Regret Installing Levelers? May 10, 2006, 09:30:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 66554Has anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it? My one concern is the reduced ground clearance. They seem to stick down so far even when retracted. If we're going to travel west this summer, we'll pass right by White Pigeon, Michigan, which will be the perfect opportunity to have some big feet installed. Just can't make up my mind.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #1 – May 10, 2006, 11:39:11 am Yahoo Message Number: 66557Quote Has anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it? My one concern is the reduced ground clearance. They seem to stick down so far even when retracted. If we're going to travel west this summer, we'll pass right by White Pigeon, Michigan, which will be the perfect opportunity to have some big feet installed. Just can't make up my mind. Ron,We installed Big Foot levelers on our way home from the factory pick-up. Had them installed at a RV Repair in the S.F. Bay Area on our way to our home in NorCal. We've had them for two years now and haven't regretted once having them. I would never own another RV w/o them, they really do "spoil" you. We felt that because of their cost, that if we didn't get them when our rig was new, we'd never do it later because we'd be needing the cash for some other purpose.Twice now, I have heard them scrape on some low lying obstacle, neither time seriously. Once, I went over a speed bump too fast and the rear levelers lightly scraped after the rear wheels bounced over the bump, no big deal. On another occasion, while backing into a parking lot space, the rear levelers lightly bumped into one of those curbs that are supposed to stop your travel, again no big deal. We use them frequently, often when we're just stopping in some vista point for lunch. It just makes life seem more "level". We've traveled in to some locations off road and with deep ruts, etc. and have never had a problem. There's only 7 inches of clearance but because of their location it seems to be adequate.Tom Riley '04 26 RBFort Bragg, CA
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #2 – May 10, 2006, 03:12:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66559Quote Has anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it? My one concern is the reduced ground clearance. They seem to stick down so far even when retracted. If we're going to travel west this summer, we'll pass right by White Pigeon, Michigan, which will be the perfect opportunity to have some big feet installed. Just can't make up my mind.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB If the funds are no problem then not getting them would be doing an injustice to yourself. We are always trying to find things to make life/camping easier, well you can't make life/camping any easier than having levelers. In 3 years we have not had any problems with the clearance of the levelers--front 6 1/2"; back 8". On my levelers I can adjust the height of the levelers by unscrewing two bolts and adjusting upward/downward. I found that 6 1/2" to 8" clearance to be optimum.John K
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #3 – May 10, 2006, 04:58:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66562Quote Has anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it?Ron,We installed Big Foot levelers on our way home from the factory pick-up. Had them installed at a RV Repair in the S.F. Bay Area on our way to our home in NorCal. We've had them for two years now and haven't regretted once having them. I would never own another RV w/o Quotethem, they really do "spoil" you. We felt that because of their cost, Quotethat if we didn't get them when our rig was new, we'd never do it later because we'd be needing the cash for some other purpose.Twice now, I have heard them scrape on some low lying obstacle, neither time seriously. Once, I went over a speed bump too fast and the rear levelers lightly scraped after the rear wheels bounced over the bump, no big deal. On another occasion, while backing into a parking lot space, the rear levelers lightly bumped into one of those curbs that are supposed to stop your travel, again no big deal. Ron, Ditto on all the points Tom made. One major benefit for me is the stability of the coach. No more rocking and rolling in high winds. The coach is rock solid with no shaking when ones walks and or turns over in the bed.Malcolm Bl 02 MB/Bigfoot
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #4 – May 10, 2006, 05:48:34 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66564Quote My parents, the previous owners of Maybelle, installed a different brand. They lasted only 10 years, and were judged unrepairable. I'm getting by with hydraulic jacks and wood blocks. I wish I had levellers but it's hard to justify the expense on a 25 year old vehicle. Steve F, l981 22'
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #5 – May 10, 2006, 09:02:06 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66575We had the Big Foot levellers installed in White Pidgeon in Aug of '03 on our mid bath. They do reduce your ground clearance quite a bit and if you boondock (we don't) and must drive over rough terrain you could run into a problem.On the up side, we absolutely love them. They make the coach wonderfully stable when moving around inside and if you have any major wind. More times than I like to remember we have pulled into a CG in the dark and rain. Push a button and in twenty seconds or so you are level and stable for the night without getting down on your hands and knees to place ramps in the mud. Are they necessary? No, just like a GPS system and other add ons people purchase, it is a matter of choice. For myself, I wouldn't want to be with out them.H. T. PohlmanNE 26[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #6 – May 10, 2006, 09:12:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66577Just a note of caution to anyone--especially anyone with a 30' Lazy Daze--who's contemplating adding levelers. These things are HEAVY! Before you buy, have your rig weighed with full tanks...and then ask yourself whether you have enough surplus CCC that you can afford to add several hundred pounds of levelers.Andy BairdPercha Dam State Park, NM
