Level Level Location

[Bobkat11208]

Sorry for the weird title. 🤷 What I’m interested in is, when manually leveling your rig AND you use, say, a torpedo level, where do you typically place it to verify? 
The bubble level in our coach is useless and I’m old school enough (DW says something else not suitable for this forum) to want to see it with my own eyes.  LOL. We do not have any sort of self-leveling; it’s strictly a man, a dog and a whistle operation.
I originally placed it on the floor right by me sitting in the pilot’s chair. My thought process was it was near the bubble level so that made sense, but a couple of times we were front down more than I would like. Lately, I’ve moved back to checking in the mid bath area nearest the fridge. The only problem with the new location is it is tile (the rest of the coach is laminate) and you can get different readings moving from tile to tile (both front to back and side to side). Too, going back and forth between the RVA pad and level is a PITA. 
I’m not trying to cure cancer but I’m interested in what my fellow travelers do.  

[Tom Cherry]

2 minutes ago, Bobkat11208 said:

Sorry for the weird title. 🤷 What I’m interested in is, when manually leveling your rig AND you use, say, a torpedo level, where do you typically place it to verify? 
The bubble level in our coach is useless and I’m old school enough (DW says something else not suitable for this forum) to want to see it with my own eyes.  LOL. We do not have any sort of self-leveling; it’s strictly a man, a dog and a whistle operation.
I originally placed it on the floor right by me sitting in the pilot’s chair. My thought process was it was near the bubble level so that made sense, but a couple of times we were front down more than I would like. Lately, I’ve moved back to checking in the mid bath area nearest the fridge. The only problem with the new location is it is tile (the rest of the coach is laminate) and you can get different readings moving from tile to tile (both front to back and side to side). Too, going back and forth between the RVA pad and level is a PITA. 
I’m not trying to cure cancer but I’m interested in what my fellow travelers do.  

Folks measure wherever and with whatever that suits their needs.  Some shoot for 0.1 (+/-) accuracy.  OTHERS use the old Gas Refrigerator rule....have a Bubble either way works and the Refrigerator runs just fine.

If you want the best accuracy...then use an 24" level (a good one...not one that has been dropped off buildings and such... I used to make them...LOL). Put it near the middle of the coach and do a FRT-REAR and Side-Side Measurement.  

I assume that you know that you MIGHT be able to "calibrate" your leveling control.  I have the Valid system.  You use the manual controls and get it dead level....then go back and check again.  usually try to mid air bag height...or the suspension is mid way between all air out (leveled) and blown up (leveled).  THEN you go through the SETUP and CALIBRATE Steps.

I then never use the auto level system. I drop all the air...and then start to level with minimum air or blowing up.

NOW....it gets dicey.  You do that.  OPPS...go back and measure when the slides are deployed.  IT AIN'T LEVEL.  Was, in my opinion and all the writeups...NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE. Monaco calibrated the system, or they SHOULD have, on the flat factory floor with the slides in.

NOW...it gets really deep.  Suppose you have floor tile? it will NOT be 100% level.  THUS a Torpedo level can be canted.  OK...cut a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood....use that.  it will also work on carpet.   NOW you have it level.  

Then find a cabinet surface (fixed or on slide that is retracted).  Then use your torpedo level, assuming the 24" level is dead on LEVEL in both directions.  Note WHERE you can put the Torpedo level.  That is your MARKER.

OK...NOW A PRACTICAL TEST.  My bathroom door is my LEVEL.  when the MH is "relatively" level, the bathroom door can be put halfway OPEN and not move.  THAT is my LEVEL SETTING.  I don't want it moving.  SO, I level to get the door stationary...as in it STAYS put.  YES, the Slides might change a little..

BTW.. I turn OFF the AUTO LEVEL function and the pump. I do NOT like the persistent tweaking and such of the AUX Compressor...many folks do..

Good Luck...

[jacwjames]

I found a small round stick on bubble level that I secured to the small drawer in the center console of the dash.  It gets me pretty close. 

