Adjusting the Height of Rear and Side landing gear

[RVFun4Us]

So I had disc brakes, new springs, the Morryde CRE 3000 and shocks all installed last May. Up to that point, I really had no problem when at an RV site of auto leveling my jacks without additional blocking. I did change from 6 leaf to 7 leaf springs. Now just about everywhere we go, I need to block under the low side or I get an error message indicating the jacks are maxed out. So was wondering if I was to lower the side and rear jacks by one bolt hole if that might help? Has anyone adjusted the height of the landing gear on their rigs and if so, did you encounter any problems? Or am I missing something here that is causing me to put blocks under the jacks now? I do have the RV snap pads on all six jacks. Thanks.

 

[Kathi-27]

recommended ground clearance when jacks retracted all the way min 7-8 inchs to ground. mine are 7 inchs have had no problems. if you do boondocking are off road camping i would be at least 8 inchs.

 

[Flick]

So I had disc brakes, new springs, the Morryde CRE 3000 and shocks all installed last May. Up to that point, I really had no problem when at an RV site of auto leveling my jacks without additional blocking. I did change from 6 leaf to 7 leaf springs. Now just about everywhere we go, I need to block under the low side or I get an error message indicating the jacks are maxed out. So was wondering if I was to lower the side and rear jacks by one bolt hole if that might help? Has anyone adjusted the height of the landing gear on their rigs and if so, did you encounter any problems? Or am I missing something here that is causing me to put blocks under the jacks now? I do have the RV snap pads on all six jacks. Thanks.

I wouldn't lower the jacks from their original mounting holes, at least not until I’ve tried other things. One thing I’ve noticed and that has helped, is if you have the same amount of clearance under each leg before you start to level. For example, I wonder if you’ll get that message if you’re on a completely level concrete pad.

I’m exaggerating a bit, but sometimes it seems that my coach is 6’ off the ground on uneven terrain. Lol.

 

[esscobra]

had a few places where really un-level so i got the anderson blocks - only problem is they didn't fit with the snap pads on level ground and had lip- sold them and have been using hoss pad rubber level blocks- Side note i asked snap pads about making 4-5 inch blocks said they were working on them - but over 1 1/2 years now and nothing - late last year found the stromberg blocks- muck lighter and cheaper than anderson- and they work on level ground - even at lot i use them and legs stay nice and safe inside as they only have to extend a short bit . they are nice basic grey color rather than fire red ill get a pic this weekend

 

[centerline]

Lower the mounting.... BUT, only if you have enough holes to keep the jacks securly mounted.....keep in mind that the farther/longer the jacks are extended, the less stable they are. Using good solid extension stands, so the jacks only need to be extended a few inches will make the trailer the most solid.....

 

[JohnU]

recommended ground clearance when jacks retracted all the way min 7-8 inchs to ground. mine are 7 inchs have had no problems. if you do boondocking are off road camping i would be at least 8 inchs.

7-8 inches, wow! I have been wondering about lowering mine, mine are around the same height as the centerline of the axles (14-15") fully retracted!

So I had disc brakes, new springs, the Morryde CRE 3000 and shocks all installed last May. Up to that point, I really had no problem when at an RV site of auto leveling my jacks without additional blocking. I did change from 6 leaf to 7 leaf springs. Now just about everywhere we go, I need to block under the low side or I get an error message indicating the jacks are maxed out. So was wondering if I was to lower the side and rear jacks by one bolt hole if that might help? Has anyone adjusted the height of the landing gear on their rigs and if so, did you encounter any problems? Or am I missing something here that is causing me to put blocks under the jacks now? I do have the RV snap pads on all six jacks. Thanks.

for what it's worth, I also have to use blocking under our trailer. I wasn't comfortable with the Andersen plastic buckets, so I built my own wooden/rubber pads from some 3/4" pressure treated plywood and a few pieces of horse stall mat I cut to size.

 

[RVFun4Us]

Appreciate the comments. The thing is, when the 6 point leveling system came with my rig, the whole point was to make it easy to level without having to carry extra blocks and other gadgets. And that worked for me - only had one time in four years that I had to use blocks and then only one. Since my suspension upgrade, everything changed (think the rig is now higher off the ground). Now I very rarely can set up without blocks under one side. And these are RV Parks with fairly level spots. That is why I was wondering about lowering the landing gear one bolt hole to see if that would fix the problem. Next time I am at a level RV spot, I will measure the distance from the bottom of the landing gear to the ground to determine distance. Then determine if I can lower them.

 

[JohnU]

Appreciate the comments. The thing is, when the 6 point leveling system came with my rig, the whole point was to make it easy to level without having to carry extra blocks and other gadgets. And that worked for me - only had one time in four years that I had to use blocks and then only one. Since my suspension upgrade, everything changed (think the rig is now higher off the ground). Now I very rarely can set up without blocks under one side. And these are RV Parks with fairly level spots. That is why I was wondering about lowering the landing gear one bolt hole to see if that would fix the problem. Next time I am at a level RV spot, I will measure the distance from the bottom of the landing gear to the ground to determine distance. Then determine if I can lower them.

I had posted a similar question on the FB forum and received some interesting replies, but no comparative measurements. I also felt that my jacks were too high and wanted to lower them. I built those big block more to spread out the weight of the trailer when off the beaten path boondocking, but have found that I needed the height at most campgrounds here in the mountains of AZ.