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #7 – May 10, 2006, 11:22:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66579Just a note of caution to anyone--especially anyone with a 30' Lazy Daze--who's contemplating adding levelers. These things are HEAVY! Before you buy, have your rig weighed with full tanks...and then ask yourself whether you have enough surplus CCC that you can afford to add several hundred pounds of levelers.Andy Baird Percha Dam State Park, NM Good point, Andy. My Bigfoot installer estimated the weight of my own set as installed at @ 150#, and this might be on the low side. If your CCC is already marginal, I agree that this can cut into it big time. But let's look at it this way. Assume one has family. The levelers are the equivalent weight of one spouse, or two children. If you leave the spouse behind, it's pretty much a wash as far as the CCC is concerned. But the children will become bored and whiney, so they'll have to be left behind with the spouse. This leaves you as a Solo Adventurer, with a nice set of levelers and an actual net gain in CCC.Add into the bargain the element of privacy, quiet, roominess, additional stowage, not having to run every decision past other people, and having everything last longer before it has to be refilled/emptied. You can go where and when you want, stay as long as you like, and eat in or dine out, as it pleases you. You have to do your own laundry and cleaning, but isn't that really a small price to pay for freedom, peace, and serenity? There's even room for a pet, if you're so inclined. Most love to travel, and make for a loyal watchful companion. The down side of this is that if you try it, you might not be able to go back home again. But then again, you might not want to.WillDisclaimer: I am merely trying to be humorous, and am not advising anyone to ditch his/her family and take off in his/her motorhome with a new set of levelers. Really, I'm not.W.
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #8 – May 11, 2006, 01:14:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 66583Quote Has anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it? My one concern is the reduced ground clearance. They seem to stick down so far even when retracted. If we're going to travel west this summer, Quotewe'll pass right by White Pigeon, Michigan, which will be the perfect opportunity to have some big feet installed. Just can't make up my mind.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB As others have answered, "Why no . . . of course not!"Unlike the fixed, single ram levelers, the HWH "kick down" levelers do not detract from coach clearance at all. When retracted, they fold back and are no longer the lowest items on the coach underside - - by a good margin.The new "telescopic" HWH levelers should also provide good clearance, however, I have no experience with them and they are only used on the front of the coach, the rear uses fixed single rams (like the Big Foot levelers).all the best,bumper "Yonder" Minden NV
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #9 – May 11, 2006, 08:19:34 am Yahoo Message Number: 66587Quote My parents, the previous owners of Maybelle, installed a different brand. They lasted only 10 years, and were judged unrepairable.> Steve F,Quotel981 22' Steve,What different brand did your parents install?Thank youTerry Reitz 23.5 TK
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #10 – May 11, 2006, 02:02:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66608QuoteHas anyone ever installed levelers and later regretted it? My one concern is the reduced ground clearance. They seem to stick down so far even when retracted. If we're going to travel west this summer, we'll pass right by White Pigeon, Michigan, which will be the perfect opportunity to have some big feet installed. Just can't make up my mind.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB Ron, We have been very happy with our bigfoot leveler which we had installed on our 2003 MB on 4/15/2005 in Florida. They are gauranteed for 5 years, and have a 24 hour customer service phone line (which I think would wake someone up in the middle of the night.) We have not had any trouble in the 1 year that we owned them. Here is a link their website. http://www.quadraleveler.com/We do not recall any instances of them striking the ground while underway, though we do not often travel on dirt back roads. I think that because the levelers are placed somewhat near the tires, it lessens the chance that the levelers would strike something. I would ask the person who reported striking something with the rear levelers how he knew that it was the levelers and not the metal skid near the rear of the LD which is designed to contact the ground when the rear end is low. The big foot website gives the system weight as 90 to 250 lbs. They have different length cylinders (17", 19", 21") that they can use depending on the RV. They put 17" on the front of our MB and 19" on the rear. One advantage of the Bigfoot is that you can lower them on an asphalt parking lot without worrying that you are going to but dents in the parking lot. (Some suggested guidelines for Wal-Mart say don't deploy the levelers for that reason.) We have been in asphalt paved campsites that were quite pockmarked from levelers of other rigs. We have not seen the bigfoots leave a mark. The bigfoots do stabilize the rig somewhat against people moving around inside and wind. However, we found that in windy gusty conditions, the satellite TV can lose the signal. We attribute that to a small amount of "play" in the antenna. We saw another rig that braced their dish with a 2" X 4" We do not tow a car. When we go to the store, go sightseeing, or visit a recreation site we take the LD and deploy the levelers. They are a big convenience. For someone who tows a car, parks the LD at a campsite and takes the car for errands, siteseeing, etc perhaps the levelers would not be as big a convenience.You can spend $2700 for levelers or you can spend almost as much setting up a car for towing/braking or both if you don't mind spending money. I think that almost everyone who has levelers would say that they would never want to go back to not having levelers again. A few weeks ago, there was some discussion on this site by some who did not have levelers and why they did not want them. You can look back at those opinions. I would say that if you do not tow a car, and if you plan to do a lot of RV travel moving frequently, and if you can spend the $2700 without hardship, get the levelers.Ken in San Diego