On my phone under the Utility app there is a measuring app combined with a level.  I can place the phone on the floor and watch the phone level it it fine tunes the levelness.  I'm not that picky, if over nighting I'm get it close by eyeballing.  Longer stays I'll take my time.

[CAT Stephen]

Here is what I use.  This device is much faster than a standard level:

- https://levelmate.com/

[Tom Cherry]

11 minutes ago, CAT Stephen said:

Here is what I use.  This device is much faster than a standard level:

- https://levelmate.com/

OK, I'll show my curiosity as well as my comprehension.  The device runs side to side.  How does that work front to rear.

Does it have two cross over levels inside....so that you get front to rear and side to side?

How to you establish the original calibration....as in.  The MH is dead level....verified someway with a sprite (or electronic if you prefer) level.

Neat gadget....just don't understand how it would work and give you the two different planes of level that one is trying to achieve.

Thanks....

[Bobkat11208]

Tom, here is a decent ‘splainer. https://www.thervgeeks.com/rv-leveling-system/
Think 3-axis accelerometer. LOL. My only question is how it works with a 3 Jack system but it’s returnable if need be.
I stumbled on the video after reading your original reply to my post (and yes, going forward the Bathroom door will be my barometer). 

[timaz996]

I use a bubble level that I put on my dining room table and I know it has to be off to one side to have the coach level in all directions. The best way to see is by opening your bathroom door, a quarter of the way out and if it doesn’t move, rotated halfway out or perpendicular to the wall and if it doesn’t move, you are pretty level.

[Ivan K]

31 minutes ago, timaz996 said:

I use a bubble level that I put on my dining room table and I know it has to be off to one side to have the coach level in all directions. The best way to see is by opening your bathroom door, a quarter of the way out and if it doesn’t move, rotated halfway out or perpendicular to the wall and if it doesn’t move, you are pretty level.

Exactly what I do, except sometimes I put the level on kitchen counter so my breakfast egg stays in center of a pan 😀. But usually just finetune the autolevel by bathroom door right from the seat. When parked at home, I have a short level on the dash so that I can see it from outside and know there are no leaks side to side. Surprisingly, the door and dash levels correspond perfectly. Front to rear changes I can tell by its shadow on level ground. 

[Martinvz]

I bought a set (2) of small stick-on levels and put these onto the front tv cabinet. Of course I leveled the coach first. This gives me visual from the front seat and I can get it close to level, easy peasy. 
The DW then uses a rubber ball on the floor in front of the fridge to help fine tune the leveling. Last check is the bedroom door. 
This has been our process and it works for us. 
Auto level: I have not used it in years and do not trust it anymore. 

[Rocketman3]

We have been using the LevelMatePRO for several years.

i have the module mounted inside our pantry cabinet. Flip a switch and pull up the app on my phone and it will tell me what each tire needs to do to get to level.  This way I know if I need to block a tire up a few inches BEFORE I start.

Put slide out and drop air, then I can see exactly what I need to do with each tire - like always- drop front foot first - then back and adjust it to exactly correct. (At least until the jacks release a little).

I think this item is well worth its cost.

A few times I will drive around a parking lot looking for the most level spot - so I don’t need to drop the jacks for just a travel night.

[cbr046]

First, let the air out.  I use some small camper levels while adjusting the jacks.  One resting on the window sill and one on the radio for L-R.  Then I'll move the levels to the kitchen counter for fine tuning.  Then, finally, the toilet door test.  Then I'll let the slides out and blow the adjustments all to heck, but by that time I don't care.  My stays are only 1-2 nights then back home.  

- bob

[96 EVO]

I find the Valid air levelling does a pretty good job in 'Auto' mode ( according to the bathroom door)!

I'll leave mine in auto for the first 8hrs or so, let it make it's adjustments, then power it down.

[Bob R]

I use the Valid air levelling after setting the coach in the parked location with the slides out, then use the bathroom door as a final fine tuning.  It seems to be the easiest way to level for me.

[Dr4Film]

I prefer to use a small plastic bubble level I received with a wall hanging that went up in our house.

