Levelling Jacks and the Parking Height

[Dorset Diver]

A question for users of levelling jacks and those of you in the know.

I'm thinking of adding EP levelling jacks to my van but I have noticed that some vans using jacks sit with all four wheels or at least most, off the ground unnecessarily. This raises the step level and just makes it harder for ancients like me and Dorset Lady to access the van. Is this what seems to be excessive height normal or can the jacks automatically raise the van just enough to level and no more?

 

[GROMIT69]

We have E&P on our van , if you let it level automatically it will lift it i think it is 20% higher than it needs to be so we always do it manually with the remote control which has a green light in the middle and arrows telling you which way to raise it , its also quicker doing it manually, so you only lift it enough to level the van

 

[David and Sally]

Our HPC levelling works aok on auto. The wheels only come off the ground if necessary. It can be leveled manually too.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Can depend where your entrance door is, ours is at the back and the van sits slightly nose down so the front generally comes up on the jacks rather than the back. Our HPC system only appears to lift where absolutely necessary to keep the van level.
I have seen a few vans completely off the ground and I think that’s the owners odd choice.
I suppose if you have a van that sits nose down a fair bit and has the entrance door near the front in could be a problem.

 

[Jezzerr]

We have EP and tend to raise manually to provide stability and a level moho at lowest height possible. Normally with all 4 wheels touching ground.

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[daveclare]

We always use the auto setting when we can, which most of the time leaves all 4 tyres on the ground. It's only the extreme pitches which need the wheels off the ground. This has happened 4 times in 13,000 miles and many sites and pitches in UK and abroad.

 

[TOAD on Tour]

Another one with E&P and we usually are level with most if not all 4 wheels pretty much on the ground. We also have full VB air, so have the van in its parking mode with the air first which lowers the vehicle from its normal driving position before we use the E&P. To be honest, not sure that keeps it lower or not when on the levellers, just what we was told to do!

 

[addoaddo]

Most of the time the wheels are still on the ground but we have a small step just in case we are on a site that is not level. This quite often when we stay on farm or other small sites that are not laid out like big sites. When the van is at home we tend to leave the wheels of ground to look after the tyres

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Our van sits naturally very nose down so even on a perfectly flat pitch we have to raise the front which we normally do manually with the remote. Once we get the van level by raising the front, I bring the back levellers down so that they just touch the ground which makes the van very stable and you don't get any bounce when you're walking about in the van.
If we let the levellers do their thing automatically it gets it perfectly level but a little higher than my wife would like it as she's not the best on her feet
Our E&P system is the best thing we've bought for the van, we wouldn't be without them

 

[John and Jo]

Depends on the wheelbase of the van also. The longer the wheelbase the more the difference on uneven ground.

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[two]

In my experience, all of these systems tend to go over. They start by raising the lowest end/side, with a pair of jacks, then work to the next lowest side/end. They always work by increasing height (lowering jacks) so always overcook it a bit). Try to make sure that your habitation door is on the high side. If you have air suspension, let the air out first (automatic systems do this for you) and then you'll be starting from a lower datum with more scope for the jacks to work in.
Don't overlook the impact on payload if adding jacks (you can off-set a bit by throwing your vehicle jack away, though) and get some thick pads to prevent sinking into boggy ground.
I got some (double) steps to use by the habitation door. Sometimes I need both the slide-out step as well.

 

[Dorset Diver]

Another one with E&P and we usually are level with most if not all 4 wheels pretty much on the ground. We also have full VB air, so have the van in its parking mode with the air first which lowers the vehicle from its normal driving position before we use the E&P. To be honest, not sure that keeps it lower or not when on the levellers, just what we was told to do!

We already have the VB 4C air suspension but I would like the more solid footing of jacks when parked.

 

[DerryW]

If like us you use an external step, make sure it’s not sitting under the van when you retract the leveller’s.

 

[John and Jo]

If like us you use an external step, make sure it’s not sitting under the van when you retract the leveller’s.

Anything for that matter. I have a habit of shoving stuff under the rear on the drive when at home. Once crushed some old paint tins I was moving out the garage

 

[Dorset Diver]

Anything for that matter. I have a habit of shoving stuff under the rear on the drive when at home. Once crushed some old paint tins I was moving out the garage

A colourful mistake .

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[TOAD on Tour]

We already have the VB 4C air suspension but I would like the more solid footing of jacks when parked.

Agreed,but my point is that your are lowering the van in parking mode on the VB before engaging the hydraulic levellers, so shouldn’t be keeping the van lower when getting level.

 

[Mr Colpot]

Only time I have seen all 4 wheels off the ground with our E&P is when we had the tyres changed recently. I tend to use auto and most places the fronts are off the ground and the rears are on it. We have a low step which we use as well as the electric one as we find it easier to get in and out whether on the levellers or not.

 

[Southdowners]

I don’t understand why all wheels would be raised off the ground. The system levels from the highest point, so why would you raise the vehicle above that point?

We use automatic levelling and always have wheels on the ground. The levellers at the highest point deploy but only to the ground to steady. The other levellers bring the vehicle to align with that point.

 

[ChrisL]

I believe e&p jacks lift the van by 30mm before they start levelling when in automatic mode. There will be times when you may be on a slope that falls away on your door side, levelling manually will get you back 30 mm but sometimes even that's not enough and you will need a step, i have a small one with fold up legs that doesn't take up much room.