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #11 – May 11, 2006, 09:15:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66648QuoteI would ask the person who reported striking something with the rear levelers how he knew that it was the levelers and not the metal skid near the rear of the LD which is designed to contact the ground when the rear end is low. .QuoteKen in San Diego Ken, I'll have to fess up. It's a little embarassing but it was me and it was definitely the leveler. Though I didn't hit the parking curb very hard (I was backing in to a parking space) it was hard enough to make me have that sinking feeling in my stomach. After exiting the rig, hoping it wasn't something up against my rear bumper (it wasn't!), I looked underneath to see the right rear leveler against the little curb/stopper and a tiny bit of concrete dust on the corner of the leveler. No damage. Though I didn't measure the curb, I can guess that it was slightly more than 7 inches tall, actually about a quarter inch taller than I would have liked. Having said that, I think the levelers are sturdy enough to hit anything fairly hard and survive w/o damage.Tom Riley '04 26 RBFort Bragg, CA
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Hit curb backing Reply #12 – May 11, 2006, 11:09:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66650QuoteThough I didn't hit the parking curb very hard (I was backing in to a parking space) it was hard enough to make me have that sinking feeling in my stomach. Tom, it is certainly easy to do when backing over a curb. Thanks for telling about your experience,We usually try to take an outside perimeter space on a lot and back over the grass/landscaping when we think the lot may get crowded. Usually I will ask my wife to look under the LD to make sure the levelers will clear the curb if we want to back as much as possible. Usually we want to keep the levelers inside the curb to level. She is also very good about checking for low branches overhead. She is a wonderful travelling companion.When I'm alone, I have to use the repeated G.O.A.L. method. Back a little very slowly then Get Out And Look, the back a little more, etc.I need to check the geometry, but I think it would be difficult to scrape the rear levelers when going forward unless:1) One is on a very deeply rutted dirt/rock road. 2) One went off a steep drop-off such as a high curb or very deep pothole.Ken in San Diego
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #13 – May 11, 2006, 11:17:11 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66652........ Having said that, I think the levelers are sturdy enough to hit anything fairly hard and survive w/o damage.Tom Riley '04 26 RB Fort Bragg, CAHi TomI agree, and for those not familiar with the Bigfoot system, all 4 levelers are separate entities, so damage to one will not affect the rest. The working parts (motor and pump assembly) of each of mine are safely tucked up out of the way on the chassis frame, with the foot and lower part of the adjacent ram being the only parts exposed. Mine are at the recommended 8" clearance height, and this has not posed any problem in driving, parking, or leveling. I wouldn't make a practice of moving the rear boundary log with them to lengthen the campsite, but I also wouldn't worry about a small accidental hit. Worst case: should the foot or ram become damaged, it can be unbolted, a replacement unit bolted back on, and hydraulic and electric sensor lines re-attached to be back in business.The more I live with mine, the more I admire the craftsmanship, design, and engineering.Will 2004 23.5 TK
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #14 – May 12, 2006, 11:31:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66682Ron, Absolutely no regrets on having the "big feet" levelers installed! Of course, each LDer has different requirements, but in our situation (old pharts with physical limitations) they were exactly what we needed to be able to continue to travel in the LD. There have been no problems with the height while retracted, and that has been tested on some rough roads and "interesting" sites. Our only bump has been having to use a couple of Lynx Leveler pads under the BigFoot "feet" on some occasions. We use a fiberglass driveway marker rod to push those into place and to retrieve them. We find that with our 30'LD, if the sites are not level, and we only have a choice of nose up or nose down sites, nose up works better for leveling.Good luck!Sharon N.
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #15 – May 12, 2006, 11:47:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66684SharonI'm also in a 30 footer and was just wondering if you have had your rig weighed? While we would LOVE to have the levelers. We've always assumed we couldn't stand the extra weight.Just curious (and a bit jealous)KateWant to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096
[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #16 – May 13, 2006, 01:29:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 66687Quote SharonI'm also in a 30 footer and was just wondering if you have had your rig weighed? While we would LOVE to have the levelers. We've alwaysQuoteassumed we couldn't stand the extra weight.Just curious (and a bit jealous)Kate Kate,No, not since having the levelers installed several months after picking up the LD. After we have it weighed again, if necessary we will toss any extras that put us over the limit, not including the Yorkies. I will not give up the BigFoot levelers. We're not fulltimers, so we probably carry less weight in the LD. Heavier stuff gets tossed into the CR-V.Sharon N.