I wonder if there is a factory publication with the minimum jack height from the ground - a Heartland spec?

 

[Gary521]

Yes, I lowered mine both the back and side one. I lowered it so that there are now 7 holes below the bottom bolt. ( that's the only way I can remember just exactly how much I lowered it ). Right from when I first got the trailer I noticed that there was not enough travel on the back and side ones to do much good. The front legs have more travel than the other ones and I did not lower these two. Its been this way for a long time with no issues.

 

[porthole]

So I had disc brakes, new springs, the Morryde CRE 3000 and shocks all installed last May. Up to that point, I really had no problem when at an RV site of auto leveling my jacks without additional blocking. I did change from 6 leaf to 7 leaf springs. Now just about everywhere we go, I need to block under the low side or I get an error message indicating the jacks are maxed out. So was wondering if I was to lower the side and rear jacks by one bolt hole if that might help? Has anyone adjusted the height of the landing gear on their rigs and if so, did you encounter any problems? Or am I missing something here that is causing me to put blocks under the jacks now? I do have the RV snap pads on all six jacks. Thanks.

If you can lower and still use all the bolts try it.

Check for clearance. Simple check is a string held taught at the bottom of the rear tire stretched to the the back of the trailer. If the jack will hit the string, you may bottom out while traveling. If you decide to move the jacks you should move all four equally.

I've moved the jacks on two RV's. The last RV I had to move the jacks up one hole to clear my driveway. Occasionally I had to use blocks at campsites, but I had a clearance problem every time at the house, so the jacks moved up.

On the current RV I lowered the jacks one hole and I had Lippert move the jacks towards the rear of the trailer 36", and Lippert used the string to determine the location.
Note: They used a string on one side and forgot to use a tape measure for both sides. Not an issue but one jack was moved 36", the other 30"

 

[Kathi-27]

I had posted a similar question on the FB forum and received some interesting replies, but no comparative measurements. I also felt that my jacks were too high and wanted to lower them. I built those big block more to spread out the weight of the trailer when off the beaten path boondocking, but have found that I needed the height at most campgrounds here in the mountains of AZ.

I wonder if there is a factory publication with the minimum jack height from the ground - a Heartland spec?

. lippert install says 8 inchs min ground clearance

 

[esscobra]

here pics of the stromberg blocks - also keep some of the hoss pads and the stromberg ones to use when these don't fit on un-level sites- ill see if i can find pic or get some at rally this weekend- block pics rotate correctly when opened- pics when hitched and jacks retracted

 

[Chrisandsama]

7-8 inches, wow! I have been wondering about lowering mine, mine are around the same height as the centerline of the axles (14-15") fully retracted!



for what it's worth, I also have to use blocking under our trailer. I wasn't comfortable with the Andersen plastic buckets, so I built my own wooden/rubber pads from some 3/4" pressure treated plywood and a few pieces of horse stall mat I cut to size.
View attachment 65165

Those blocks look nice and not too tall. Got any more pics?

 

[JohnU]

Those blocks look nice and not too tall. Got any more pics?

I can’t take all of the credit, as I saw something similar on the internet and adapted it for my needs.


These blocks are 4 15.5”x15.5” squares of 3/4” pressure treated plywood, glued and screwed together. Then I glued a piece of 3/4” rubber stall mat to each side of the blocks. They’re about 4.5” tall. I’m building another pair with 6 layers of plywood and the two stall mats to give me a bit more height when needed. These will be 6” tall.

 

[centerline]

I can’t take all of the credit, as I saw something similar on the internet and adapted it for my needs.


These blocks are 4 15.5”x15.5” squares of 3/4” pressure treated plywood, glued and screwed together. Then I glued a piece of 3/4” rubber stall mat to each side of the blocks. They’re about 4.5” tall. I’m building another pair with 6 layers of plywood and the two stall mats to give me a bit more height when needed. These will be 6” tall.

what you show is excellent blocking, especially if the ground is suspected of being soft...

 

[RVFun4Us]

had a few places where really un-level so i got the anderson blocks - only problem is they didn't fit with the snap pads on level ground and had lip- sold them and have been using hoss pad rubber level blocks- Side note i asked snap pads about making 4-5 inch blocks said they were working on them - but over 1 1/2 years now and nothing - late last year found the stromberg blocks- muck lighter and cheaper than anderson- and they work on level ground - even at lot i use them and legs stay nice and safe inside as they only have to extend a short bit . they are nice basic grey color rather than fire red ill get a pic this weekend

I also have the Snap Pads on my rig. Wondering with the Stromberg Carlson base pads, how the snap pads work with them. Says they are 10" across the top so the 9" snap pads should work with them. But one of the nice things about the rubber snap pads is that they make contact with the asphalt/concrete and provide a very stable connection to the ground. Wonder how stable the Stromberg base pads are underneath the snap pads? Made of polycarbonate materials, do they also make good contact with the asphalt/concrete or do they tend to slip or slide when the RV is on them?

 

[esscobra]

i have used in a few unlevel places- not the worst i've been to but enough to notice - and the small flex in landing foot was good- the strombergs seem to grip pretty well - used this weekend on rock base material with no issues and stayed even after heavy rain storm- have also used the blocks with another rubber hush pad under it