Camper leveling system: perfectly level

Being on the road with a camper – that's the best thing there is. Along with that one perfect spot for an overnight stay, of course. And then you prefer to be perfectly horizontal. That can be done with some fiddling, or… with the push of a button. Especially with the right leveling system for your camper.

Your camper perfectly level: for many campers, that gives a comfortable feeling. Your bed is nicely horizontal so you don't wake up with a headache, the shower water drains neatly, and your fried egg is perfectly in the middle of the frying pan. Some camper owners shrug their shoulders if they're not perfectly horizontal for a night – you'd have to really overdo it before you roll out of bed. It's not ideal. A slanted floor simply doesn't 'work' very well with your sense of balance. That's why 'leveling' is a fixed part of the arrival ritual.

Convenience serves man

The cheapest way to level the camper is with so-called ramps: wedge-shaped plastic chocks under the wheels of the camper. There is also another way to level the camper: with a hydraulic leveling system. Not cheap (from approximately 5,350 euros, including installation), but very easy. One of the A-brands among hydraulic leveling systems is E&P Hydraulics, a company from Nieuw-Vennep in South Holland. E&P is the market leader in automatic leveling systems and develops, produces, and sells such systems worldwide for, among other things, caravans and campers. Such a leveling system not only provides ease of use when leveling.

An additional advantage of hydraulic support legs is that the camper is rock-solid and therefore less susceptible to side winds at your overnight spot. In addition, you also don't feel any movement when someone gets in or out of the camper – pleasant if someone wakes up earlier in the morning and walks through the camper.

Press the button

The E&P leveling system consists of an electric pump with a control unit, which is mounted between the chassis beams. From there, hydraulic oil is pumped via hoses to four cylinders – one at each corner of the camper. As a result, a support leg extends downwards from each cylinder, which then pushes the camper upwards. This happens automatically, first the front and then the rear, to prevent torsion in the chassis as much as possible. The integrated digital spirit level then provides fine-tuning until the camper is perfectly level. This all happens after one push of a button and the entire process takes less than two minutes. You control the E&P leveling system with a supplied remote control or the optional wireless unit with touchscreen. This allows you to level the camper while you walk around the vehicle outside.

Manual or automatic

You can operate the leveling jacks – which in the basic version can already carry 2000 kilos each – fully automatically, but manual operation is also possible. For example, if you want to sleep with your feet slightly elevated. There is also a 'tilt function' where the system causes the camper to lean slightly so that the tank empties completely. Driving away with the leveling jacks down is impossible: the E&P system only works when the handbrake is engaged. A relatively new option is the weighing module, where the E&P leveling system weighs the camper. This way you can prevent overloading. In addition to the total weight, the system also measures the weight per support so that it is immediately clear whether the weight is properly distributed over the camper.

An E&P leveling system can be mounted under all possible camper chassis, including those of panel vans. The systems are available for campers from 3.5 to 24 tons and can be combined with air suspension. In such a situation, the air suspension is automatically set to the lowest level as soon as the E&P system is activated. The camper then lowers to its lowest point, after which the hydraulic leveling jacks level the vehicle. This provides a low entry and also makes it possible to bridge large differences in the ground. E&P can be combined with various brands of air suspension, including systems from VB Airsuspension, which, like E&P, is part of chassis manufacturer ALKO.

Manufacturers leveling systems

E&P Hydraulics – www.ep-hydraulics.com
AL-KO – www.alko-tech.com
Goldschmitt – www.goldschmitt.de

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