Leveling Tips Welcomed

[onekla]

How far should you extend the front landing geer on a 5th wheel before letting the inside legs down for better stability or does it really make any difference?

[firetrucker]

I keep the inside legs as short as possible by using cribbing to build a sturdy foundation under the legs. The cribbing is made of alternating pairs of 4x4s (see Wikipedia) for picture).

Bob

[NCFischers]

We extend ours about 4 inches so if we need to adjust the front to level the trailer, we have the room to do it.

[dieselguy]

I always figured the inside extensions were to initially compensate for uneven ground. I drop my inside legs down to within about 4" of the 2 wood 12" by 12" pads I carry and then extend the landing gear. By the time you unhook from the truck this gives you room up or down to level the fiver front to back. If you are on a very uneven campsite ... vary that figure accordingly.

[Chip]

I look at how unlevel we are from start then decide how far to lower main landing leg.

We do have JT stabilizers so I don't worry about how long the inner leg is as she locks up pretty good with the JT's.

Chip

[DQDick]

quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

I always figured the inside extensions were to initially compensate for uneven ground. I drop my inside legs down to within about 4" of the 2 wood 12" by 12" pads I carry and then extend the landing gear. By the time you unhook from the truck this gives you room up or down to level the fiver front to back. If you are on a very uneven campsite ... vary that figure accordingly.

X2

[mhs4771]

Since no one else has said it, I'll be the smart a--, I push one button and let the Auto Leveling system level the Monty.
Sorry, the Devil made me do it.

[BB_TX]

I put a short piece of 2 x 8 block under each foot, drop the jacks on those blocks, and don't worry about the length. The JTs pretty much stop any wiggle it may have.

[dieselguy]

mhs4771 ... some of us will save that $4000+ for alternate endeavours ... with gas prices as they are, I'll definitely need the spare cash for boat gas. I'll stick with 2 - 3 pieces of 2X8s for a while longer.

[Trailer Trash 2]

The way I levil my monty is side to side first with the big bubble level then, I estamate weather the front to back need to go up or down I figure the truck is down a couple of inches with the pin weight and allow that on the legs before I drop the adjustable parts then I will lift the monty off the table, dont forget to chock the wheels first so it wont roll off the table too soon you dont need bent legs.

[1retired06]

Level side to side, then extend the front legs minimum amount for up or down adjustment, then drop your rear legs. Leveling is not as key as it used to be for refrigerators, but those slides take a beating, if opened and closed without leveling.

[KathyandDave]

We like the Monty to be very level so doors swing properly. I put a leveling tube on the hitch that I can see through the rearview mirror of the TV and a Hoppy sticky level above the hydraulics controls door for uphill/downhill.
Level side to side while parking, may include putting wood or "lego" under one side or the other, or just moving front to rear bit to find the right bumps and dips. Chock the downhill side of the wheels for sure - we also chock the uphill side because we do a pull test when leaving and routine prevents accidents better than thinking does, IMHO.
If the TV and Monty point uphill, so the Monty's nose is high, then lower the hydraulic landing gear a bit farther than the distance from nose-high to level, then drop manual the extensions and lock them. Lower the hydraulics some more to raise the Monty and take the load off the hitch, then drive the TV forward. Then raise the hydraulics to lower the nose to level. I go a bit lower, then extend the rear legs to touch the ground (they are self-leveling, side-to-side), then lower the hydraulics to put a bit of pressure on the rear legs.
If the TV and Monty point downhil, so the Monty is nose-down, then drop the manual extensions first and lock them, then lower the hydraulics to raise the Monty and take the load off the hitch, then drive the TV forward. Then raise the hydraulics to lower the nose to level. Same procedure as above for the rear legs.
So, uphill - hydraulics first, downhill - manual extensions first.
That's my way, fwiw.

[kdeiss]

I carry two I think they maybe 6ft 4x4 I first level the 4x4 left to right then drop the legs I now know I am level Left to right.
Prior I check the Left to right to see if i need a 2x12 or two under the wheels

[tanner1070]

quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

We extend ours about 4 inches so if we need to adjust the front to level the trailer, we have the room to do it.

X2...gives you that flexibility