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Old 07-17-2020, 04:51 PM   #21
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Really it’s no different then using jack stands while working underneath a car. Am I saying I would do it? No I would still put some blocks under the tires for just case. I don’t have that problem since I don’t have levelers but I have gotten pretty creative using blocks that maybe looked sketchy but in reality was pretty solid.

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Old 07-17-2020, 05:40 PM   #22
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You reminded me of this one:

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1595007594
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Old 07-17-2020, 06:04 PM   #23
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Haha pretty much!
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Old 07-17-2020, 06:12 PM   #24
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Backyard engineering is a wonderful thing: if it doesn't kill you; it makes you look smarter!
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Old 07-17-2020, 06:24 PM   #25
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Backyard engineering is a wonderful thing: if it doesn't kill you; it makes you look smarter!
So true! And if you look confident in what your are doing even if you think it’s sketchy that helps sell it.
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Old 07-17-2020, 06:33 PM   #26
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Old 07-17-2020, 07:51 PM   #27
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Are you making fun of the way I park my RV again Bob?
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Old 07-17-2020, 08:02 PM   #28
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Really it’s no different then using jack stands while working underneath a car. Am I saying I would do it? No I would still put some blocks under the tires for just case. I don’t have that problem since I don’t have levelers but I have gotten pretty creative using blocks that maybe looked sketchy but in reality was pretty solid.

Quite a bit different....
If I am getting UNDER the RV, there are clearly blocks under the wheels so I hydraulic failure doesn’t land it on top of me...
But if I’m not under the rig, I am within the parameters of MY owners manual which only states don’t lift all wheels off the ground and within my personal ‘ok with that’..
Of course do what makes you feel safe.
In the hundred or so times this has come up in last 5 years or so, never has been a consensus.
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Old 07-17-2020, 08:31 PM   #29
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Quite a bit different....
If I am getting UNDER the RV, there are clearly blocks under the wheels so I hydraulic failure doesn’t land it on top of me...
But if I’m not under the rig, I am within the parameters of MY owners manual which only states don’t lift all wheels off the ground and within my personal ‘ok with that’..
Of course do what makes you feel safe.
In the hundred or so times this has come up in last 5 years or so, never has been a consensus.
Ain't that the truth; on this or any other forum. Could be because different people have different tolerances for risk. Ain't nothing wrong with that, you do what you think is within your tolerance and I'll do what is within my tolerance.

Is this a great country or what?

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Old 07-17-2020, 08:42 PM   #30
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Are you making fun of the way I park my RV again Bob?
Nothing could be further from the truth...
I was admiring your ingenuity!
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Old 07-18-2020, 03:08 PM   #31
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Quite a bit different....
If I am getting UNDER the RV, there are clearly blocks under the wheels so I hydraulic failure doesn’t land it on top of me...
But if I’m not under the rig, I am within the parameters of MY owners manual which only states don’t lift all wheels off the ground and within my personal ‘ok with that’..
Of course do what makes you feel safe.
In the hundred or so times this has come up in last 5 years or so, never has been a consensus.
Oh yeah that totally makes sense. If the manual doesn’t say don’t do it that way there should be no reason for concern. I have little kids they tend to get their hands on lots of things they shouldn’t. I always carry the spare keys with me because somehow they always seem to be able to lock us out. It’s like magic! So my luck would be someone would hit the switches and we would look like a low rider from a snoop dog video.
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Old 07-18-2020, 04:05 PM   #32
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Right or wrong IDK!
I'll say I've seen snowbirds parked all winter in class C's & class A gassers just like your picture with no issues I'm aware of.
But I will agree anything is possible at any time.
I had our last 5th wheel supported by the 6 levelers living in it for 4 days with no wheels/tires while waiting on brake parts, no problems. Each of the landing gear jacks were rated to handle about 1 1/2 times the total rv weight & each of the other 4 rated at the rv weight.
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Old 07-19-2020, 03:43 AM   #33
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My manual says not to raise *ALL* wheels off the ground... no such warning about one or a pair.
Also stickers clearly say not to operate slides if not level.

