Stabilizers down or Slider out first?

[JimBo1953]

On our 24F Four Winds, should the stabilizers be lowered, then the slider run out, or the other way around? Without the stabilizer down the slider causes a definite tilt to the RV, however I am concerned about the heavy slider being too much load for the driver side stabilizer.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by JimBo1953

On our 24F Four Winds, should the stabilizers be lowered, then the slider run out, or the other way around? Without the stabilizer down the slider causes a definite tilt to the RV, however I am concerned about the heavy slider being too much load for the driver side stabilizer.

Level and stabilize first then slides out. Putting slides out can tweak/twist the body binding the slide and system. If after extending the slides the tilt seems to have been increased, do a bit of manual small increment side to side leveling to correct. Any leveling or stabilizing adjustments should be in pairs, not attempting an individual corner. That's to prevent the chassis and house from that twisting.

[abjbrtd]

+1 lift then out
Down then in.
Ops IN then down

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by abjbrtd

+1 lift then out
Down then in.

In then down! You are adding more 'twisting' by having the slides out when dropping the unit.

[Rocky-in-AR]

My understanding is to have your levelers down before operating the slide. Bring the slide in before retracting the levelers.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Absolutely LEVEL your coach FIRST. Consider:

Your slide is basically a large metal framed box. When the slide is retracted, it's being supported at all four bottom corners by the motorhome structure.

When you extend the slide, the outermost two bottom corners are now just hanging with no support. The only things holding it are two contact points at the bottom and where the schwintek motor drive gears are engaged in the tracks.

If one corner of the slide is lower (tilted down) it puts tremendous twisting force/stress on the drive components, and can cause excessive track/gear wear - and possible damage. Twisting the slide "box" this way is likely the source of why the gears jump teeth in the track and cause timing issues - one side of the slide doesn't fully retract.

I have a Chateau 24F with a LARGE full wall slide. My method is FIRST - level the coach with the Big Foot levelers. If you are particular (like me), when the slide is extended, it causes the driver side to dip slightly - which causes the head of the bed to "dip". Not acceptable for us!

So, with the coach FIRST level - THEN the slide extended - I do a slight tweak of the leveling on the slide side... just a few bumps on the slide side front & rear jack buttons brings it to perfect level.

P.S. Our coach came new with just the rear stabilizers - operated by buttons in the entrance step well. I believe that's what you have? Before I had the Big Foot levelers installed I STILL used the same scenario. I drove up on heavy rubber mats to get level, then after the slide was extended I would "cheat" and bump the driver side stabilizer jack just a little to take the "dip" out of the slide, if needed.

[JimBo1953]

Thanks for the help. Our Four Winds also has a full wall slide. I am experimenting with finding the correct bubble position (I added bubble levels) when leveling so that once the slide is out it will tilt to a level position.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by JimBo1953

Thanks for the help. Our Four Winds also has a full wall slide. I am experimenting with finding the correct bubble position (I added bubble levels) when leveling so that once the slide is out it will tilt to a level position.

I tacked (small screws) a small round bubble level on the stairwell ledge just under where the stabilizer controls are. I leveled the coach - then adjusted the screws to show "level". It's not perfect, but gets me close enough to run the slide out.

I use a 2' level (it's what I had ) to fine tune after I get the slide extended. But the little bubble level setup does a great job!

I'm planning a little home brew Arduino project over the winter - design a beeping level indicator - similar to the LevelMate Pro product... but FAR cheaper than $180! If people only knew how cheap those electronic components were!

[OldWEB]

Many level apps available for cellphone, iPad, tablets... work great.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by OldWEB

Many level apps available for cellphone, iPad, tablets... work great.

I have an older phone I was going to dedicate to levelling for the RV. I tried several aps, all which work similar internally (using the phones accelerometer)... I even designed my own Android app.

The problem is that the accelerometer in the device depends on the device itself to be level. And sheer physics on a small device magnify any error. Unless you have a short leveling device affixed in a non-moveable position, it will give inaccurate non-repeatable results. The only way a phone leveling app would be accurate is to first level the RV. Then, permanently glue or somehow attach the phone somewhere visible. Alternatively you could create a 2' rigid aluminum cross and epoxy the phone to the center crosspoint.

All this insanity also hinges on how particular you are with leveling your RV. Are you a "that's close enough" person? Or are you the maniac that can't sleep if your head is tilted 1/2 degree? The phone app will definitely get you close enough (although not as close as my fixed bubble level) - and that's all many people want. Different strokes...

[Scubawise]

We pull out the bubble leveler.
Works great.
If the coach is level, we know to have the full slide
Side up at least 1 inch and extend slide and coach slide level

Never extend full slide unless level with stabilizers

[Bob Denman]

Levelers down; then I get to play with the extend and retract buttons...

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Levelers down; then I get to play with the extend and retract buttons...

The wife usually takes the pups for a "pee walk" while I'm setting up. I always like her comment in about 10 minutes when she returns, and I'm "playing with my buttons"... "You aren't level yet??"

[Bob Denman]

Tell her that you'd rather be "Plumb"...

[EA37TS]

My Thor manual said level first then slides. Jayco, this rig, says it doesn’t matter.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

My Thor manual said level first then slides. Jayco, this rig, says it doesn’t matter.

I've seen comments about the varying recommendations but I'm more comfortable with extending slide on a level and stable RV. I figure can't go wrong that way.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by chunker21

I've seen comments about the varying recommendations but I'm more comfortable with extending slide on a level and stable RV. I figure can't go wrong that way.

I agree but at the Park Model there is a decent slope to the driveway and I will extend the bedroom slide while we are getting ready for or recovering from a trip. Most times though I level from outside while connecting electric, water and sewer. The last thing before starting the engine is retracting the jacks.

BTW I have the Equalizer Leveling System which is very smooth operating and nowhere as jerky as the Level Up system I had on the Challenger. I wouldn’t dream of running auto level on that with slides extended.

[Connieb]

Stabilizer first

[taylojc]

I level my 2021 Quantum RC 25 with lego blocks, so no chance to adjust level with a leveling system. I have a similar question…if I level first and then extend the slide (rather large on the RC 25), is the stabilizer on the drivers side capable of handling the extra weight of the extended slide? Seems like a lot of extra force on a system that may not be designed ti handle it.
Up to now, I have initially set level with an uphill bias on the drivers side, then extended the slide (bringing the unit into level), and the deployed the stabilizers.
Thoughts on the load bearing capacity of rear only stabilizers??

[dkoldman]

What if coach is already perfectly level?

Do you need to drop leveler's anyway if you want slide out? If so, why don't they make it a requirement to have jacks down BEFORE the slide can extend?

They have every safety interlock in the book as it is to do anything with jacks and slide.