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Dumping air before leveling

Yahoo Message Number: 84181
I would like to get the thoughts of the group on whether to dump the air in the bags, to the stops, before leveling the coach.I am concerned that this proceedure will damage the bladders over time.
Fritz 1998 Allure 30223

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84185
I am a believer in dumping before leveling if you have hydraulic levelers. Simple reason is it gets the jacks as close to the ground to give the most available extension if needed. Coach also looks better closer to the ground and less of a first step to get in.

-Jim

From:c.e. Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 9:17 AM To:Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Dumping air before leveling

I would like to get the thoughts of the group on whether to dump the air in the bags, to the stops, before leveling the coach.I am concerned that this proceedure will damage the bladders over time.
Fritz 1998 Allure 30223

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84187
Hi Fritz,

We have always dumped the air before leveling, it is in our notes from the initial walk through with Lazydays. Do not know if it is correct or not, but it does seem to help keep the coach as close to the ground as possible when leveled.

Marta

07 Allure 31501

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84188
Hi Fritz,

My wife has trouble with steps so I dump the front bags until they are on the stops to get the steps as low as possible. I have a medical condition that requires the back of the coach to be higher than the front. I raise the back of the coach until the yellow light on the HWH control panel shows the front to be low, then lower the back just enough to show level again. Now in our 15th year of doing this while fulltiming.
Sorry our paths have not crossed since parking close to each other at the Redmond, Or FMCA gathering.

Bill Dane 99 Allure 30326

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84190
Fritz:

It is always good to dump air first before leveling due to coach will be lower to the ground and much easier to get into since steps will be lower to ground then starting from travel/ride height.

Kevin Waite (Former Country Coach Setrvie Tech.) K&M Mobile RV Repair LLC
95430 Noraton Rd.

Junction City, OR. 97448
541-953-6162 (Cell)

kvn.wt.7629@...

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84195
I always dump first, better to stay lower, no problems with air bags.

Jerry

06 Intrigue 530
C13 525 Cat
12038

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84207
We have usually leveled the rig and then dumped the air. Level is maintained as I dump to reach an acceptable step height. This seems to be the faster approach on a moderate slope site.
Dumping the air first asks the little electric compressor to raise the rig during leveling and seems to take longer. Of course, at 16 years old it is probably getting tired.

On steep slopes, all bets are off but I usually try to level first.

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84254

Hi Folks

I would like to thank everyone that responded to my question about dumping the bags before leveling. I guess I will be dumping from now on! Fritz 1998 Allure 30223

From: c.e.

To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 9:17 AM Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Dumping air before leveling

I would like to get the thoughts of the group on whether to dump the air in the bags, to the stops, before leveling the coach.I am concerned that this proceedure will damage the bladders over time.
Fritz 1998 Allure 30223

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84261
I have someone hold up or I tie up the rear mud flap otherwise sometimes it will come down directly and maybe cause stress on the pins. I had one pin break while going down interstate and drug the flap for a ways. I always suspected it was because of lowering down on it while dumping the air before leveling.

-Dennis Holmes
12055

2006 Intrigue 530

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84262
Thanks Al,

I'm still hoping to fix the wires entering the controller but now I know where to order if necessary. Did they give you a time frame when you might receive it?

John

05 Inspire #51399

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84263
Ooops, that was supose to be a reply to "Fan Controller".

John

Re: Dumping air before leveling

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84279
We just got back from a a long weekend. I tried the dump before leveling after reading it here. before I always just hit the level button straight from ride height.
After one day and night, I turned the key and hit HWH reset and put some air in the bags and then hit the level button.
I have never had my coach rock so much from walking or moving about inside. My wife rolled over in bed and I thought we were having an earthquake. My wife weighs > than 120 lbs. Everytime I walked in the coach she made a comment.
After I put the air back in, everything was back to normal, Nice and smooth, no rocking.

Mark and Helen Surber
07 Intrique 45'
C13 Cat Allison
06 Rubicon LJ

Leveling

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84399
OK, do you level before you put your slides out or after? I know this is been discussed before, but I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. I've 3 slides/Newport floorplan, 2003 Allure/With a Tag.
Thanks, John 03 Allure 30951

Re: Leveling

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84403
I level first. Though I have the hydraulic slide mechanism and have had to extend a slide a number of times while traveling parked way out of level, I feel more comfortable by not putting any more strain on the system than necessary. Don't want to burst a hose or blow one of the hydraulic solenoids. Those folks with the electric slides with gears that have had slide shear bolt issues should be especially careful about leveling first. Our second favorite park, which will remain nameless, is built on river valley soil, and even though they re level the sites and add new gravel every year or so, I have to re level after extending the slides and then again 12 hours later due to soil compaction. My co-pilot won't allow me to leave the system in automatic, because the noise and re-leveling always happens at the wrong time. Like 2 am in the morning, or while taking a afternoon nap! TWI 2004 intrigue 11731

Re: Leveling

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84404
Not only down, but for sure down. Let the engine idle a minute or so after releasing the tag and listening for the escaping air to stop. Nothing like having the set brakes release an the entire coach shift with a loud pow at mid night.
TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731

