Coach Leveling

[btmaple]

Hey all!

A few days ago my wife and I went to the local RV show and the guys from Entegra were there showing coaches. When the salesman heard we owned a Travel Supreme he offered to let us test drive one of the new Anthem units. The coach was outside and had the slides out. He performed the following procedure to bring in the slides:

1. Start the engine and air up the air bags.
2. Raise the leveling jacks.
3. Bring the slides in.

He said this is the way to extend the slides:

1. Shut off the engine.
2. Extend the slides.
3. Auto-level the jacks.

This procedure is not the same as the procedure that I have been following. Which is:

1. Shut off the engine.
2. Level the coach.
3. Extend the slides.

To bring slides in:

1. Start the engine and air up the system.
2. Bring the slides in.
3. Raise the jacks.

I would like some feedback on which procedure is best for extending and retracting the slides. I know that a few times using my procedure the front slide wants to bind and not come in all the way, so I end up manually lowering the jacks so that the slide will retract, I usually don't have any problems extending the slides.

Also, if the first (Entegra) procedure is used, how does this work on a slope. Sometimes if we are overnighting and not at an RV park the coach is on an incline. Will putting the slides out first cause a problem in this instance?

Your response and thoughts are appreciated. 

[Bernie Dobrin]

On 10/5/2012 9:20 AM, btmaple wrote:
>
> A few days ago my wife and I went to the local RV show and the guys
> from Entegra were there showing coaches. When the salesman heard we
> owned a Travel Supreme he offered to let us test drive one of the new
> Anthem units. The coach was outside and had the slides out. He
> performed the following procedure to bring in the slides:

Ted Cook was the chief engineer and designer for the TS line when it was
in business. I don't know if he is still with Jayco but he went with
them after Jayco picked up what was left of TS. I had this discussion
with him more than once and while he preferred jacks down/slide out and
slide in/jacks up, either way worked OK.

I don't think there is much of a difference if the Entegra is on the
Spartan chassis. Don't know what difference the Freightliner chassis makes.

Bernie Dobrin
We Travel Supreme in our '02 TSDP, pulling an '06 Chevy HHR
If you tow, it must be PressurePro
Back home in Goodyear, AZ

[mrboo]

I have always been told that the proper way to move slides is to have
the coach at ride hight. This was the way monoco advised me when I had
a monoco and TS also. My coach will not air up with the jacks down.
Rich

On Oct 5, 12:20 pm, btmaple <lbgli...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey all!
>
> A few days ago my wife and I went to the local RV show and the guys from
> Entegra were there showing coaches. When the salesman heard we owned a
> Travel Supreme he offered to let us test drive one of the new Anthem units.
> The coach was outside and had the slides out. He performed the following
> procedure to bring in the slides:
>

>    1. Start the engine and air up the air bags.
>    2. Raise the leveling jacks.
>    3. Bring the slides in.

>
> He said this is the way to extend the slides:
>

>    1. Shut off the engine.
>    2. Extend the slides.
>    3. Auto-level the jacks.

>
> This procedure is not the same as the procedure that I have been following.
> Which is:
>

>    1. Shut off the engine.
>    2. Level the coach.
>    3. Extend the slides.
>
> To bring slides in:
>
>    1. Start the engine and air up the system.
>    2. Bring the slides in.
>    3. Raise the jacks.

[btmaple]

The Entegra coach was on a Spartan chassis.

[Joe Chambers]

On my coach , I have to be level to put the slide out or in. Once I
tried to put the slide out with out leveling first. The gear tore
about 5 teeth off. It only stands to reason,you don't want to push a
heavy slide up hill.

On Oct 5, 12:20 pm, btmaple <lbgli...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey all!
>
> A few days ago my wife and I went to the local RV show and the guys from
> Entegra were there showing coaches. When the salesman heard we owned a
> Travel Supreme he offered to let us test drive one of the new Anthem units.
> The coach was outside and had the slides out. He performed the following
> procedure to bring in the slides:
>

>    1. Start the engine and air up the air bags.
>    2. Raise the leveling jacks.

>    3. Bring the slides in.

>
> He said this is the way to extend the slides:
>

>    1. Shut off the engine.
>    2. Extend the slides.

>    3. Auto-level the jacks.

>
> This procedure is not the same as the procedure that I have been following.
> Which is:
>

>    1. Shut off the engine.
>    2. Level the coach.

>    3. Extend the slides.
>
> To bring slides in:
>

>    1. Start the engine and air up the system.
>    2. Bring the slides in.

>    3. Raise the jacks.

[Nomadac]

When posting a reply please delete the original post that appears and then type your reply. It is easier to read especially with this post.

[dphi...@msn.com]

Bernie:

 

Ted is still with Jayco.  He personally helped me fix a slide problem on my 2007 Travel Supreme.  He is a great guy and a real asset to Jayco/Entergra.

 

For what it's worth, I shut down the engine, level, then slides.  The reverse is slides, engine for air, jacks, then wait to air up the bags.  Almost 100K miles and no problems.  There was a small problem with the pax front slide, but Ted fixed it. 

 

Dave

[Traveling man]

I have always on parking  do brake lock, engine, level and slide and leaving do slides, engine to get air, raise jacks to air up and unplug shore power.. My slides will not move with the engine running. Dave W   2006 TS Select 45.

[Rod]

I had a problem when I first used our coach!  We were on fairly uneven ground and the auto level worked beautifully.  I put my slides out first and then leveled the rig.  Then, when we were preparing to leave a few days later, I began bringing in the slides before I hit the All Retract.  Thank goodness I stood outside to watch the super slide coming in.  It got about 80% of the way in and it was readily apparent that there was no way it was going to fit in without catching on the edges of the opening.  I hollered at my wife to stop the slide.  Things were badly twisted.  Not really knowing what was going on, as it was the first time we had used the slides, I was ready to leave the coach where it was and catch a ride home with our friends and call an RV dealer to get help. It was a long weekend!  However, after a considerable amount of time assessing the situation, I thought that maybe the coach was "twisted" a bit because of the uneven terrain it was parked on.  So I retracted the jacks and then once again tried bringing in the slide.  It fit perfectly......so, I learned a very valuable lesson. I always put out my slides first, then level, and reverse the procedure when I'm ready to move out....i.e. take any twist out of the coach first by retracting the jacks and then bringing in the slides.  I hope this helps and makes some sense to you.......good luck.........Rod

On Friday, October 5, 2012 10:20:47 AM UTC-6, btmaple wrote: