higher than the front.

[Pete'sMH]

I’ve had my front wheels off the ground a time or two without any problem but I will try to avoid it in the future. I believe having the tires touching the ground adds lateral stability that those spindly jacks just can’t match. Especially when they are extended so much. I still have lego blocks from my Class C days and I will use them under the front tires if needed. If I do that I’ll also use an equal number under the front jacks to keep them from extending quite so much. Just what I’m going to do.

[Connieb]

We have had to recalibrate our jacks. We will also use a level to make sure they are right.I will not park with any tires off the ground without being supported with ramps etc.

[steve2777]

I have a horror story on why never to raise the front wheels off the ground. Years ago on my older Itasca 34 I continued to extend the jacks to try to level the coach. They extended far enough that one of the retaining springs holding one of the ground plates under the piston snapped out of its hole, the plate shot out from under, and the piston shot into the ground to a depth of about a foot. The coach rolled to that side, very nearly going over. It took me an entire day, digging with a shovel, to get down and under the piston so I could slowly force it back up with the shovel. Never again!

[Pete'sMH]

I have one as well. We were at a campground that had much river rock for their sites and they weren’t really all that level. We used blocks under both the tires and the jacks to be sure the tires were touching. The fellow at a neighboring site didn’t. His front tires were about 5 inches off the ground. Somehow his rig fell off the jacks which bent both of the front jacks and the springs. When I left he was still stuck. I think he was trying to remove the jacks. I’m firmly convinced that having the tires touching the ground adds lateral stability that spindly over extended jacks can’t.

[Lt Keefer]

Wheels off the ground looks unsafe to me. It also looks stupid when I see it in a campground. I have no technical data to support my beliefs, but whenever a mechanic works on a car, he puts jack stands underneath to support the weight. Hydraulics may fail, but jack stands fail less often, unless you buy them from harbor freight that is.

[MaceMan]

My ACE is a little nose down sitting on level ground so it always has to raise the front some. Lots of times, especially in state parks the sites are not perfectly level at all. The front wheels come off the ground sometimes but so what? Nice and level, very stable too. Occasionally you can see where on one side or another of the rear wheels you can see there is not much weight on them. Again, so what? It's peachy.