Back in 2016, we were standing in a Florida RV park watching our neighbor spend forty-five minutes manually leveling his Class A while another guy pressed a button and walked away. Tony looked at me and said, “We need to figure this out before we go full-time.” So we did something ridiculous. Over the next decade, we tested three completely different RV leveling systems across multiple rigs, multiple terrains, and more campgrounds than we can count. We tracked every repair, every replacement part, and every moment one of these systems left us stranded or saved our trip.
The hydraulic system cost us $4,200 upfront and promised push-button luxury. The electric jack setup ran $1,800 and seemed like the sensible middle ground. The manual blocks cost $120 and felt like admitting defeat before we even started.
Ten years later, the winner is not what we expected.
We Bought Three Different RV Leveling Systems in 2016—Here’s What Actually Happened
We were not trying to become leveling system experts. We wanted to stop arguing about whether the rig was level enough or if the fridge would work properly. Our first fifth wheel had basic stabilizing jacks, which are not the same thing as leveling jacks at all. Stabilizers keep the rig from rocking after you level it. They do not lift anything. We learned that the hard way when Tony cranked down all four corners expecting the bubble level to move.
So we started researching automatic RV leveling systems. The Lippert hydraulic setup looked incredible in videos. One button, thirty seconds, perfectly level every time. We had the budget for it, and honestly, we wanted to feel like we had arrived. That system went on a 2017 Class A motorhome we owned for three years.
The electric jack system made more sense for our 2021 Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel. Four-point electric jacks with a control panel. Not as fast as hydraulic, but simpler mechanically and about half the price. We figured it would be reliable enough for weekend trips and the occasional month-long stay in the Pacific Northwest.
The manual blocks were what we used on our very first travel trailer and what we kept in the truck bed as backup for everything else. We have been using leveling blocks for over a decade now, along with a few two-by-sixes and a torpedo level. Primitive, sure. But they never needed a control board.
We assumed the hydraulic system would dominate. We assumed the electric jacks would need occasional maintenance but mostly work fine. We assumed the blocks were a temporary solution until we could afford something better.
All three assumptions were wrong.
The Hydraulic Auto-Levelers: Smooth Camping Until It Wasn’t
For eighteen months, the hydraulic leveling system was everything we wanted. We pulled into sites, pressed the auto-level button, and walked Maggie while the rig sorted itself out. It handled sand, gravel, and even that sketchy site in Oregon where one corner was eight inches lower than the others. The system raised the coach higher than manual leveling would have, but we did not care. It was fast and it worked.
Then we were boondocking outside Moab in 2018, and the system stopped mid-cycle. Two jacks up, two jacks down, error code flashing. No cell service. Nearest RV service center was four hours away. We spent that night sleeping at a fifteen-degree angle and drove out the next morning on three functioning jacks.
The repair bill was $1,850. A leaking solenoid had damaged the control board. The parts were not expensive, but the labor was brutal because everything is buried under the frame. The tech told us hydraulic systems are incredible when they work and a nightmare when they do not.
Over the next two years, we replaced another solenoid, a hydraulic line that cracked in cold weather, and the entire control panel after a power surge at a sketchy campground in New Mexico. Each repair meant either finding a mobile tech or limping to a service center. We sold that motorhome in 2020, and the hydraulic system was one reason why.
Electric Jacks Did the Boring Job Reliably
The four-point electric RV jacks on our Grand Design were boring in the best possible way. We pressed the button, waited about ninety seconds, and the rig was level. Not as fast as hydraulic, but we never once had a catastrophic failure.
We replaced one jack motor in 2023 after it started making a grinding noise. Cost was $340 including labor. We also replaced the control panel battery once. That was it. Five years, two repairs, zero emergencies. The system does not level side to side automatically because it is a trailer setup, not a motorhome system, so we still use blocks under the wheels occasionally when a site is really off-camber. But for front-to-back leveling from the tongue jack, it has been completely reliable.
The electric jacks are not exciting. Nobody asks us about them at campgrounds. They work.
