Slides out before jacks down?

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If your not out of stroke I would think you can.

Worse case - put blocking under the foot so it can raise up more.

I have the HWH manual system and can raise or lower either side or the front or back as needed but not just one foot at a time.
They work in pairs usually.
 
Be very careful about extending your jacks to the full extent.  I just had to have my left-rear jack removed because I had parked with the jack over a dip in the ground.  It leveled okay, but when I tried to retract the jacks, that jack wouldn't come up. To continue our trip we had to take the jack off, which meant I have no jacks. Right now the broken jack is in the back of the toad -- still extended. It won't retract even with the hydraulic line off and the single spring won't pull it back in.i think the jack over extended and probably bent the shaft. These are power-gear jacks.
 
Alpena Jeff said:
Isn't there a safeguard in place to prevent that from happening?
Click to expand...
Yes, don't use the jacks. I had my jacks stuck twice and I realized I didn't need them so I stopped using them. The big problem is that both times they stuck in the down position meaning I could not move until I got the problem solved.
 
Alpena Jeff said:
Isn't there a safeguard in place to prevent that from happening?
Click to expand...

I think if you are well out of level it pays to put down leveling blocks to insure you are not extending full stroke.  I have never gotten my levelers stuck out, but the whole thought is scary since I am sure that if it were to happen it would happen just as I was leaving and a hurry to get somewhere.
 
Alpena Jeff said:
Isn't there a safeguard in place to prevent that from happening?
Click to expand...
On my coach there is a limit as to how far the jacks will extend. When it reaches that point they stop extending and there is an error message explaining that the motor home is too far off level to continue. I can override that by going to manual operation, but then if my jacks get stuck it would be on me not the system. When I get that message I will put some blocks down and try again or ask for a different site. I'm glad I have the auto leveling system. I would hate to have to level my coach with blocks every time we move to a new CG.
 
Whenever I come across a question like this I try to figure the circumstances in the extreme to devise a solution.  In this case I would picture the coach on a 30 degree or more angle side to side.  So my reasoning is if I try to put out the slides (one on each side) one would go very easily but the one on the high side would have a lot more inertia to overcome to push it up that 30 degree incline.  Whereas if I were leveled first, both slides would operate at what is probably they designed operating parameters.  Now I would not argue that only a very a slight side to side angle would make a great difference.  Soooooo I always level before I put out the slides.

Bill
 
Look at it from an Engineers point of view.

How long will a 5 ton jack last...if you  only raise 3 tons...or if you raise 5 tons ?
The answer is obvious I believe.

If you extend the slide ..lets say on the left side...then try to level the coach, the weight of the slide puts leverage on the distributed loads and the left side jacks must work much harder than if the slide was in when they functioned .
You can see this easily when you pick up a 10 foot pipe for example. Pick it up in the middle and it's Ok, but pick it up from one end, and you really feel how unwieldy it is.

I studied slides  at various manufacturing plants in Elkart Indiana before buying my RV.
The construction is quite varied and some slide designs are uninhibited whether level or not, and some will respond negatively to any inaccuracy's of not being plumb, so there is no one size fits all.. My own opinion is that "if" your slide functions with a double rack and pinion drive, you are in the cat birds seat with the strongest design !
 
I never xtend my jacks down over half way,,,I have blocks I put under them ,,it makes my coach more stable..  they are usually xtended only abt 3 inchs.
 
tboss said:
I never xtend my jacks down over half way,,,I have blocks I put under them ,,it makes my coach more stable..  they are usually xtended only abt 3 inchs.
Click to expand...
That kind of has me puzzled.  My hydraulic jacks (HWH) exert the same amount of pressure whether it is 3 inches or 8 inches.  Putting a lot of blocks (other than pads to avoid sinking) is labor intensive for an old COPD bad heart guy like me...........lol

Bill
 
Interesting discussion. My 2013 Entegra Aspire requires the slides (4) to be out before leveling, and in before retracting the jacks.
 
Entegra is the only mfg I know that requires the slides to be extended while the coach is at ride height. It has to do with the fact that the coach is built and the slides are square and plumb with the chassis aired up and at ride height.  Entegra also requires that the coach is aired up (jacks retracted) before you bring the slides in.  If Newmar has started doing this it is news to me but I would call Newmar customer service and ask them, if it was me.


 
Our coach uses  automatic air leveling.  We always level it before deploying the slides.  Rarely the system will have to adjust once they are out.  It probably doesn't make a difference but I just feel better doing it this way.
 
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