Leveling System

[gtfiver]

Good luck, I'm sure you will like it.

[SUNCOAST]

We picked up our Cameo Friday from Roy at Quadra in Lakeland, Fl.  They completed the install of the Big Foot Leveling System this past Monday and Tuesday.  The system is very impressive and I'm sure I'm going to like it.  Roy did a demonstration for us on both the manual and automatic operation.  It was impressive to watch the system self level in the auto mode.

I've since taken it home and parked it on an unlevel rv spot on grass at home.  I Unhitched and hit the automatic level,  It did a fantastic job getting level.  I've parked in the same spot in the past requiring 2inch boards on the door side.  I've also made a pair of roto-chock style blocks for the wheels and the combination has really removed 80% of the movement in the trailer.

I tell ya, Roy has been a pleasure to work with and runs a small but very functional shop.  Although I've only had the system for a couple of days, I'm hoping it continues to work as advertised.  They offer a lifetime warranty on the pistons. 

Roy is listed on the Quadra home page and is the only dealer listed in Florida (Lakeland). 

[gtfiver]

Took the factory tour yesterday, Carriage is no longer installing the rear electric stabilizers on units coming off the line with Bigfoot. Don't know if this is something that they would install on request. My experience is that you probably will want something to help stabilize the rear end. Camping World has electric stabilizers that look to be similar to the Lipperts that Carriage was installing, in the neighborhood of $700. Also noticed that Camping World has this, which might help cut down on side-to-side movement:

http://tinyurl.com/nlcpf5

Haven't seen this myself so don't know how sturdy or effective it is, but it got some good reviews on the Camping World site

[Dutch and Di]

Well, I guess we need to do an update.  Our Power Plus levelers that were still working were getting a little long in the tooth.  It took a little longer and had to work a little harder to get us level.  But hey, they were 13 years old.  We upgraded about 2 weeks ago to the Big Foot Levelers by Quadra.  We are very pleased.  Much quicker and more accurate leveling.  Diana

[2rinKayaker]

It is possible to change a tire. The recommended procedure is to use both rear jacks to lift the rear end enough to lift the tires of the ground.

Have you had the opportunity to use the BF system to change a tire?  Seems the pricetag would easily be justified by the increased safety when changing a flat in less than ideal conditions.  Okay, lifting a 10k trailer with a bottle jack is to me what snakes&spiders are to some people.  Thanks!!

[gtfiver]

I did have a flat after the Bigfoot was installed, but before I got to the point of lifting the coach a SC DOT roadside assistance truck pulled up and took over installing the spare. He had an air bag and wooden blocks which he used to very quickly lift the coach on the side where the flat occurred.

I have been on a camping site where it was so unlevel side to side that the Bigfoot system lifted one side so that the tires were just barely touching. It didn't have any problem doing this.

[teddyblue]

I didn't ask about manual retraction. If it fails to extend, you can still use the existing electric jacks.

It is possible to change a tire. The recommended procedure is to use both rear jacks to lift the rear end enough to lift the tires of the ground.

The jacks have less play in them than the electric jacks, so the coach is more stable. I did deploy the rear electric stabilizers to reduce shake in the back.

Good morning, just a quick question.  When you change a flat tire using the big foot system, do you have to unhitch the truck or can it stay hitch.

Thanks for your response.

Jo

[gtfiver]

Shouldn't need to unhook unless the ground is really uneven.

[teddyblue]

Thank you

Jo

[Dutch and Di]

We had a tire "issue" within 50 miles of having our Big Foots installed.  We found a safe place to pull off the road and Dutch was able to get the offending tire off the ground using our BF's while we were still hooked up.  No problems.  Di

[diandtom]

 The back leg on Cameo with Bigfoot would not come all the way down.  I would have to raise the back legs back up and start all over again. One time it would be on the right and the next the left.  It would get level on three legs.  I made  call today to Lakeland, Fl.. The tech told me on Carriage factory systems there is a star washer that is suppose to cut it way into the ground bar. I got a cable to the ground bar, then the washer and then another cable. In other words it not grounded right. I did look and mine is like the service tech told me. I will fix it tomorrow and I am going to sand the ground bar and use some no ox on mine. It would work as it suppose to most of the time.

[SUNCOAST]

Today, I picked up a nail in my left rear fifth wheel tire.  My tire pressure monitor system warned me of the slow leaking tire.  I aired it up at a rest stop and made it to a tire shop with 83 p.s.i.  The mechanics were having a time trying to figure out a way to jack up the rig to remove the tire.  To their amazement, I lifted the left side with the Big Foot Levelers and then they were able to plug the tire.  I'm extremely pleased with my Big Foot leveling system! 

[tbraeunig]

A couple of tips I just learned today from Jason @ Bigfoot:

Once the rig has been leveled and system power is turned off, if you go back and turn on system power, the "Bigfoot" light will be flashing. This is normal and indicates a level condition, but the system has lost it's "memory" of having extended the levelers.
(The normal indication right after leveling is complete is the Bigfoot light on solid)

To start automatic leveling, the rear levelers have to be completely retracted until they shut off. I thought I had them completely retracted, but got no response when pushing the "Auto" button. After pressing the "Retract" and "Rear" buttons together, the rear levelers retracted a little more and shut off by themselves. Then the Auto mode worked fine.

So far, I'm very happy with Bigfoot, especially after watching our friends manually level their rig. This is our first RV, so I have no direct experience to compare it with.  We have noticed that the trailer is slightly low on the right side after automatic leveling, but I'm hoping that this will be a simple adjustment that can be done by the dealer.