Re: Leveling

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84411
John,

I'm sure opinions will vary on this. What we do is get the bus parked in the most level spot available. Out of grade spots by 6" or more will most likely exceed the leveling capability or cause the system to struggle with constant tweaks. You may wind up seeing the "excess slope" light come on. Game over at that point. Our bus has an HWH system with air bags. Once parked with engine running, we level the bus in the usual way. Make sure nothing is under it that might get trapped or crushed. Check for adequate space around the bus too. These seem like obvious considerations but you'd be surprised at what can happen. Once level the system will monitor the level sensor and adjust as required with its design limits. After the bus is level, we extend the slides doing the back ones first followed by the forward two. We've got four of them on our bus. We shut down the engine at this time. I think it's best to operate your slides (in or out) from a level position. Probably not a big deal if you're out of level by small amounts. That said, trying to get level first is a good idea. If slide extension changes the leveling, the HWH system will touch it up as required.
I've had trouble with how the level sensor board is mounted meaning it can move. This changes the whole reference point of what the system thinks is level. If this board is out of whack, your bus won't be level even though it's reported as such. Our shower door behavior is a good indication of how level we are. If it creeps in either direction we know the bus isn't right. I made a small calibration bubble level that I use on several places to check for a level condition. To correct a level sensor board misalignment, you need to use the push buttons to level according to what the bubble level says. When you get the bus level then you need to adjust the calibration board so all the lights are out. From here the automatic system will keep the bus level to that calibration. On our bus the mounting of that board is funky. Something I think HWH could have designed better since it's somewhat of the heart of the system. This is located in our steering bay on the back of the HWH module.
Near as I can tell the algorithm used is to let air out of the bags first to keep the bus level. When one or more bags are empty further leveling is accomplished by running the compressor and inflating one or more bags. If our spot is reasonably level to begin with, we can sit for months without and adjustments. Out of level spots that are close to travel limits cause the system to run every couple of hours. If the bus is sinking into the ground this will trigger leveling operations. High winds will also spook the level sensor board. Severe temperature changes will also cause leveling. Overall our leveling system has worked reasonably well. Like other automatic systems, it has its quirks that you'll understand more about as experience is gained in different situations. Just my 5 Lbs of ham in a 2 Lb bag. Good luck.

At 08:25 PM 12/10/2012, you wrote:

Re: Leveling

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84423
On 12/11/2012 9:41 PM, Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com wrote:

Quote
Re: Leveling
Allow me to add my 2ยข worth here.

We have the HWH air leveling system. Sometimes the site is too far out of level for the leveling system to be adequate. For that reason, we still carry those yellow leveling blocks, which we use to correct for the overly-sloped site. They are also a help in those areas, such as Joshua Tree, where finding a level-enough spot is tricky at best. (Of course, at 32', we can use Joshua Tree. If you are 40+ feet, look elsewhere).

I also have on my Droid two apps, found (I think) in the Google "Play Store" under the generic name "bubble," which I use when leveling, because I do not trust the absolute accuracy of the HWH system. My wife double-checks me with an analogue bubble in the middle of the coach, and we strike a "leveling agreement." The engine is running during this time. When we are satisfied with our state of level, we turn off the engine and extend the slides.

The one thing that this conversation, and a similar one on the NWCCERs list, brought forth was the idea of dumping the air before leveling. I have not tried that before, but will on our next trip.

Ken Harrison

2004 Allure 32' #31035
-- "The great thing about science is that it's true, whether or not you believe in it." (Neil deGrasse Tyson)

Axial tilt is the reason for the season.

Re: Leveling

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84429
One thing I have read about using blocks to aid in leveling is to be very certain that the blocks are wide enough (or lay them down double width) so that the entire tire sits on them and no part of the tread hangs over the edge... One of those often overlooked factors that can ruin very expensive tires

Joseph Burkle

2008 Country Coach Inspire 360 43' Founders Edition http://www. Wind-seeker.com/
 

Re: Leveling

Reply #20 –
Yahoo Message Number: 84529
Depends on the HWH leveling system perhaps, but unless your system is weak or overloaded or you have a very sensitive older refrigerator when it comes to running on level, it is not really necessary to level again after putting the slides out. HWH leveling systems, at least the newer systems, are designed to do an autolevel and then switch to sleep mode and then they recheck level every 30 minutes and will tweak the level as needed. It took me a while to fully understand this complex electronic system...but that is how it is designed to work.
N.B. that if you feel the need to tweak the auto-level manually, but hitting the STOP button and then manually adjusting from there, you defeat the auto-level system and sleep mode is cancelled. I spent some time on the phone with an HWH tech before I understood this fully. And he told me, straight up, that using the manual leveling is really only there to set your zero point and recalibrate auto-level if and when it is needed. If your system is sound, once you have properly set your zero point, a one touch auto-level procedure when you pull in, and before you put out your slides should be all that is required. I am still learning though, so if others have more to add, I would welcome further input.
In reference to another post, I don't think it is necessary, at least with newer systems, to dump the air first even in a unlevel spot, unless your front end is really low and you want to drop the whole coach down before leveling so as to keep the front steps as close as possible to the ground. The system will dump air from one side or end as needed even as it adds air to the opposite side/end to achieve level. But since the system allows some 12" of travel, if I remember correctly, then there may be some benefit in dropping the nose down first to keep the steps close to the ground. We bought a Stromberg Carlson PA-100 folding step from Amazon.com which makes a nice intermediate step to the ground making it easier for the small dogs in some locations. It is a little spendy but it folds up compactly and is extremely sturdy and stable and very cheap compared to the cost of a broken ankle if you go with some makeshift unstable platform. I cut a sturdy rubber welcome mat to fit and permanently attached it with zip ties. Great for cleaning the feet and the dogs love it. And I use a combination lock bike cable to lock it to the stair mechanism when in a spot for extended stays so no one decides to borrow it.

Joseph Burkle

2008 Country Coach Inspire 360 Founders Edition 43' quad slide tag axle 425 HP C9 pusher http://www. Wind-seeker.com/