6 Point Auto-Leveling - how the jacks work

[Bobby A]

Maybe "auto level" is a bit of a misnomer. Think of it as an "Auto set back to what you want your trailer leveled at" system.

Example 1 (From Bob T, the designer) his idea of level is when he cracks an egg that it stays in the center of the pan.
Example 2 (me) my idea of level is when the AC condensate drains of the left side of the trailer.

Once you have "your" idea of level then you do the recalibration.

Front jacks as Jon mentioned are tied together and "float" (when raising and lowering) Rear jacks are tied together by side, eg left side middle and rear synced and right side middle and rear are synced.

If you lower your left or right side (or all four with the rear button) the jacks will extend with the jack encountering the least resistance moving first. As each jack extends and hits the ground the next least resistance jack extends until all the jacks are grounded.

once all the jacks are grounded you can keep extending to raise the trailer. It is easier on the system if you alternate between left and right while lifting.

All the jacks can operate when auto leveling.

Example, if you are level with all jacks grounded and raise the front (using keypad, not separate front switch) the front jacks will extend, the rear jacks will retract and the center jacks will extend at a rate less then the front.

It may be possible to see all 6 jacks move in different directions at different rates as the system levels from lets say, left rear corner up - right front corner down.

The system is designed to never stress the frame by twisting.

My tire change demonstration offer may not have come off the way I was expecting. I had explained to 8-10 people how to change a tire using the jacks. And a couple asked if I would demonstrate. It is simple enough, but there are a few tricks that can help. I was thinking a demo may help some understand the system.

And a side note, you don't always have to use auto level. There are times the auto feature may not be desirable, like when the door side is lower then the ODS. Auto leveling in this situation will exaggerate the height when leveling do to the system always grounding the left side jacks first (ground then extend about 1-2").

When the door side is low I extend the right side to level the trailer then the left side to just hitting the ground to steady the rig.

When in the manual mode, as you operate the jacks, the display will show you how far out of level you are. Left or right side when using the rear jacks and front to rear when using the front jacks.

I to am a little intimated by the 6 point, mainly cause I don't use it enough. I missed your session in Goshen. I would like to know the procedure for just raising the 4 rear jacks to get the tires off the ground to balance the tires. Thanks very much. Bobby A

 

[porthole]

I to am a little intimated by the 6 point, mainly cause I don't use it enough. I missed your session in Goshen. I would like to know the procedure for just raising the 4 rear jacks to get the tires off the ground to balance the tires. Thanks very much. Bobby A

I don't think the description of that session came out quite the way I thought it would, and 2 days before might have been a bit much lead time

Best way to raise the four tires even though every written word on it says not to?

You can do it connected to your truck or off, both ways work.

Turn the level-up on:

• arrow up to the manual mode, hit enter.
• push the "rear" button and hold till all four jacks hit the ground
• alternate between left and right side extending the jacks until the tires are off the ground.

The system will only let you go out of level from side to side about 2-3 degrees, hence the reason to alternate.
It is less stress on the pump to alternate rather then extending all 4 rear jacks at one time once loaded.

When done, if connected to the truck, arrow up to the "auto-retract" option, hit enter.
If not connected to the truck:

• arrow up to manual mode, hit enter
• tap bottom left button (retract), a red LED will illuminate
• push the "rear" button, all four rear jacks come up.

The reason I do auto-retract or the rear button is when four jacks release there is less of an initial shock compared to just 2 jacks retracting at the same time.

Try it both ways and you will see what I mean.

 

[pegmikef]

Does anyone have any idea of just how much side to side level disparity the six-point levelup system can handle . . . i.e., 1, 2, 3, or 4 inches, etc.? Thanks for any info because we are getting ready to go to a couple of campsites that I know have about a two inch drop on one side (with the TT I just used 2 x 10s to level it up. Mike

 

[danemayer]

Mike

I don't think you'll have any problem with 2 - 4 inches. The problem I've run into is when there's a diagonal slope. My 4 point system will sometimes deal with that condition by lifting wheels off the ground on one side.

If you get the trailer significantly off-level side-to-side, like in front of my house, you can get an error code - I'm guessing it's to keep you from manually getting into a dangerous tilt.

 

[Rodbuster]

Dan, I have my own idea, but I would like to ask you how you handle a "diagonal slope".

Personally, I don't like it when any of the wheels leave the ground. It would appear to me that the more contact with the ground, the more stable the unit would be. Six point level contact "plus" 4 point tire contact.

Thank you
Dick

 

[danemayer]

Dan, I have my own idea, but I would like to ask you how you handle a "diagonal slope".

Personally, I don't like it when any of the wheels leave the ground. It would appear to me that the more contact with the ground, the more stable the unit would be. Six point level contact "plus" 4 point tire contact.

Thank you
Dick

Dick,

I tried a bunch of stuff that didn't work including going to manual mode and trying several approaches that didn't help. I finally settled with the ODS wheels about an inch off the ground.