Leveling Issue

We just took delivery of our new '08 3326 and had to park it in front of our house because it wouldn't fit in our driveway as we had hoped.

We leveled the trailer using the '2-step' method outlined in our trailer manual. We leveled front to back with the tongue jack and then raised the rear low corner using the scissor jack--4.5" was required--see attached. We then lowered the other 3 jacks to stabilize. Since some effort was required, we'll use our yet to be purchased bottle jack for this in the future. This left the curb side tires about 2.5 inches off the ground. We placed blocks under those.

The dealer said the scissor jacks could not be used for leveling. The manual says you can. I've seen mixed comments on this on the forum--possibly due to different year TM's. A call to our dealer's factory rep said this is the proper procedure and having one side tires off the ground does not damage the axels. He said they're designed for this as in changng a tire.

Would appreciate some comments from the collective wisdom on this issue.

Sharon & Andy,

Congratulations on your new purchase!!!

For me, I level side to side 1st, using Lynx Levelers or blocks of wood. I have a couple of boards with blocks on the ends that I can use as ramps if the terrain is really unlevel. When using the ramps, I will pull up on the ramp a little further than needed, chock the down ramp side of that tire, then let the TM drift to the chocks to lock everything in. Be sure to chock the other wheel also. I then level front to back with the tongue jack, and "tweak" the setup with the scissors jacks.

I am not exactly sure how to do this with a tandem setup. Maybe use 2 sets of ramps, or 1 big 1???

Chap

When we had a trailer with tandem axles, we would drive up onto the blocks (one for each tire) to get the side to side close to level. Then use the tongue jack to level front to rear, and use the jacks only for the last fine adjustment. We do basically the same thing with the TM. The Lynx blocks are nice because you can form a little ramp by the way you stack them and then just drive onto them. That will cut down a lot on the amount of jacking you have to do. We also use a 1/2" drill and a concrete anchor bolt to run the jacks down so it isn't necessary to spend all the time running them down with the crank.

I do a lot of dry camping and find it ideal to dig the high tires into a small pit rather than ramp the low tires. This not only levels the trailer, but often lowers the steps up to the door and automatically chocks the tires from rolling. I also level left/right first, but do check the fore/aft leveling to be sure it isn't too far off to be corrected before unhooking from the TV.

Many times, I don't unhook if I am pretty sure I won't need the TV. Then it is more important to get the fore/aft leveling before selecting a site.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Shandysplace

The dealer said the scissor jacks could not be used for leveling. The manual says you can. I've seen mixed comments on this on the forum--possibly due to different year TM's.

Exactly. Older TMs had small "stabilizer jacks" mounted on the four corners of the body. These stabilizers were exactly that - they were strong enough to stabilize the TM, so it wouldn't bounce when you walked around inside. But they were not strong enough to lift (i.e., jack up) the TM.

On later TMs, the factory installed real live jacks, which are mounted on the frame rather than the body. These jacks are more than strong enough to lift the entire weight of the TM.

Some people use these real live jacks for levelling the TM, which involves lifting it. And that's fine. Being lazy, I level by driving the TM onto a stack of boards/blocks under the low-side wheel, and then use the jacks for stabilizing. No tedious cranking.

As always the choice of levelling method is yours. Either works, either is good.

Bill

[Virginia Deacon]

We've had two popups and now have a TrailManor.

As others have said, we've always used short planks or Lynx Levelers to first level from side to side (Have never had to use more than and inch or so to level side-to-side). Then, use the front jack to level front to back. Finally, chock all tires before disconnecting our tow vehicle.

I notice you didn't put any chocks on your curbside tires and that the tires are not centered on the levelers (could roll off, even with jacks down?). And, I would never raise a tire off the ground, except to change a flat tire, since this would put a lot of twisting stress on the frame and everything attached to it.

Enjoy your TrailManor and Merry Christmas!

We've decided to go with the Lynx Leveler/wood plank process backing up the ramp on the low side for left/right leveling first and then front/back with the tongue jack after disconnecting the TV. Of course, having tandem tires complicates the ramp building process some to support both tires. So that may require a lot of Lynx Levelers depending on the height needed or a ramp of wood planks construction that we're not quite sure how to accomplish.

Any further comments would be appreciated.

I have posted an answer many times. My short answer is:
1. drive onto planks/blocks to level side to side
2. chock both wheels front and back real tight to eliminate motion
3. level front to rear with tongue jack
4. crank jacks down until they touch ground snugly.

Definition of real tight on the chocks:

chock both wheels in the front.
pull forward a little
chock both wheels in rear
place in neutral and let it float to center

My definition of level is a little water in a frying pan on the stove. If you can fry eggs it is level enough everywhere else.

I have a problem with the Lynx levellers when it comes to chocking - how do you chock securely when using them on one side? The chocks slide too much, even when chocked as suggested (snug them on one side, then place on the other side), exactly when it is most important to be chocked (unlevel ground).

We've not had that problem yet with our very limited experience. Maybe other Lynk users will comment on your question.