leveling jacks for 2000 pleasureway?

[janeybird]

I am a complete newbie to Rving but am looking at purchasing a 2000 Pleasureway Excel TD.

My question is, do you need to level a small class b (19') or is that something that is more intended for the bigger class A's and 5th wheel types of campers/rvs?

I would be using the PW mainly on paved surfaces and campgrounds. If this IS something I need to look into, can anyone tell me what I should be researching as far as an automatic levelling system? (brand names, etc.) I am located in Florida.

Thanks in advance for any info!

[mkguitar]

Hi And Welcome to the Forums

I use Lynx leveling blocks for my PW Lexor ( the narrower chev)

They are plastic 'legos' which you drive on after determining which corner or side needs to come up


they are on sale right now ( the 4 pack is a better value though)

I also have the wheels stop/chocks


I use a free app " RVC Lite " to determine level, pictured below

The fridge needs to be "level" if you are comfy, it'll be fine


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1




A novice when I bought, I 'practice camped' in the driveway to figure out how all the stuff worked ( access to tools and internet)


Youtube showed me how to dump my tanks and many other tasks


and alot of great tips from campers here


Best to figure it out before you go...
On my most recent trip I was at the dump station and a Father Son team in a rental were trying to figure out how to dump tanks WITHOUT gloves- I gave them gloves and a few tips on how not to get poop all over themselves or the lot.
The ranger came along and saw...and gave me a free night!

[janeybird]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

Hi And Welcome to the Forums

I use Lynx leveling blocks for my PW Lexor ( the narrower chev)

They are plastic 'legos' which you drive on after determining which corner or side needs to come up


they are on sale right now ( the 4 pack is a better value though)

I also have the wheels stop/chocks


I use a free app " RVC Lite " to determine level, pictured below

The fridge needs to be "level" if you are comfy, it'll be fine


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1




A novice when I bought, I 'practice camped' in the driveway to figure out how all the stuff worked ( access to tools and internet)


Youtube showed me how to dump my tanks and many other tasks


and alot of great tips from campers here


Best to figure it out before you go...
On my most recent trip I was at the dump station and a Father Son team in a rental were trying to figure out how to dump tanks WITHOUT gloves- I gave them gloves and a few tips on how not to get poop all over themselves or the lot.
The ranger came along and saw...and gave me a free night!

Thank you so much for the information! If I do end up purchasing this PW, it may already have some of these from previous owner. If it does not, I will certainly get some. I could not find the app for Android however, maybe it is an IOS app? And yes, I will definitely be doing some "practice camping"!! and.....buying a pair of gloves....lol.

[mkguitar]

yes, ios
I'd expect a similar app available for android


these gloves are cheap and work:
available at amazon, home depot and walmart

https://www.camco.net/disposable-dum...ht-green-40285



mike

[Rocinante]

If your camper van has a compressor fridge, you don't need to be all that precise when it comes to leveling. As long as you're not falling out of bed and the eggs don't slide out of the pan, you're good to go (e.g. comfort should be your guide on leveling). If you have a 3-way ammonia / absorption fridge, leveling is more important, and in this case you may want to go with leveling jacks, though I would suggest it's cheaper and much lighter weight for the van to replace that 3-way fridge with a compressor fridge instead of adding leveling jacks that will sooner or later break down anyway.

[janeybird]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

If your camper van has a compressor fridge, you don't need to be all that precise when it comes to leveling. As long as you're not falling out of bed and the eggs don't slide out of the pan, you're good to go (e.g. comfort should be your guide on leveling). If you have a 3-way ammonia / absorption fridge, leveling is more important, and in this case you may want to go with leveling jacks, though I would suggest it's cheaper and much lighter weight for the van to replace that 3-way fridge with a compressor fridge instead of adding leveling jacks that will sooner or later break down anyway.

Thank you for this input, I would not have ever looked at it that way but it certainly makes sense! 😊
Unfortunately, I will not be getting the PW I had found, current owner took to RV shop for maintenance and found generator needs replaced. They offered to install a portable one on hitch carrier but I declined. I was afraid it would become a very expensive issue if for some reason in 6 mo or year, I decide this isn't for me and try to resell the van. So. I will continue looking. But, I have to say, I already Love this forum, have already learned a lot just from reading other posts and everyone is So nice!! ❤️

[HWDean]

Originally Posted by janeybird

Thank you for this input, I would not have ever looked at it that way but it certainly makes sense! 😊
Unfortunately, I will not be getting the PW I had found, current owner took to RV shop for maintenance and found generator needs replaced. They offered to install a portable one on hitch carrier but I declined. I was afraid it would become a very expensive issue if for some reason in 6 mo or year, I decide this isn't for me and try to resell the van. So. I will continue looking. But, I have to say, I already Love this forum, have already learned a lot just from reading other posts and everyone is So nice!! ❤️

I bought a 2000 Excel TD a few months ago. Whichever make/model you buy it will almost certainly have the Dometic heat absorption fridge. The fridge must be at least near level for proper operation.

According to Dometic: "The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."

By "left to right" they mean front to back relative to the van, and "front to back" is left to right (or right to left) relative to the van.

I use these levels - https://amzn.to/2USvChv

And these leveling blocks - https://amzn.to/3ktMIeo

As long as the bubble in the level is touching the circle you are good. I practiced on my driveway. Getting the "feel" of the blocks was easy

[rogerstg]

Originally Posted by HWDean

According to Dometic: "The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."

By "left to right" they mean front to back relative to the van, and "front to back" is left to right (or right to left) relative to the van.

With these parameters, many smaller Bs are OK until needing ~8" to achieve level, on either axis. That's probably easily noticeable as being out of level for most campers. For me, the bigger concern is when I make stops. I have to remember to find a level enough area or turn the fridge off while stopped. That includes slow traffic situations.

[Rocinante]

The 3-way absorption fridge is the key reason why we knocked otherwise very attractive PW camper vans off our list. We are so done with those dumb ammonia fridges. We went with a van that has a 2-way fridge with a danfoss compressor so we don't have to deal with that leveling nonsense anymore.

[CaDreamin]

I have read that you don’t need to worry about the RV being level on the road. That the sloshing created by movement of any kind is enough to keep the frig operating correctly.

[Lou]

We have had our "lego" looking levelling blocks for almost 20 years! We used them with our class C and have been using them with our campervan for about 10 years. No signs of deterioration.