Hydraulic leveling 3D wiring model
Bigfoot / Lippert / Power Gear
Hydraulic leveling is one pump feeding a manifold: a solenoid valve per jack routes fluid to each corner. Bigfoot, Lippert, Equalizer and Power Gear all follow this shape. Most take ATF or Dexron.
Parts in this model
- System fuse: The leveling system's own fuse. A weak battery is the most common cause of a dead system.
- Touch panel: Ground Control / Bigfoot panel. It fails more often than the wiring. Shows fault codes: a code names the circuit, not the part.
- Pump relay: Closes to run the pump when the panel commands extend or retract.
- Solenoid valve: One per jack on the manifold. A stuck valve (tap it gently) or a bad coil stops one jack. A leaking valve lets one jack drift down.
- Reservoir: Behind a panel near the pump. Low fluid starves the pump and means there is a leak somewhere. Most systems use ATF or Dexron; check the cap.
- Jack seal: A jack that drifts down points to a leaking valve or a bad seal on that jack.
The sequence
- Parked. The panel is asleep and everything is at rest. The jacks hold.
- Auto level. The panel wakes, closes the pump relay and the manifold valves, and the pump pressurizes the system. The jacks extend in the panel's order.
- Level. Each jack reaches its target and the panel stops its valve. The pump stops when all four are done.
- Retract. The panel opens the valves and runs the pump in reverse. The jacks come up.
- Travel mode. The jacks are up and the panel goes back to sleep. Never rely on jacks as service supports.
Faults you can find with the meter
- System fuse blown
- Pump motor failed
- Stuck solenoid valve
- Hydraulic fluid low
- Jack drifts down
- Touch panel dead
- Pump relay won't pull in
- Weak battery (10.2 V)
Numbers
- :
- :
- :
- :
Keep going on slides and leveling
Learn it
- How a slide room is built and carried
- Identify the slide system in a minute
- The in-wall controller: versions and fault codes
- Ball-screw actuator slides: clutch, stops, diagnosis
- Rack and pinion drive: electrical diagnosis
Prove it
- Slide stalls halfway out
- Slide comes in crooked
- Hydraulic slide crawls and stops
- One side of the slide won't move
- Auto-level leaves it crooked
See it in 3D
Codes and specs
- Slides: schwintek
- Lippert in-wall and through-frame slides
- Leveling: ground control
- Lippert 5th wheel hydraulic auto level