Auto-levelling systems - steady as she goes
Chris Hogan, 15th June 2015, Caravan
As regular readers will know we mentioned automatic levelling systems when responding to your comments about caravan movers a few months back. That prompted some of you to write in with your experiences so here's the article we promised.
Image courtesy E&P Hydraulics
This was also inspired by an article in Caravan Magazine's May 2015 issue where they pitted two teams in a race against the clock (actually I think it was against the kettle). One team had an Eldis Buccaneer with an E&P Levelsystem fitted and the other a Rallye Compass with standard manual corner steadies.
The manual team raced around their caravan and were pleased with their fluid teamwork, only to find that the team with the automatic system had not only boiled the kettle, but were already sitting down with tea and biscuits.
Ten, twenty minutes - or two?
In the final analysis the manual team spent just under ten minutes levelling and that was from a pretty good start - by chance their 'van was already level from side-to-side when they started, so they only had to sort end-to-end. If they'd had to tow the 'van onto levelling ramps they reckoned it would have doubled the time.
In contrast the automatic team just pressed a button. Two minutes and three seconds later, it was all done.
Different systems
Caravan's test was done at E&P Hydraulics headquarters and was prompted by the fact that high-end Eldis Buccaneers are now being fitted with the E&P Levelsystem as standard. This system links two axle-mounted jacks and powered corner steadies with AL-KO Big Foot bases for extra stability.
Caralevel is an electrical system which has been designed and manufactured in the UK for over 30 years, which you can install yourself or a dealer can install it. It doesn't have the axle-mounted jacks of the E&P system but the steadies are operated in a controlled sequence so that the wheels aren't lifted off the ground and there's no stress on the chassis.
Another product that came up frequently in readers' feedback was the Kwikee Level & Lock system but the company unfortunately seems to have gone out of business, at least in the UK.
We couldn't find any other automatic systems currently available in the UK but if you know better, please let us know.
Your feedback
The responses we received from readers about these systems were all positive. They seem to be similar to motor movers in that people will resist getting them for a long time, yet after they've installed them, they wonder why they didn't do it years ago.
One reader, Mr Shepherd, who has a Kwikee Level & Lock Plus system, wrote in to highlight another advantage - security.
"My system replaces the corner steadies with hydraulic ones and adds a couple of hydraulic rams to the axle.... when deployed it would be just about impossible to steal the caravan as the whole body is raised on the rams.... enough to make it impossible to move the caravan."
Mr Shepherd also appreciates that you don't get "the slight bounce that one tends to get with the caravan standing on its wheels, it is like the whole thing is more like a building on a solid foundation."
Fitting around other equipment
Other people who'd installed E&P's system, while recognising that it is more expensive than competitors, appreciated the fact that it was possible to fit it around other kit like movers and wheel locks.
For example some insurance companies are now requesting double wheel locks on twin axle 'vans. Trying to fit a levelling system around twin movers, while allowing room for locks too, can be a headache.
If you do decide to fit an automatic system, make sure the supplier knows what other equipment you have, to make sure it will fit, and check that the extra weight won't cause problems either.
On a level
Mr Shepherd also pointed out that your battery must be in good condition, particularly if you have a motor mover as well. Also with the Kwikee system the caravan has to be slightly nose down before it will activate.
Last year in North Devon he was on a "hard standing but it sloped down quite dramatically towards the back and the only way I could get the caravan nose down was to totally remove the jockey-wheel, dig a small trench for the hitch to go into and stand on the A frame!"
"Also on a very uneven site," he added, "you still have to have blocks to level up the caravan and you still have to deploy them manually. There is no option other than to accept that your caravan isn't quite level."
Fancy taking the plunge?
In summary, people who have them, love them. Others might think that spending between £900 and £3000 just to save a few minutes on site is madness but, like movers, the expense is easily justified if it enables you to carry on caravanning.
