Anderson Levelers

[geO]

I was wondering if any Oliver owners use the Anderson Levelers and if so how happy are you with them? I'm under the impression that the stabilization jacks are not for leveling on the Elite II?

[Overland]

We were told on our factory tour that the jacks were fine for leveling.  That was a year ago, so maybe Oliver has changed their tune, but seeing the way they're bolted through the frame, I can't imagine it ever being a problem, nor do I know of anyone having a failure.  It seems like most everyone on the forum uses them for leveling.  FWIW, the manual refers to them alternately as "leveling jacks" or "stabilizing jacks" but makes no mention of needing any additional support.

 

No experience with the anderson levelers, though they look pretty nifty.

[Mainiac]

I am making and going to carry two 6 X 6 X 11" blocks. For uneven sites. Evidently the jacks take quite a bit of juice, which is a concern if on batteries. Will also carry some other 2 x 6", in other assorted sizes for the front and to sit on the 6 X 6" when on it's side...

[dharmardr]

I bought a set before I left home this January, but all the sites we have been on since we left have been so close to level, I haven't used them yet. If a site is out of level side to side an inch or so I just use the rear jacks to level it up. I bought the Anderson levelers, because they looked easy to use, effective, and would save the levelers from some heavy lifting. So the jury is still out. Stay tuned.

 

Grayson

[Hap]

We almost never use the jacks on the trailer. I almost always use the Anderson levelers at every stop.  The jacks will do the job just fine but I find the AL to be much more convenient and easier to use and they will stabilize the trailer much better when it needs to be lifted several inches off of the ground while camping. I weigh 250 pounds and the Oliver is so stable that I feel very little movement in the trailer when it's up on the AL.

 

We did have one of our jacks fail while in Alaska and while the trailer was under full warranty. Oliver called and made an appointment with a large RV shop, overnighted the jack to them and had jack replaced PDQ. As a side note, the dealer in Alaska said that they had never ever worked with an RV manufacturer that was so determined to make a customer happy. They were extremely impressed with the trailer and the Oliver company and so were we.

 

We own 4 Anderson Levelers and sometimes keep our trailer in a storage facility that is mostly gravel and grass and use one under each of the 4 tires when it is parked for several months. Of course, we only carry two AL with us when we travel.

 

We have owned two Oliver Travel Trailers.

 

As always just my opinion.

 

Hap

 

As in Happy just to be here.

[Overland]

I had wondered if the Anderson levelers could double as a flat spot protector. Sounds like they can.

[geO]

Great information folks. I seem to recall someone telling me during my plant tour not to use them for leveling. I could be wrong but needless to say I did buy a set of the AL's.

[Overland]

It would be nice to get some clarification on this from Oliver even though I firmly believe that with some common sense, using the levelers as, well, levelers, should be perfectly fine.

 

I like the standard lego blocks as a base for the jacks if for no other reason than they're so much lighter than wood, but I wish they were wider.  Stacking up two sets of those under a jack, as I've seen some do, gives you a plinth that's 20" tall by only 8.5" wide .  That may be fine if you're just using them as a stabilizer to keep from extending the jack too far,  but if you do end up with a wheel off the ground it seems like it would be unsteady to me.  Especially so if the plinth ends up leaning due to the slope of the site.

 

Something I'm probably going to do instead of getting the regular 2 x 2 blocks, is to get the 4 x 2 levelers like these.  Those will provide a sturdier support at least in one direction, so if you are on a sloped site you could place the plinth with the longer axis pointing down hill.   Better still, I could get two sets, cut the ends off of one, then use those ends on the other set so that I can make a crisscrossed X shape that's 17" in each direction.  I could still use the 2 x 2 centers from the set I cut the ends off of, either for one of the other jacks, or on top of the X I made, for a total of 20".  That way, in an extreme situation, I wouldn't have to extend the jack so much, and would have a much sturdier base underneath.

 

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about stacking up 20" worth of blocks and then extending the jack all the way up so that the wheel is two feet off the ground on a 50% grade.  Just stacking up the blocks like Canoe12 is saying to keep from having to extend the jacks all that much which should not only be sturdier for the trailer but place less stress on the jacks.

[Try2Relax]

That way, in an extreme situation, I wouldn’t have to extend the jack so much, and would have a much sturdier base underneath.

 

 

This is the most extreme I've done and would do, if more is required I would change location. What can't be seen is that I also use the 6x6s for leveler support. As stated, this way the jack doesn't need to fully extend, and weaken the system. Oliver's recommendation is that lifting the trailer OFF the tires is for maintenance and emergency and not for leveling, like a CLASS A would be.

 

I agree that doing so would greatly decrease stability. Generally weighing 200 lbs and on the tires, you can feel it walking around, so just enough pressure on the levelers to remove the shock/spring compression (bounce) works well for us.

 

I will end up with some of the Andersen levelers this season, I have found the stackable Lego ones difficult above 2 or 3 due to the spacing between the tires and "ramping" them to get on them.

 

Edited

[KarenLukens]

Think twice on the Anderson's... They work but there are others.   https://www.amazon.com/Blaylock-American-Metal-EZ-100-Wheel/dp/B000R5PMWE/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

 

I've seen them used them and really like them and then broke one... The Anderson worked fine on the Casita but they were still breakable plastic. The Anderson's give you 4" of lift and... Is that really enough? Look at the entire market and then decide. I'm just not sold on them for the Oliver and my 2 x 12 x 18" home made are a lot sturdier, plus they don't slide out or let the trailer roll. You need a good dead blow hammer to set the wedges under the Anderson's. I also have plywood blocks that stack. I guess after using the Anderson's for a couple years, I'm just not sure that they are what we really need for the Oliver. I'm on a tablet in Oklahoma so you will need to copy the links... Sorry... It just won't let me open the link option without closing the window....

 

Reed

[DavePhelps]

I have never heard that the Oliver jacks should not be used for leveling. They are more than up for the task. I also try to limit the jack extension with lego style blocks which work well. If battery use is a worry, then you can always manually crank them down with the supplied hand crank. But with our Elite, power usage is minimal and has never put us at a disadvantage. YMMV.

 

Dave

[KarenLukens]

I found out today that we will need something else to level along with the jack on the curb side. I had it set low yesterday with the tires on the ground and we had some 40mph winds, so today I raised it up to put more pressure on the jacks for less movement and I raised the curb side back tire maybe 1/2 an inch off of the ground. This caused the frame to bow enough between the front jack and rear curb side jack to make the door not be able to close. The door was high and hitting on the upper left of the frame while looking from the outside; and high enough that it would not fit inside the door rail. This is the second time that I've had this happen, but the first when the door was that far out of alignment that it wouldn't come close to fitting inside of its frame.

 

So by taking just the one wheel a little to high, the frame on our Elite II sagged that much, proving that you do need to use levelers even on ground that is just slightly off level on the curb side to keep the door safe and working. The front tire was still solid on the ground So this means that as of right now at least, maybe just blocking up the front tire, may very well be not good enough.

 

I'm torn right this minute as to whether I want the Anderson's or the Blaylocks but either way, I will be adding 2 for leveling when the curb side is sitting low and I will report back if only 1 is needed. Even though the bubble level on top of the jack is spot on, I will also now need to add a level to the front of the trailer that I can see thru my rear view mirror... I already have the Hopkins level and by having it on the front where it can be seen, I will just need to drop the Anderson style levelers under the curb side tires and then pull on to them while watching the Hopkins level through the back window as I get it leveled.

 

Over all, it's a simple decision and I'm pretty sure that I will get the Anderson's double set for now, then after I break another one I will upgrade to the Blaylocks

 

Reed

[Overland]

... today I raised it up to put more pressure on the jacks for less movement and I raised the curb side back tire maybe 1/2 an inch off of the ground. This caused the frame to bow enough between the front jack and rear curb side jack to make the door not be able to close. The door was high and hitting on the upper left of the frame while looking from the outside; and high enough that it would not fit inside the door rail. This is the second time that I’ve had this happen, but the first when the door was that far out of alignment that it wouldn’t come close to fitting inside of its frame. So by taking just the one wheel a little to high, the frame on our Elite II sagged that much...

 

I can't imagine that this is normal.  Can any other owners comment if this has happened to them?  It doesn't seem to me that the rear jacks are that far from the centerline of the suspension to make that much of a difference.  Not only should the frame not be that flexible, but to bend the fiberglass tub that much?  I don't care how much time we've invested in getting an Oliver - if that's normal, we're cutting our losses pdq.

[GrayGhost]

I've never experienced anything like that.

[Try2Relax]

I've lifted one side enough to pull the tire off, so more than a 1/2", without issue. There must be more to it than the overview provided.

 

At the same time, just the back tire coming off the ground a half inch seems odd.

 

With all that, we are taking about aluminum and not steel, and no matter how well they are welded and built it will always have more flexibility than steel.

[geO]

I’m torn right this minute as to whether I want the Anderson’s or the Blaylocks but either way, I will be adding 2 for leveling when the curb side is sitting low and I will report back if only 1 is needed.

Thanks for the heads up Reed! I've got a set of the Anderson's and will probably just use a small carpenter's level.

