EP levelling system - advice please (1 Viewer)

Southdowners

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The system is working OK however a single line in the instruction manual says the wheels should not be lifted off the ground. Often, when the vehicle is levelled, they are.

Can anyone offer advice please? It would seem impossible for the system to work if the tyres can't be allowed to elevate from the ground.
 

stewartwebr

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Don't worry about it. I spoke with Mick at SAP and he thinks its to do with liability. If you read the manual it also says under no circumstances should anyone be in the vehicle whilst you level.

Don't worry about it and enjoy your new toy.

On a different note, and I have always been meaning to ask, is your lovely Avatar a Border Collie pup, we have had 5 Border Collies he/she looks a real beauty
 

stewartwebr

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All the wheels should not leave the ground

Interested to know why this would cause an issue. Is it to do with the jacks may start to slide on slippery ground, guess its a possibility. I don't think I have ever had a levelling situation where all 6 wheels leave the ground.
 
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Southdowners

Southdowners

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Hello Stuart, thanks very much for the info. We did wonder if that was the case.

Yes, said avatar is indeed our Border Collie. He's five now and a real handful, but we love him! You have five ... how do you manage! Do you take them all travelling? Do you have to spell words so they don't cotton on to what you're talking about as you would a child as they can understand so much? They're brilliant dogs though aren't they?

We are enjoying our new vehicle. It's been a bit of a challenging journey. We drove through deep snow (snow tyres we're brilliant!). Snow was followed by relentless high winds and torrential rain. There's quite a bit of flooding. Today the winds are horrendous, it's a bit of nightmare and I'll be glad when we stop. Oh well, if we can drive in this it should be a bit of a doddle in future... we hope!
 
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All the wheels should not leave the ground
Cant see how that instruction makes any sense , as they could be in contact with ground and have a loading on the ground of 100grams so of no effect structurally or prevention of movement .

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RogerThat

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Can I ask a quick question without hijacking the thread? :oops:

I sometimes see wooden blocks under these jacks, which I assume is to either spread the load further or to offer a height advantage where needed on more unlevel ground, so I get that... But... is there ever a case where you might need traditional levelling ramps AND these hydraulic jacks? Do any of you that have these hydraulics also travel with ramps too?

And @Southdowners - your dog looks adorable :)
 

Allanm

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We had the same system on our Winnebago, it lifted 7.5 tons off the ground easily and we often had a couple of wheels in the air if the ground was very sloping.
I guess the instructions are to cover themselves in the event the vehicle slides off the jacks, 8 ( or 10 on a tag axle) points of contact are presumably safer than 4, even though there will be minimum load on some of the wheels

We used wooden blocks under the jacks if we were on grass to stop them sinking in the ground

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Southdowners

Southdowners

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Ours came with circular wooden disks. They're to spread the load and prevent sinking in soft ground. We haven't had our vehicle long but I can't imagine using ramps at all and haven't got them with us.
 
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You use plates (blocks) to spread the load on ground , (in my case 12ton) or in very rare occasion to get more height at one end if on very uneven ground. You never use ramps , as they work against the system being able to level, the rams have to go further before reaching ground so lose active leveling range. I am not sure on ep system as mine is HWH , and you use them front or rear first and they auto stop as soon as level , or on full auto .
 

stewartwebr

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Hello Stuart, thanks very much for the info. We did wonder if that was the case.

Yes, said avatar is indeed our Border Collie. He's five now and a real handful, but we love him! You have five ... how do you manage! Do you take them all travelling? Do you have to spell words so they don't cotton on to what you're talking about as you would a child as they can understand so much? They're brilliant dogs though aren't they?

We are enjoying our new vehicle. It's been a bit of a challenging journey. We drove through deep snow (snow tyres we're brilliant!). Snow was followed by relentless high winds and torrential rain. There's quite a bit of flooding. Today the winds are horrendous, it's a bit of nightmare and I'll be glad when we stop. Oh well, if we can drive in this it should be a bit of a doddle in future... we hope!

Have a great time, should have said 5 consecutive Border Collies with none at the moment due to work commitments. However, who knows what will happen in the future. They were all rescue dogs with the exception of one, and you are right about the spelling of words

Safe travels

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WSandME

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I don't have levelling jacks, but it occurs to me that the reason you shouldn't raise the wheel(s) off the ground is that the rams are very strong up and down, but relatively weak side to side. It could be that a strong gust of wind (especially on the large slab sides of the typical vehicle with the levellers) could overstress the rams causing damage - or even movement?
I have to say that the thought that I was limited to levelling by the extent of the scope of the suspension would make their purchase untenable - within the limits of the suspension, ramps are easier, quicker, lighter and cheaper!
 
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I don't have levelling jacks, but it occurs to me that the reason you shouldn't raise the wheel(s) off the ground is that the rams are very strong up and down, but relatively weak side to side. It could be that a strong gust of wind (especially on the large slab sides of the typical vehicle with the levellers) could overstress the rams causing damage - or even movement?
I have to say that the thought that I was limited to levelling by the extent of the scope of the suspension would make their purchase untenable - within the limits of the suspension, ramps are easier, quicker, lighter and cheaper!
Thats the thing you are not limited by suspension range , its normal to drop air out of suspension before starting leveling , which gives more leveling range . I agree ramps are lighter and cheaper tho. I would think there is almost no chance of bending them side to side .
 
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Southdowners

Southdowners

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I have to say that the thought that I was limited to levelling by the extent of the scope of the suspension would make their purchase untenable - within the limits of the suspension, ramps are easier, quicker, lighter and cheaper!

The EP levelling system is much quicker and easier than ramps... though obviously more expensive.