In the Windsor and now in the Dynasty, I use the top of an area close to the middle of the coach which is NOT on a slide that proved to be fairly level. I also use the shower and/or bathroom door as a double check after manually leveling. If the door doesn't stay in any opened position then the coach still needs to be tweaked.

[CAT Stephen]

16 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

OK, I'll show my curiosity as well as my comprehension.  The device runs side to side.  How does that work front to rear.

Does it have two cross over levels inside....so that you get front to rear and side to side?

How to you establish the original calibration....as in.  The MH is dead level....verified someway with a sprite (or electronic if you prefer) level.

Neat gadget....just don't understand how it would work and give you the two different planes of level that one is trying to achieve.

Thanks....

@Tom Cherry,

 

It works for both side to side and front to rear.  It contains two (2) precision solid state angle meters so that you get both front to rear and side to side.

Since angle meters are not levels, initial calibration is required on the Android or iPhone app when the MH is dead level.  You will also need to enter both the HH wheelbase and the MH width so that the device can precisely calculate the exact leveling adjustments in inches.  This video below describes the initial setup process in detail:

 

 

Yes, it 

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, CAT Stephen said:

@Tom Cherry,

 

It works for both side to side and front to rear.  It contains two (2) precision solid state angle meters so that you get both front to rear and side to side.

Since angle meters are not levels, initial calibration is required on the Android or iPhone app when the MH is dead level.  You will also need to enter both the HH wheelbase and the MH width so that the device can precisely calculate the exact leveling adjustments in inches.  This video below describes the initial setup process in detail:

 

 

Yes, it 

Sounds cool to me.  I have the 3 bubble level matrix on my Powergear/Valid control panel.  They, after you calibrate, are, like the LevelMate PRO, locked in.  I rarely use the Auto Level….and then, check it with my NOT SWINGING Bathroom Door.

Thanks for the update and information.  Neat device….technology is amazing….

[Scotty Hutto]

Bob,

I used the Levelmate Pro+ mentioned above. I initially calibrated it using a 6’ bubble level in the middle of the coach, with a “wife reporting system” to read the level while I was at the controls.  I also calibrated my PowerGear hydraulic jacks at the same time. 

With some experience under my belt, the Levelmate pro tells me if a site is too far off for me to level as soon as I pull in, which is handy.  I can also use the Levelmate Pro with my Apple Watch… but then I’m a gadget guy…

[The Hales]

I level at the washer/dryer location with a small torpedo level.  This results in less vibration during the drying cycle…..which is different from the bathroom door leveling result …..which is different from the cockpit leveling result…….all of which change every few days due to old jack seals ever so slightly leaking on our’04 Monaco Knight. The bubble level is worthless. 

 

 

[6Wheels]

Levelmate works great and we had it on the Arctic Fox pull behind, but on our Discovery there are 4 positions in the leveling system.  I call them plungers.  I calibrated the auto-leveling system when we first got the coach against a carpenter's level both side-to-side and front-to-back.  Then installed a bubble level in the front cabinet by the door and the side cabinet by the door.  We used horse stall mats (from Tractor Supply) under the tires if it was an extended stay, but for overnight that was not necessary.  Unless the terrain required more than 7" of compensation it came out perfect (enough) every time.  Beyond that it would require blocking up a corner or maybe two.  

[Mark Underhill]

I use a small bubble level on the floor beside my drivers seat, check it front to rear get it reading level and spin the level 180 if the bubble stays in same place I know its level.  Do the same side to side, then recheck front to rear.  