[KarenLukens]

KarenLukens wrote:

… today I raised it up to put more pressure on the jacks for less movement and I raised the curb side back tire maybe 1/2 an inch off of the ground. This caused the frame to bow enough between the front jack and rear curb side jack to make the door not be able to close. The door was high and hitting on the upper left of the frame while looking from the outside; and high enough that it would not fit inside the door rail. This is the second time that I’ve had this happen, but the first when the door was that far out of alignment that it wouldn’t come close to fitting inside of its frame. So by taking just the one wheel a little to high, the frame on our Elite II sagged that much…

I can’t imagine that this is normal. Can any other owners comment if this has happened to them? It doesn’t seem to me that the rear jacks are that far from the centerline of the suspension to make that much of a difference. Not only should the frame not be that flexible, but to bend the fiberglass tub that much? I don’t care how much time we’ve invested in getting an Oliver – if that’s normal, we’re cutting our losses pdq.

 

It's an aluminum frame and this is normal for any RV. The frame is designed to flex. Everything that I stated above is right on the money. Other companies use more jacks and a jack behind the door will solve the problem, but so will not taking it up so high and paying attention to detail like I do. You have to remember that the door is a hole in the body, so it's going to flex there first in any rv... Jack placement underneath is the key, or by Oliver's standards, using the levelers under the tires is the other option. I looked underneath and mounting a couple scissor jacks to be used along with the screw jacks, will also be a permanent solution. All that I did to fix it was to lower it back down until the tires were back on the ground.

Reed

[KarenLukens]

Dbl post - deleted

[KarenLukens]

KarenLukens wrote:

I’m torn right this minute as to whether I want the Anderson’s or the Blaylocks but either way, I will be adding 2 for leveling when the curb side is sitting low and I will report back if only 1 is needed.

Thanks for the heads up Reed! I’ve got a set of the Anderson’s and will probably just use a small carpenter’s level.

 

I have a carpenter's level but with the Anderson's, it's easiest to stick a large level on the front of the RV, where you can see it in your mirror. Walmart or camping world have the stick on levels in stock, so that you can see before purchasing. I've had both the Camco and the Hopkins along with others and there are different choices to be made for different eyes.

 

 

[Overland]

It’s an aluminum frame and this is normal for any RV. The frame is designed to flex.  

Reed, I think you should see if anyone else has this problem before you accept it as normal.  This is the first I've heard of it and searching around I can't find any other posts complaining about the same problem.  There's no reason that a trailer frame and body should be designed to flex.

[KarenLukens]

KarenLukens wrote:

It’s an aluminum frame and this is normal for any RV. The frame is designed to flex.

Reed, I think you should see if anyone else has this problem before you accept it as normal. This is the first I’ve heard of it and searching around I can’t find any other posts complaining about the same problem. There’s no reason that a trailer frame and body should be designed to flex.

 

This is my 5th trailer, all of them have flexed a bit at the door. A lot of people would simply slam it or look at it with no clue that it's out of alignment and just wonder why it's closing so hard... I'm not the one complaining, I'm the one letting others know what I've found, and doing my best to help people with little or no experience, understand they're trailer better. This is normal and reading about it doesn't give you actual hands on experience. The truth is, the hole, known as the Open Door that we walk thru, is well known as the weakest spot on all trailers, vehicles, motor homes, mobile homes, houses, etc. They only have strength when the doors are closed and latched in position. Setting a door corectly is a simple process. I'll make a movie on it for everyone that explains everything  this summer.

[olderthandirt]

Great minds think alike. This past winter season I used four of the Andersen levelers, one under each tire while the Ollie was in secured storage, for two reasons. The first was that the rounded levelers would help prevent flat spots developing on the tires. Second, I wanted to keep the tires off the gravel, not knowing what chemicals would leach from the soil over the course of the winter months. I also used wheel covers to reduce the UV effects on the tires. I recently took the Ollie out of storage for some upcoming maintenance and found the tires to be in excellent condition despite sitting there for over six months. When camping last year, I only used two of the Andersen levelers for whichever side required their use. They were my main leveling aids. The Ollie rear jacks were only used for fine-tuning the leveling bubble in conjunction with the front jack.

 

Hans Fischl

[Vector - Lanham]

It would make sense to me that you should put risers of some sort beneath your jacks.  The more extended your jacks, the less strong they will be with particular weakness to lateral pressure, such that would come from the wind, or a collision, internal accidental movement, etc.  Mr. Staggs emphasized this when I picked up our Ollie last year, and it makes sense to me.  I also shoot a little lithium lube on the descending Jack on occasion, and I graphite lube all of my locks.  This made the door deadbolt and lock operate a lot smoother.  The firm from whom  Oliver TT buys their doors probably didn't lube the door lock and deadbolt. It made a very positive difference for me, after I put some silicon/graphite concoction in those bad boys..keep a rag handy, the greasy black lube doesn't accent the Oliver aesthetic very well.

 

Cool.

 

Stay well, ya'all.  Vector.