I just had Bigfoot levelers put on the coach. They are a great addition. Nothing like hitting a couple of buttons and having the coach level itself and also keep it level as well as stable. The original coach did not come with them and I think with a coach of this quality and length, they should be a standard feature; just like the rearview camera it did not come with that I just finished installing myself.
The levelers can lift 12,000# each and are located right behind each wheel. They each have their own motor and fluid so there is no need for a central tank. If one leaks you only lose the fluid in that one leg. The foot pads are quite large (Bigfoot!) and should not sink too deeply in most campsites. I can see where a board or two would be a good addition though for those times when the site is not all that solid.
We will give them a proper test next week as we venture out on our first trip of the year. I need to finish some other loose ends on some other projects I still have open before our big trips starting in April so we are hoping for some nice weather for a few days. I have had enough of snow and cold for this year.
Levelers
Moderator: bfadmin
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Don Pederson
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Mike Astley
- Posts: 171
- Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:40 pm
Re: Levelers
Steve, can you provide details about the camera and installation?SteveR wrote:.. just like the rearview camera ...I just finished installing myself.
Thanks!
1999 26RSB
Fort Collins, CO
Fort Collins, CO
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SteveR
I will provide a more detailed installation post later when I have the time. I have some digital pictures I took of some parts of the install but have not had the time to compress them. Here is the short version.
Camera: Audiovox VBC130CT-full color tilting camera
Monitor: Audiovox 7 inch color with audio and 4 video inputs. Model AOM7694.
I have two side cameras that I may install later but have not found the "perfect" spot for them yet.
The installation was a bit more of a challenge than I originally believed. I have worked on it on and off (mostly off) for a couple of months. Bad weather and too many hours at work.
The camera is installed on the rear cap just below the top center marker light. The wire for the camera runs through the same hole as this light. I just cut out a small piece of light frame so the camera cable has room to go through it without the light being pushed away from the coach. Getting it cleaned up and replacing the caulk was a job.
I have a rear queen President so it has cabinets high on the wall centered in the rear of the coach. Perfect for running the wires from the cap through the fabric (no wall or other supports to drill through) and into the cabinet. The cable runs along the inside wood support and then up the inside to a seam in the fabric where I ran the cable down to the lower passenger side (PS) bedside cabinet and down to the water heater compartment. From there I ran the cable in the same molding piece that runs along the PS wall near the floor where the water lines run from under the shower to the hot water heater.
Once under the shower, I ran the cable forward under the furnace and into the cabinet where the slide out pantry is located. There is a wire bundle that goes through the floor here and I used the same hole for the camera cable. Once through the floor I put the cable in wire loom and ran it next to the PS frame rail securing the loom every 10 inches or so with stainless screws into the floor.
Getting the cable into the cab area could have been done by going under the cab floor and then into the passenger compartment through a hole in the firewall and then under the dashboard. I choose a different route.
The monitor is designed to be installed on the dashboard. I did not want it there for many reasons; mostly due to it being in the way and I did not want to drill holes in top of the dashboard. I wanted the monitor to be on all the time so I could use the camera like a rearview mirror so mounting it in the same relative location as a rearview mirror was the goal.
The monitor is currently mounted to a double knuckle suction cup bracket that attaches to the windshield just to the right of the radio dots on the windshield (suction cup won't stick to these). The wires were all run into the headliner where they were taped to the cap roof to keep them from bouncing around and making noise.
I decided to do several wiring projects at the same time since I would have the kickpanels, pilar molding, headliner and the lower dash apart. I also wired in a Cobra CB radio and the two side camera cables along with the camera trip wires to their respective turn signal wires. Later, when I hook up the side cameras the monitor will show either the right or left camera when the respective turn signal is activated; otherwise the rear camera is on all the time or I can have split screen with any or all the camera.
The leveler control panel was mounted in the headliner in the front center part where the sunglass shelf was installed by Chevrolet. I like the location as it is out of the way yet visible when you are leveling.
I bought the camera system from RVToyoutlet.
Other projects in the works:
Xantrex RS3000 pure sinewave inverter with control panel--in the box but all the stuff is ready when I am.
Finish the side camera installation. Cables are run; I just need to drill through the coach sides and connect the cameras to their pre-wired cables to the monitor.
Determine if the magnetic mounted CB antenna will work OK on the front edge of the cab roof. If not, I may have to mount it on the side of the cabover area.
Etc.....
Camera: Audiovox VBC130CT-full color tilting camera
Monitor: Audiovox 7 inch color with audio and 4 video inputs. Model AOM7694.
I have two side cameras that I may install later but have not found the "perfect" spot for them yet.
The installation was a bit more of a challenge than I originally believed. I have worked on it on and off (mostly off) for a couple of months. Bad weather and too many hours at work.
The camera is installed on the rear cap just below the top center marker light. The wire for the camera runs through the same hole as this light. I just cut out a small piece of light frame so the camera cable has room to go through it without the light being pushed away from the coach. Getting it cleaned up and replacing the caulk was a job.
I have a rear queen President so it has cabinets high on the wall centered in the rear of the coach. Perfect for running the wires from the cap through the fabric (no wall or other supports to drill through) and into the cabinet. The cable runs along the inside wood support and then up the inside to a seam in the fabric where I ran the cable down to the lower passenger side (PS) bedside cabinet and down to the water heater compartment. From there I ran the cable in the same molding piece that runs along the PS wall near the floor where the water lines run from under the shower to the hot water heater.
Once under the shower, I ran the cable forward under the furnace and into the cabinet where the slide out pantry is located. There is a wire bundle that goes through the floor here and I used the same hole for the camera cable. Once through the floor I put the cable in wire loom and ran it next to the PS frame rail securing the loom every 10 inches or so with stainless screws into the floor.
Getting the cable into the cab area could have been done by going under the cab floor and then into the passenger compartment through a hole in the firewall and then under the dashboard. I choose a different route.
The monitor is designed to be installed on the dashboard. I did not want it there for many reasons; mostly due to it being in the way and I did not want to drill holes in top of the dashboard. I wanted the monitor to be on all the time so I could use the camera like a rearview mirror so mounting it in the same relative location as a rearview mirror was the goal.
The monitor is currently mounted to a double knuckle suction cup bracket that attaches to the windshield just to the right of the radio dots on the windshield (suction cup won't stick to these). The wires were all run into the headliner where they were taped to the cap roof to keep them from bouncing around and making noise.
I decided to do several wiring projects at the same time since I would have the kickpanels, pilar molding, headliner and the lower dash apart. I also wired in a Cobra CB radio and the two side camera cables along with the camera trip wires to their respective turn signal wires. Later, when I hook up the side cameras the monitor will show either the right or left camera when the respective turn signal is activated; otherwise the rear camera is on all the time or I can have split screen with any or all the camera.
The leveler control panel was mounted in the headliner in the front center part where the sunglass shelf was installed by Chevrolet. I like the location as it is out of the way yet visible when you are leveling.
I bought the camera system from RVToyoutlet.
Other projects in the works:
Xantrex RS3000 pure sinewave inverter with control panel--in the box but all the stuff is ready when I am.
Finish the side camera installation. Cables are run; I just need to drill through the coach sides and connect the cameras to their pre-wired cables to the monitor.
Determine if the magnetic mounted CB antenna will work OK on the front edge of the cab roof. If not, I may have to mount it on the side of the cabover area.
Etc.....
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Mike Astley
- Posts: 171
- Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:40 pm