Manual Blocks: The System We Underestimated (And Why We Kept Coming Back to It)
We thought manual leveling blocks were what you used before you could afford a real system. Turns out, they are what you use when you want absolute control and zero mechanical failures.
The rhythm of manual leveling became second nature. Pull in, check the bubble level, figure out which corner needs lifting, drive onto the blocks, check again, adjust if needed. It took maybe ten minutes if the site was really uneven. Most of the time, it took five. We used a LevelMate Pro app for a while, which told us exactly how many inches each corner needed. The blocks are about an inch each, so the math was simple.
What surprised us was how often manual leveling caught problems that auto systems would have missed. We were setting up at a site near Mount Rainier in 2021, and Tony noticed the ground was soft on one side. An auto-leveling system would have extended the jack into that soft soil and either sunk in or thrown an error code. With blocks, we moved them to firmer ground and adjusted. No drama.
The other thing we underestimated was cost. Our original set of Lynx levelers cost $120 in 2016. We added a few two-by-sixes from Home Depot for another $30. We replaced the Lynx blocks once in 2022 after one cracked, which was another $120. Total cost over ten years: $270. No control boards. No solenoids. No service calls.
We kept coming back to the blocks even after we had electric jacks installed. Soft ground, sketchy sites, places where we did not trust the surface—blocks gave us options that automatic systems did not. And when the electric jacks worked perfectly, we still threw the blocks in the truck bed in case.
What 10 Years of Leveling Actually Cost Us (And What We Got Wrong About Price)
In 2016, we thought the hydraulic system was expensive but worth it. We thought the electric jacks were the smart compromise. We thought the blocks were cheap because we were not factoring in the value of our time.
Here is what actually happened. The hydraulic system cost $4,200 to install, then $1,850 for the Moab repair, $920 for the solenoid replacement, $780 for the hydraulic line, and $1,100 for the control panel. Total: $8,850 over three years. That is $2,950 per year. When we sold the motorhome, the next owner specifically asked if the leveling system had been reliable. We told him the truth, and he negotiated the price down another $2,000.
The electric jacks cost $1,800 to install, $340 for the motor replacement, and $80 for the control panel battery. Total: $2,220 over five years. That is $444 per year. Completely reasonable for the convenience.
The manual blocks cost $270 over ten years. That is $27 per year. We spent more on campground firewood.
The time argument does not hold up either. Yes, manual leveling took longer. But the difference between five minutes and ninety seconds is not enough to justify thousands of dollars in repairs. And when the hydraulic system failed, we lost an entire day dealing with it.
What we got wrong about price was assuming upfront cost was the main factor. The real cost was repairs, downtime, and the anxiety of wondering if the system would work when we needed it. The National Park Service does not care if your auto-leveling system is broken. You either get level or you leave.
If We Bought an RV Tomorrow, Here’s Exactly What We’d Choose
If we bought a Class A RV tomorrow, we would skip the hydraulic RV leveling systems entirely and go with electric jacks. The speed difference is not worth the mechanical complexity. If we bought another fifth wheel, we would stick with the electric jack setup we have now and keep manual blocks as backup.
If we were buying a Class C RV leveling system, same answer. Electric jacks, manual blocks for backup. The best RV leveling systems are the ones that work when you need them and do not leave you stranded when they fail.
For weekend warriors or people who mostly stay in full-hookup parks, manual blocks are honestly enough. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars to camp comfortably. For full-timers or people who boondock regularly, electric jacks are worth the investment. Budget for one repair every few years and you will be fine. We have written more about essential RV upgrades and maintenance tips that have saved us money and headaches over the years.
Hydraulic systems belong on high-end motorhomes where someone else is paying for the repairs. For everyone else, they are overkill.
We are curious what you have experienced with your RV leveling systems. If you have been using the same setup for more than two years, tell us what broke, what worked, and whether you would buy it again. Real stories from real RVers are worth more than any manufacturer’s marketing pitch.