Final check is wife walking from bedroom forward...😂

[saflyer]

On 6/4/2024 at 2:03 PM, Bobkat11208 said:

Sorry for the weird title. 🤷 What I’m interested in is, when manually leveling your rig AND you use, say, a torpedo level, where do you typically place it to verify? 
The bubble level in our coach is useless and I’m old school enough (DW says something else not suitable for this forum) to want to see it with my own eyes.  LOL. We do not have any sort of self-leveling; it’s strictly a man, a dog and a whistle operation.
I originally placed it on the floor right by me sitting in the pilot’s chair. My thought process was it was near the bubble level so that made sense, but a couple of times we were front down more than I would like. Lately, I’ve moved back to checking in the mid bath area nearest the fridge. The only problem with the new location is it is tile (the rest of the coach is laminate) and you can get different readings moving from tile to tile (both front to back and side to side). Too, going back and forth between the RVA pad and level is a PITA. 
I’m not trying to cure cancer but I’m interested in what my fellow travelers do.  

For left right leveling I use the bedroom door technique. If the open door set along the fore and aft axis of the coach doesn’t tend to go left or right when released from my wife’s hand we are level in that axis.

We also have tile floors. I may be wrong but the motorhome has a physical beltline trim piece around the exterior. I assume it is aligned with the floor so I set a bubble level on it for front to rear leveling. Requires going up and down the stairs a few time but seems to work.

An additional point, sadly the countertop and stove are not aligned with the floor so if it is level they won’t be. I’m planning to put a shim under the back of the stove back probably can’t do anything about the countertop.

Ed        
‘05 HR Ambassador 

 

Edited June 6 by saflyer
Added information

[waterskier_1]

This sounds like a 2-part question to me.  Maybe I'm being too anal, but the first part is what part of the coach does one use to determine "level".  The second part which many have provided answers, has to do with what tool do you use once you know where you are going to measure.  The most sophisticated tool does no good if you place it on something that is not "flat" with the rest of the coach.  Note that "flat" doesn not mean "level".  It only means that the surface is in the same plane as other surfaces in the coach.  

I started my leveling in 1978, and, at that time the "experts" all pretty much agreed that the most important item/surface to have "level" was the refrigerator.  Back then the absorption refrigerators were not as forgiving as current ones.   And many don't have absorption anymore, and how "level" a residential refrigerator is less important.  Since I still have an absorption refrigerator, that is my "standard" of what needs to be level.  I have, over time and with experimentation, found the kitchen countertop to be in close agreement with the refrigerator.  At the same time, the stove top is not.  I have a special "shim" to keep griddle and frying pans level, so eggs and pancakes don't run.  This would likely be my next choice of what to "level" if I didn't have the absorption refrigerator.  After the stove top, I suppose it would be the shower floor.  For many, they use the bath door, but I have a magnetic latch on mine holding it open unless it needs to be closed, so I don't have the issue of that door swinging into the passageway.  

I have elected to use a small, but somewhat calibrated, torpedo level as the "tool".  I do have automatic air leveling (which I hardly ever use - personal preference) and automatic hydraulic jack leveling - which I don't use in the "auto" mode.  I guess this is from seeing so many windshields popped or cracked when the "auto" mode doesn't perform correctly.  I do know that those system are close to what I want as "level", and I know they can be adjusted to be "very close", but that is way down my to-do list.

So, my recommendation is to first determine what surface you want to base "level", then look for a tool that will work.  Some of the tools mentioned would not serve me well inside the refrigerator.

  -Rick N.

[Larry Laursen]

 I use the "walking down the center" technique, no level.  Then I use the bathroom door and vanity door.  If they don't swing front to back or side to side, good enough.  The front area by the driver's compartment will never be level side to side. The front is supported a single jack in the center and the front slides are unbalanced.  This gives me a "level bed" for sleeping and I can stand in front of the vanity door without it hitting me. All the appliances are located center to rear so they are okay. Upfront it's close enough.🤣🤣 Air leveling is a different story.

[jimc99999]

I use the refrigerator and shower doors to check level, and the walk from the drivers seat to the bathroom and back. This leaves the stove very slightly tilted but I can deal with that easier than the refrigerator, shower, or cabinet doors not staying where I put them.

Edited June 7 by jimc99999

[veraken]

With the kitchen in our slideout, after auto leveling the MH, and putting out the slide, my DW complains that the countertop and cooktop are not level. Says it makes it hard for her to cook, so I manually readjust level a little to make the DW happy. Happy wife, happy life !!