Some basic questions

[kb0zke]

We've been fulltiming in a MH for several years and are now considering a 5'er. All of our fuses and breakers are inside the coach, so someone would have to break in to replace any pulled fuses or reset tripped breakers.

1. Some 5'ers have hydraulic leveling systems, while others have only hydraulic legs at the front. I assume that those systems have some sort of electrical control for them, which means that there is a fuse or circuit breaker somewhere. If that is pulled/tripped, will the system remain level, or will the weight of the coach cause it to drop?

2. Related to above, are there safety pins that are placed in the legs to prevent it from dropping too far?

3. Can those leveling systems be used to raise the coach enough to remove the wheels and tires? I'm thinking that when the time comes to replace the tires it would be easier to raise the 5'er up so that the wheels can be removed and taken to the tire shop for replacement tires, then reinstalled.

[Ray,IN]

1 hour ago, kb0zke said:

We've been fulltiming in a MH for several years and are now considering a 5'er. All of our fuses and breakers are inside the coach, so someone would have to break in to replace any pulled fuses or reset tripped breakers.

1. Some 5'ers have hydraulic leveling systems, while others have only hydraulic legs at the front. I assume that those systems have some sort of electrical control for them, which means that there is a fuse or circuit breaker somewhere. If that is pulled/tripped, will the system remain level, or will the weight of the coach cause it to drop? Unless the valving in a hydraulic motor/pump fail the jacks remain in the same position until the motor/pump is again receiving 12VDC and the switch is activated.

2. Related to above, are there safety pins that are placed in the legs to prevent it from dropping too far? No.

3. Can those leveling systems be used to raise the coach enough to remove the wheels and tires? I'm thinking that when the time comes to replace the tires it would be easier to raise the 5'er up so that the wheels can be removed and taken to the tire shop for replacement tires, then reinstalled.

NO, this is not safe. If a hydraulic line bursts it drops the RV to the ground on that corner. One may raise the wheels off the ground then use wooden blocks/cribbage under the frame to support the load; then do the reverse after new wheels are installed.

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Ray,IN

[dlcarsonak]

   I have not had a problem with the electric part of my hydraulic jacks in the 6 years we have had the coach. I am sure there is a fuse some where. The jacks will not move unless there is power to the pump to move the oil. In cold weather the hydraulic oil is cold and  will not move the jacks very far. You must move them up and down a few time to warm the oil.

   There is not any safety pins on mine or any that I have seen.

   Can and Should are two separate meanings. The book says do not use the jacks to raise the coach off the ground. The jacks are strong enough to do it. I know because some times in auto level it will raise the coach off the ground.

[MNRon]

1.  If the fuse is pulled, nothing happens...even if you hit the button    I took advantage of this and put a hidden switch inline with the fuse as a security measure so no one could nefariously mess with leveling. 
 

2.  No safety pins. 
 

3.  Leveling jacks will raise wheels off of ground.  This happens sometimes during normal leveling.  If you have standard leaf springs this might be concerning as it could invert the equilizer.  We had MORryde IS installed so not a concern.  In fact, for two days while cutting off previous suspension, MORryde tech used leveling system to support coach - I would NOT crawl under there without backup support, but he did.  I have changed tires and greased bearings etc using leveling system, but always put jack or blocking in place before I get under. 

[Jinx & Wayne]

17 hours ago, kb0zke said:

Some 5'ers have hydraulic leveling systems, while others have only hydraulic legs at the front.

Not all fiver leveling systems are hydraulic.  Many, particularly older rigs, have jacks operated by an electric motor.  There are no safety pins - they don't fall down.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[whj469]

2018 Cardinal 3825 FL, five slides, three are hydraulic and two electric, leveling hydraulic, all six legs. I have not heard of falling legs.

[2gypsies]

I'd never let any RV be supported solely by the jacks.... had a friend die when the RV fell on him! 

It's not a big deal to take the RV in to get tires replaced.

[Star Dreamer]

On 4/13/2021 at 9:32 PM, kb0zke said:

We've been fulltiming in a MH for several years and are now considering a 5'er. All of our fuses and breakers are inside the coach, so someone would have to break in to replace any pulled fuses or reset tripped breakers.

1. Some 5'ers have hydraulic leveling systems, while others have only hydraulic legs at the front. I assume that those systems have some sort of electrical control for them, which means that there is a fuse or circuit breaker somewhere. If that is pulled/tripped, will the system remain level, or will the weight of the coach cause it to drop?

2. Related to above, are there safety pins that are placed in the legs to prevent it from dropping too far?

3. Can those leveling systems be used to raise the coach enough to remove the wheels and tires? I'm thinking that when the time comes to replace the tires it would be easier to raise the 5'er up so that the wheels can be removed and taken to the tire shop for replacement tires, then reinstalled.

1) Some 5th wheels also come with electric linear jacks for front jacks and leveling jacks. Our Toyhauler came with them originally and we have replaced them with hydraulic jacks now. The electric jacks have a fuse in the fuse panel inside the coach. The Hydraulic ones use a circuit breaker near our batteries which are in a locked side compartment (but has the typical CH751 key so not very secure). Both units used a control panel which is located in our basement which has a  much better lock system on the door. With the power off the jacks do not retract or extend however if you have a seal leaking, the hydraulic jacks could retract over time. Obviously get any seal leaks fixed as soon as possible. 

2) No safety catches or pins, if worried about dropping, use jack stands with appropriate rating under the frame.

3) Our electric jacks would not lift the rear of the Toyhauler if we had a vehicle in the rear. It was one of the reasons why we changed to hydraulic jacks. When we had the hydraulic system installed at Bigfoot, they had the whole coach up in the air with the tires a good 8-10" above the concrete. But like others say, do not rely on them solely, use jack stands if planning to go underneath. If I was just changing one tire, I could use the jacks as I have the other two tires on that side to help keep trailer up if the jacks should fail, but I also carry a 20 ton hydraulic jack that I can use as my secondary safety means. As a side note, when we had our IS system installed at Morryde, they used the hydraulic leveling system to raise the trailer but still put jack stands under it 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Star Dreamer