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  1. #1
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    Lippert leveling / hitch / unhitch tips for a beginner?

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    We’re about to head out on our 2nd long trip in our 351M and I’d love to get some help on how the hitch / unhitch process is supposed to go. We muddled through 4 weeks of successful and unsuccessful attempts on our last trip, never quite figuring out a process that worked the same each time. We have the Lippert auto level system as shown in the picture. Here’s what we do when we unhitch - full transparency - we have never owned an RV before so are flying blind a bit.

    1. Get situated at the site.
    2. Chock wheels on 351M.
    3. Lower landing gear until it takes a little pressure off the hitch.
    4. Unhitch hitch and slowly pull truck forward until it unhitches.
    5. Pull truck forward until it’s well clear of the nose of the 351M.
    6. Press Auto Level on the Lippert pad.
    7. Cross fingers and see if it works. Sometimes it has, sometimes it faults out quickly and inside to the control panel we go.

    When hitching back up to leave the site:

    1. Back truck under 351M to see what height the 351M needs lowering to.
    2. Lower landing gear to match hitch height.
    3. Back truck up and attach hitch.
    4. Press retract all on the control panel.
    5. Remove chocks.

    Does this sound right? We’ve really struggled a lot with this on our last trip and hoping to reduce the stress levels involved this time. [emoji1787]

    Also, where does the hitch height button come into this whole equation? If at all?

    Thank you as always for the help, you all are amazing! [emoji4]

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  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper nisbitch's Avatar
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    That sounds a lot like how I do it. Although, I have the Pullrite Superlite, I lift the trailer until the ball is clear and hit the Hitch Height button. I'm not positive, but I think this only works if the nose is higher than level. When it does work, it works well though.

    Then on rehitching, I hit Hitch Height to get the trailer nose to the correct level. This also raises the rear jacks. I then back the truck under the 'ball'.

    As for Auto Level, I seem to always have to go to the main screen to clear a fault before it will work. It seems to lock out the front panel Auto Level button after the rig has been on the road.
    2021 Reflection 28BH
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  3. #3
    Rolling Along LV Naturist's Avatar
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    A couple of tricks we've learned is auto level only works if the trailer is nose high. That means once you pull the truck out from under the pin box, you sometimes need to raise the nose of the trailer so it is obviously above level. Then the auto level works. Doing this also allows the hitch height to work. What that does is raise the nose of the trailer to the point it was when you pushed the auto level and it retracts the center and rear jacks. That part works most of the time. Sometimes you will have to manually raise the center and rear jacks by using your phone or the One Control pad. On your phone or One Control go to Leveling > Manual > Rear > Up... It can be a little tedious till you get the hang of it. Another hint is to assess the site and if necessary drive up on some blocks on the low side to get the trailer relatively level side to side before hitting auto level. You may also need to put some blocks under the jacks on that side. This helps prevent "Out of Stroke" errors. Happy camping!

    John
    Last edited by LV Naturist; 09-22-2020 at 12:21 PM.
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  4. #4
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    This is all really helpful, thank you so much! Looks like I have some experimenting to do with the hitch height button. Also good to know that I wasn’t a mile off with what I was already doing. [emoji4]

  5. #5
    Site Sponsor GeoffnCheri's Avatar
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    Agree with everything you have written but once we drop/ground the front jacks, I release the unhitch. Then, without moving the truck, I drop the front jacks further/just enough until the truck squat is gone and I have about 1/8" between the hitch and pin. You will notice this as the truck adjust after the weight is off the hitch. Then I pull the truck out and auto level.
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  6. #6
    Site Sponsor Richter's Avatar
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    If you are making a checklist, you might add “drop the tailgate before pulling forward”. It’s been forgotten more than once. I have a checklist, and there is a line specifically for that one.
    Tom and Janice (known as Tom in PGH on the “other” forum)

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  7. #7
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    Great list. When hitching back up, between steps 3 and 4 you might want to do a pull test just in case the hitch connection isn't tight. Had someone in our park last year that didn't do a pull test, drove a couple hundred feet and the trailer came off doing a lot of damage to the tailgate and rails.

  8. #8
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Lippert's Auto Level will always fail if the nose of the trailer is below "level" when you are unhitched and then push the auto level function. Some campsites will just naturally will be nose low when you unhook and others will be nose above level when you are unhitched. I've learned that it is just easier for me, no matter what site I'm at, to raise the nose of the trailer after unhitching from the truck....to the point that the nose is obviously higher than level. That is the height of the nose that is "remembered" in the auto level system for the "hitch height"....which will almost always be too high when it comes time to re-hitch to the truck. So at that point in time, when you are ready to hitch back up, push the button "hitch height", and the rear (and middle legs if you have them) will automatically retract all the way. Once that is complete, the trailer will automatically lower the front end all the way to the hitch height position and then stop. At that point, you can back the truck in where it needs to be, just shy of the hitch, then use the arrow buttons to lower the nose until it is approx. 1/8" or less off of the height of the hitch. Now you are ready to back in and let the hitch engage the kingpin and the jaw or jaws lock around it. At this point, I will raise the front legs so that they are approx. an inch off the ground, connect the 7 pin connector and do a pull test to make sure that everything is locked in and no chance of the trailer not being fully locked to the 5ver hitch. Once that is complete, put the truck in neutral and let it "center" itself, then put it in park, set the e brake on the truck and remove your wheel chocks. Don't forget to finish raising the front legs after the pull test, and as always, do a very thorough walk-around.....looking high, and low....awnings in, other legs up, ladder in, steps up, door handle folded, etc, etc.
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