It's quite strange being in the vehicle when it does it's thing! We're really impressed so far. We've been on a few Aires which have been very uneven and the system hasn't failed to get us level. They can level by quite a bit which is why we couldn't understand the bit about the wheels being in contact with the ground as the vehicle ends up standing on the hydraulic jacks.

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WSandME

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The EP levelling system is much quicker and easier than ramps... though obviously more expensive.
I know this probably isn't representative, but while on our travels with a friend in an identical Hymer to ours, I was typically level quicker than him. He often had to start over when the system "faulted" and was very hesitant to lift any wheel off the ground. At one point (while he was at home) the system refused to lower, leaving him stranded until he could contact E&P for the appropriate release instructions :rolleyes:
 

rrusty

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I don't have levelling jacks, but it occurs to me that the reason you shouldn't raise the wheel(s) off the ground is that the rams are very strong up and down, but relatively weak side to side. It could be that a strong gust of wind (especially on the large slab sides of the typical vehicle with the levellers) could overstress the rams causing damage - or even movement?
I have to say that the thought that I was limited to levelling by the extent of the scope of the suspension would make their purchase untenable - within the limits of the suspension, ramps are easier, quicker, lighter and cheaper!
Lol what a load of tosh
 

stewartwebr

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The EP levelling system is much quicker and easier than ramps... though obviously more expensive.

It's quite strange being in the vehicle when it does it's thing! We're really impressed so far. We've been on a few Aires which have been very uneven and the system hasn't failed to get us level. They can level by quite a bit which is why we couldn't understand the bit about the wheels being in contact with the ground as the vehicle ends up standing on the hydraulic jacks.

Should have asked because it is very relevant: Does the Concorde have air suspension? If it does, it is very advantages to lower the van to its lowest position on air before you then deploy the jacks. Doing this gives the jacks more travel and I have found that most of the time it does not need to raise the van quite so high to level. My van has full V&B Air and E&P levelling. You can have the systems linked together so when the E&P is activated the V&B Air Suspension automatically lowers the air in the suspension to the lowest position.
My system does not do this intentionally on my request. I have such a large overhang, I have a real danger on very uneven ground to ground the back of the van. I therefore lower it myself and place it into service mode before deploying the E&P jacks.

So in short, if you have air suspension lower it before you use the E&P jacks for more efficient leveling

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Southdowners

Southdowners

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Yes, it does have air suspension as well Stuart. We do lower it first but thanks for the info
 
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Southdowners

Southdowners

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I know this probably isn't representative, but while on our travels with a friend in an identical Hymer to ours, I was typically level quicker than him. He often had to start over when the system "faulted" and was very hesitant to lift any wheel off the ground. At one point (while he was at home) the system refused to lower, leaving him stranded until he could contact E&P for the appropriate release instructions :rolleyes:


It sounds as if there may have been a problem with his system. If it's working as it should you'll be level in around a minute, including lowering the air suspension.

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WSandME

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It sounds as if there may have been a problem with his system.
That's why I said it wasn't representative :).
When they did work, I was quite envious - but... my budget hardly extends to replacement ramps :(.
 
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That's why I said it wasn't representative :).
When they did work, I was quite envious - but... my budget hardly extends to replacement ramps :(.
Ramps seem better VFM as the aftermarket levelers seem a bit overpriced , I think its more what the market can stand rather than cost +
 

rrusty

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I have had my E&P levellers for 6 years and had either the front 2 or the back 4 off the ground on numerous occasions in all weathers (including very windy occasions) with not a hint of any problems) I also put blocks of wood under them to stop them sinking in soft ground or when I want extra lift.

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funflair

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I also have had and will agin in the future have wheels completely off the ground, a little tip to possibly prevent this if it bothers you is to do the levelling in manual mode rather than auto as it tends not to lift it quite so high, you have to use this mode when the system sees the slope as being too great for the length of the jacks so then you have to put a block under.

Martin
 

WSandME

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I have had my E&P levellers for 6 years and had either the front 2 or the back 4 off the ground on numerous occasions in all weathers (including very windy occasions) with not a hint of any problems) I also put blocks of wood under them to stop them sinking in soft ground or when I want extra lift.
I would do the same - with my own rig. However, not being an engineer and party to the specifications of E&P or other systems, I would not recommend the practice to someone else.

As an aside, it always amazes me that so many lay-bys, rest areas and aires are positioned so as to make levelling difficult if not impossible. It's almost as if the providers don't really want people stopping there!
 

rrusty

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I would do the same - with my own rig. However, not being an engineer and party to the specifications of E&P or other systems, I would not recommend the practice to someone else.

As an aside, it always amazes me that so many lay-bys, rest areas and aires are positioned so as to make levelling difficult if not impossible. It's almost as if the providers don't really want people stopping there![/QUOTE
I would do the same - with my own rig. However, not being an engineer and party to the specifications of E&P or other systems, I would not recommend the practice to someone else.

As an aside, it always amazes me that so many lay-bys, rest areas and aires are positioned so as to make levelling difficult if not impossible. It's almost as if the providers don't really want people stopping there!

well exactly you do not have them so therefore have no knowledge of what they can or can not withstand.

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denisejoe

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It's possible with any ram to buckle with a bit of slip and one or two rams stay anchored. I've seen large rams on tippers go when slightly tilted never had the pleasure myself though.

Joe
 

funflair

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It's possible with any ram to buckle with a bit of slip and one or two rams stay anchored. I've seen large rams on tippers go when slightly tilted never had the pleasure myself though.

Joe
If I was going the extreme of the jack's travel I would prefer to put blocks under to limit the travel and keep some ram inside the cylinder.

Martin
 
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So in short, if you have air suspension lower it before you use the E&P jacks for more efficient leveling

Interesting, is there a set pressure that you lower the suspension to?

Pete

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