Do I try to avoid having wheels off ground? Sure...
But do I sweat it if I need to? Nope... not at all.

My last sticks/bricks, my last RV would run fridge fine in driveway... current rig needed wheels lifted to do same. No way I would try to drive up on blocks that high. Much safer to use jacks in my opinion. They support most of the rig weight as soon as they start lifting.

One of those ‘religious’ arguments you won’t get consensus on.
Well said gmc. We have a driveway that requires the left set of rear duel tires to be off the ground about two inches to be level enough to run the refrigerator and put out the slide. To be perfectly level all four rear tires are in the air. Front to back the coach is stable with all back tires off the ground, but it is not stable side to side. If we’re home for a long time, I use the ramps and boxes under the jacks you see in the picture to level the coach. I originally had higher ramps but reduced the height because driving up onto the original ramps was just too scary. I’ve gotten used to these ramps. When camping I always have as many tires on the ground as I can, but if I have to, I will have one or two tires off the ground as long as a least one set of rear tires is on the ground.

I realize not every one is comfortable with tires off the ground but this works for me.
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Old 07-19-2020, 09:54 AM   #34
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Some of us have seen hydraulic lines break, others haven't

Many hydraulic leveling systems leak down over time, a few not as much

I like my entry as low to the ground as possible and Jack's extended as little as possible

There is a consensus that any wheel hanging in the air is definitely not aesthetically appealing
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Old 07-19-2020, 12:47 PM   #35
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There is a consensus that any wheel hanging in the air is definitely not aesthetically appealing
Yup... But this really isn't a question of aesthetics: it's about safety and functionality.
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Old 07-19-2020, 01:38 PM   #36
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When our levelers took the front tires off the ground I would use these Andersen leveling blocks. They are easy to wedge tightly under a tire, then lock in place with the other wedge. It helped me feel like I knew what I was doing at the very least!
https://www.amazon.com/Andersen-Hitc.../dp/B001GC2LVM
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Old 07-19-2020, 02:09 PM   #37
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When our levelers took the front tires off the ground I would use these Andersen leveling blocks. They are easy to wedge tightly under a tire, then lock in place with the other wedge. It helped me feel like I knew what I was doing at the very least!
https://www.amazon.com/Andersen-Hitc.../dp/B001GC2LVM
My BIL has those for his TRAILER.
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Old 07-19-2020, 02:16 PM   #38
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If your Levelers are lifting tires off the ground: you can sometimes manually lower both ends, and get them back to Terra Firms...
IF they're lifting a bit more than is minimally necessary...
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Old 07-22-2020, 06:56 PM   #39
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The real issue in my opinion is that these light-duty jacks are not strong enough to handle lateral forces at ground when parked on incline, particularly since they would be near full extension. When designed for it, much larger vehicles like mobile cranes and power-company trucks are jacked off the ground safely.

Even if all wheels were jacked off ground, why would pads slide? There is plenty of friction between steel and concrete or pavement to keep motorhome from “sliding” down the driveway. The coefficient of friction may be a little lower than a rubber tire, but we’re only talking about a slope of few percent.

There is nothing inherently wrong with jacking wheels off ground if jacks are designed for it, but in this case they are not. Owner is taking a risk that a jack may bend, collapse, or damage attachment point at frame.

In my opinion it pays to not commingle issues. Just because jacks are not designed for it in this case, it doesn’t mean the act of jacking tires off the ground in itself is inherently unsafe because of some other imagined issue.

If instructions say not to jack off ground, best not to do it; regardless of whether we know the correct reason or not.
I don’t know what makes you think the jacks are light duty. I suspect they are 6,000 pounds each and the front axel is also 6,000 pounds. That is the case on my RV...except rear axel is 12,000 pounds.
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Old 07-22-2020, 07:04 PM   #40
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Off the ground?

I have had to have front wheels or at least one off the ground several times in Texas State Parks. Their sites are often big enough but not too level. No big deal at all.
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