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #17 – May 13, 2006, 12:31:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66694Quote "I'm also in a 30 footer and was just wondering if you have had your rig weighed? While we would LOVE to have the levelers. We've always assumed we couldn't stand the extra weight."Quote Kate I had Kwikee Level Best levelers installed on (30'IB) the day following my delivery. So, you could say they've been there since day one.At 2,471 miles I had the rig weighed at Henderson's Line-Up in Grants Pass. With full gasoline and propane, 2/3 fresh water and empty waste tanks the gross front weight was 4275, the gross rear weight was 9500, for a total gross weight of 13,775 lbs. This is fully loaded (subjective) without anyone on board. Add X# of humans and you are pretty close to max.But, that having been said, there's no way I'd give up my levelers!Steve S. Lazy Bones
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #18 – May 13, 2006, 02:22:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66701Quote from: Sharon N." but in our situation (old pharts with physical limitations) they were exactly what we neededNow that you have said it, I will fess up that this was the primary reason for me to get the Big Foot levelers too. My hands (wrists) have gotten to the point that my wife sometimes must open the tops on twist off bottles of beer (don't use cans unless I must).H. T. PohlmanNE 26PS - I'm the old phart, not my wife.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #19 – May 16, 2006, 04:15:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 66779I can't remember the name offhand and I probablly threw away their brochure. It was a shop based
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? Reply #20 – May 16, 2006, 08:40:22 am Yahoo Message Number: 66780Quote I can't remember the name offhand and I probablly threw away their brochure. It was a shop based in Santa Ana that I think has gone out of business. Thank youTerry Reitz 23.5 TK
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? - Thanks for your comments! Reply #21 – May 16, 2006, 09:34:11 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66805Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. It appears that my concerns about ground clearance are largely groundless and that, whatever the risk, the benefits of having levelers are too great to ignore. I've made an appointment with Quadra in White Pigeon to install a set of big feet on our way to the Golden Caravan. However, I'm also going to check out the HWH levelers a little further after looking at Bumper's photos and reading his comments. Using kick-down and/or telescoping jacks would directly answer my concerns. Again, thanks for all your comments. We're only a year into the RV lifestyle, so I learn something new everyday reading this forum.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Regret Installing Levelers? - Th Reply #22 – May 16, 2006, 10:17:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66806On May 16, 2006, at 21:33, Ronald Wiese wrote:QuoteThanks to everyone who responded to my question. It appears that my concerns about ground clearance are largely groundless That is generally the idea
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? - Thanks for your comments! Reply #23 – May 16, 2006, 11:00:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66807However, QuoteI'm also going to check out the HWH levelers a little further after looking at Bumper's photos and reading his comments. Using kick-down and/or telescoping jacks would directly answer my concerns. Again, thanks for all your comments. We're only a year into the RV lifestyle,Quoteso I learn something new everyday reading this forum.Ron Wiese 2005 26.5 MB Ron, We have had HWH levelers on our previous 97 MB and liked them so much that we had HWH's installed on our 2001 30ft IB one week after we purchased HaRVey 1&1/2 years ago. We wouldn't be without them! We got the touch pad controller without the fully automatic option, and do fine with getting HaRVey leveled up pretty quickly. Sometimes it drives my wife nuts because I try too hard to get it perfect, but am getting better after several attempts. Guess if your a perfectionest you might want to pop for the full auto model if you deside on the HWH's that seem a bit more pricey. We had the same clearance concerns because we camp a lot in the forest service campgrounds, sometimes with mariginal roads. What really helped make me decide on HWH's was at the local RV show, most of the high $ class A's And C's came with HWH's as standard. I think you will be happy eather way, as many on here seem to like there Bigfoot's Good Luck ,Dan Hillman Parker Co.2001 30ft IB Red/White
Re: Regret Installing Levelers? - Thanks for your comments! Reply #24 – May 17, 2006, 09:59:54 am Yahoo Message Number: 66823Quote I've made an appointment with Quadra in White Pigeon to Hey Ron, When you have your levelers installed (regardless of manufacturer) make sure they know your house batteries are 6volt wired in series. When the folks at White Pidgeon installed our Big Foots they wired the feed cable to a center terminal which only provided 6 volts to the levelers. They worked, but slowly and it drained the battery quickly. I made the discovery a week later when checking the battery water level.Other than that, the Big Foots are great!Ron in Ohio 2000 26 MB diesel
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