Jack Levelers

[diamond1041]

I am looking at replacing the levelers on my 1999 ITASCA Sunflyer 36 ft gas motorhome. What jacks would be best to install on the motorhome. Now have the HWH JOY STICK, Do not like them for the springs get weak and here they are hard to replace. Would like to get some feed back whats recommended. Thank you.

[rossboyer]

Having had 4 motor homes with jackes manufactured by three different manufacturers, HWH were still the best. The company has the best support and service. I only had one spring go bad and that was due to being hit by road debris. The spring was very easy to replace.

[wintex55]

I am of the opinion that leveling jacks, at least those made by HWH, are very robust and not easily abused.

Some of the comments I have read are concerned with the springs "weakening" due to being extended for

long periods of time. It is the nature of leveling jacks to be extended for long periods of time and they are

designed with this in mind. Generally, a spring will not weaken unless it is over-extended, repeatedly.

The only time you should need wood under your jacks is when a wheel, or wheels, will be jacked up off the

ground when leveling. I use my jacks whenever I am parked and I still have most of the original springs on

my almost 13 year old Allegro Bay!

[wintex55]

In my opinion, you need have no fear of the springs on HWH leveling jacks getting "weak!" I have four HWH jacks on my 1999 Allegro Bay, 1998 Chevy Chassis, and I've never had any problem with the springs "weakening."

These springs are massive and are designed such that they are more than capable of handling the loads that motor homes place on them. Normally, springs will operate far longer than the products for which they are selected will last. Springs do not weaken unless they are affected by the environment or are over-extended beyond their design limits. There is no way that the springs on motor home leveling jacks can be over extended.

I have had only one spring on my 13 year old motor home fail spontaneously. I was parked in South Texas for 4 months, drove to Houston, TX and was in my 3rd month being parked (a total of 7 months with my jacks extended) when I heard a "sproiiing" sound and the motor home shook. Upon investigating, I found that one of my right front jack springs had broken.

When I examined the spring, I found that it had broken due to a very tiny "crack" about 1/16th inch in diameter on the edge of the 6th coil from the top. The only reason I know that this spring was cracked was because when I checked the surface area of the broken spot, the tiny area of the "crack" was rusted, There was no rust on the outside surface of the spring itself.

So, I say, buy the HWH levelers. With the great service-after-the-sale, and the dependability of the jacks, you will not go wrong.

[jameswin]

One of the HWH leveler springs broke spontaneously on my 2008 Winnebago Tour. According to lots of sites on the internet, this is fairly common. Century springs have a good website and I may replace the all of my rusted HWH springs with Century springs.....does anyone on this forum have an opinion about Century vs HWH springs? Also, what do you guys think about going ahead and ordering the eight total springs and having them on hand and only replacing them as they "break" vs the proactive approach of replacing the "rusted ones" even though they are not broken?

Jameswin

[nitehawk]

My '89 Foretravel has HWH levelers and according to the meticulous record keeping by previous owners no problems, no spring replacements with the HWH system since new!!

HWH shines in my book!

[therocky]

hope I'm in the right place to ask a related question.

I'm a newbie, just moving off a boat to a coach. Getting a 2000 Monoco Dynasty with air system leveling.

Am I being too anal, thinking if I'm sitting for an extended period of time, should I include some kind of jack system to get the constant weight off the tires?

[Briarhopper]

hope I'm in the right place to ask a related ?

I'm a newbie, just moving off a boat to a coach. Getting a 2000 Monoco Dynasty with air system leveling. Am I being too anal, thinking if I'm sitting for an extended period of time, should I include some kind of jack system to get the constant weight off the tires?

My opinion only, but as long as you are not extremly heavy on your tires, it should not be a problem sitting for a month or two. Might be a problem sitting for 3 or more months. Some tires will take extended sitting better. I would consult with the tire maker. They may tell you just to air the tires to the maximum sidewall pressure (while sitting only) and all will be well.

On replacing levelers, my only experience is with HWH and I have had to replace a spring. Wasn't exactly easy, but I imagine a lot easier than installing a new jack. If I had to replace springs on a regular basis, I would buy a spring installer or fabricate one to make it easy and safe to do. I imagine some installations could make spring replacements very difficult, so my approach may not be feasible.

BH

[JWARNER]

Some people think their jack springs are getting weak. They are fine. The problem is the oil seals making the jacks retract slowly. As per HWH, once a year or as needed, spray a small amount of white lithium grease on the extended jacks. Run them up and down once or twice, then wipe off the excess.

[Briarhopper]

Some people think their jack springs are getting weak. They are fine. The problem is the oil seals making the jacks retract slowly. As per HWH, once a year or as needed, spray a small amount of white lithium grease on the extended jacks. Run them up and down once or twice, then wipe off the excess.

I do not know if HWH does or does not recommend using white lithium on any of their jack rods. I just found the HWH maintenance guide which recommends removing any grease or silicone based lubricants using WD-40 and using WD-40 to clean the jack rods, but only if needed. HWH has a large amount of info on their website. Some a little hard to dig out.

BH

[varasanjacinto]

HWH ARE THE VERY BEST FOR MY MONEY.....I'VE HAD ONE SPRING BREAK AND JUST CARRY A SPARE. THE AFTER MARKET SERVICE AND ATTENTION ARE EXCELLENT. THEY ARE A FINE COMPANY AND I WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON MY MOTORHOME.

[tbutler]

Regarding air leveling and parking on the tires for an extended period of time, we have done this each winter for eleven years. Each fall when we park at our winter campground I inflate the tires to the maximum pressure. Our tires and rims specify 120 pounds maximum. Use the smaller maximum if there is a difference. As the winter goes on, I'll top them off during the cold weather then bleed them as needed when it warms up. If you are going to park longer than six months, I would purchase a hydraulic jack capable of lifting each axle of the coach and then put it up on blocks to at least take some of the weight off the tires.

Another important factor is the parking surface. I put wood 2x12's under each wheel to keep them off the dirt, grass, concrete or asphalt surface. Make sure that the entire tire footprint is supported on any parking surface. I have a friend who purchased plastic cutting boards at Wal-Mart and parks on those.

Finally you should purchase a set of tire covers to protect the tires from UV light which will casue a loss of flexibility and cracking of the sidewalls. In any event, tire manufacturers advise that seven years is the maximum safe life of tires. Even if your tread looks good, the tires will need to be replaced after seven years.