Changing a tire with the 6 point auto level system

I have a question for Bighorn veterans about changing a flat tire. I have read some posts that say using the auto level to change a tire is ok even though not recommended by Heartland. My question is, should you hitch up before using the rear stabilizers. The reason I ask is that you cannot operate the front stabilizers independently. Any advice would be appreciated.

Many of use the level up to raise the unit for changing tires. Personally I leave it hooked to the truck but it's not necessary. Heartland doesn't recommend it for liability reasons.

We had to remove all brake parts from 1 wheel on our BC this past summer. Our COCO (Chief Operating Control Officer) aka our son, simply hit the buttons for the right legs to lift it off the ground. Still hooked up to truck as we did this in a SC rest area at 8 in the morning. You really don't have to raise it much to get tires off the ground. Like the 1st reply said, HL may not recommend using the 6pt to raise it, but if the 6pt cannot support the weight of the unit to begin with, then why have it?

I have used the level up system to raise the coach while converting my brakes to discs, I did so while it was isolated from the truck. I would not crawl under the rig without safety support jacks appropriately sized for the load. Also, it's probably a good idea to remove one tire at a time...just in case lift is lost.

Lippert engineers used to make a point of saying that you could use the levelup system to change tires, but now Lippert warns against it.

When I lift a rear wheel off the ground, in additional to blocking the opposite side wheel, I stay hitched. Aside from distributing the weight, it also helps keep the trailer from moving front to rear.

Here's a picture of my new Cyclone getting the Sailuns put on at the local Ford dealer. It already has one mounted. Realize the parking lot is level. The ramp is down because the new tires were in there. Realize the 6 jacks have a capacity of 56,000 lbs (IIRC) and the rv weighs less than 15,500 loaded.

I would have no problem using the Level-Up to change a tire but alongside the road I would probably leave it hooked up and only raise one side.

The only problem jacking the axles too far off the ground is the axles might drop and reverse the shackles that attach the springs to the axle. You can not tow the RV in this mode. It is not easy getting the shackles back to there proper position. You will need some special tools to do it.
First photo is the way they're suppose to look. Second photo is how they might look when they reverse.


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Piperflyer said:

The only problem jacking the axles too far off the ground is the axles might drop and reverse the shackles that attach the springs to the axle. You can not tow the RV in this mode. It is not easy getting the shackles back to there proper position. You will need some special tools to do it.
First photo is the way they're suppose to look. Second photo is how they might look when they reverse.


View attachment 60163View attachment 60164

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Been there, done that. PITA !!

Many thanks for the responses to my original post about changing a tire with 6 point leveler. I've had the rig for about a year and still learning. I have learned one thing the hard way. You really have to watch the swing on the rear end when making a tight turn. Met a tree up close and personal in Yellowstone this year.

Pretty interesting thread because I have always wondered if this could be done using the Lippert lift/leveling system.

gmeineke said:

Many thanks for the responses to my original post about changing a tire with 6 point leveler. I've had the rig for about a year and still learning. I have learned one thing the hard way. You really have to watch the swing on the rear end when making a tight turn. Met a tree up close and personal in Yellowstone this year.

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That's a nice reminder for all of us. Thanks

gmeineke said:

The reason I ask is that you cannot operate the front stabilizers independently. Any advice would be appreciated.

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What do you mean cannot operate independently?
Do you mean you can't operate independently from left to right or independent of the rear jacks?

If left to right, not an issue.
If you have the front jacks down and then decide to use the rear jacks to just lift one side, the front jack on that side should also extend as you lift.

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As to hitching up or not.

If you are already hitched to the truck the easiest and fastest tire change will be to drop the jacks on the affected side, stay connected to the truck. It will probably take longer to get your spare down and ready.

If you are on uneven ground (side to side) I would suggest using jacks on both sides to lift evenly. Unleveled side to side may cause an excessive angle message where the jacks stop operating. You then need to deploy the jacks on the opposite side to bring the angle back into a workable level.

Might also help to use some blocks under the jacks before yo even start.