Chassis and Running Gear
RV Leveling System Service and Repair, Hydraulic and Electric
Typical range
$350 to $6,500+
Shop hours
2 to 25+
Labor rate
$260/hr
The short answer
Leveling system service covers hydraulic and electric jack repair, pump and solenoid replacement, control board diagnosis, and auto-level recalibration. Work runs $350 to $6,500 and up, or 2 to 25 plus hours at $260 per hour plus parts, performed at our Yorba Linda facility.
01
What this work actually involves
A leveling system is three separate things that owners describe as one: the actuators, the fluid or motor circuit that drives them, and the control logic that decides what to do. A jack that will not retract might be a failed solenoid, a collapsed hydraulic hose, a corroded ground at the pump, or a control board that has lost its zero reference. Guessing wrong is expensive, so every one of these jobs starts with the system energized and metered rather than with a parts order.
The dominant failure in this climate is corrosion at the cylinder rod and the electrical connections, and it is worst on coastal units. A coach that spends its life in Newport Beach, Long Beach, or Oceanside collects salt film on exposed chrome rods, and the pitting that follows tears the wiper seal on the next extension. From there you get slow drift, a jack that creeps down overnight, and eventually fluid on your storage pad. High desert units in Victorville and Hesperia fail differently, with grit driven into the seal by Santa Ana wind and freeze cycling that stiffens the fluid enough to stall a marginal pump on a cold morning.
Auto-level systems add a calibration dimension that catches a lot of owners out. HWH, Lippert, BigFoot, and Power Gear controllers all store a level reference in memory, and that reference is invalidated by any frame or suspension work, by a controller replacement, and sometimes by nothing more than a deep battery discharge over winter storage. A system that runs its full cycle and then leaves the coach visibly out of level almost always needs recalibration on a known-flat surface, not a set of new jacks.
Systems and brands we work on: HWH, Lippert, BigFoot, Power Gear, BAL.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Hydraulic jack cylinder rebuild, reseal, and replacement
- Electric jack motor, gearbox, and leg replacement
- Pump, reservoir, and hydraulic hose replacement
- Solenoid, valve block, and manifold diagnosis and repair
- Control board and touchpad diagnosis and replacement
- Auto-level recalibration on a known-flat surface
- Manual override and emergency retract verification
- Corroded ground, connector, and harness repair at the pump and jacks
- Cylinder rod pitting assessment and wiper seal replacement
- Jack footpad, mounting bracket, and frame attachment repair
03
When you need this service
- A jack that extends but will not retract, or retracts only with the manual override
- The coach settling out of level overnight while parked
- Fluid pooling under a jack or a visible wet film on the cylinder rod
- A pump that runs continuously or hums without moving a jack
- An auto-level cycle that finishes and leaves the coach visibly out of level
- A control panel showing an error code or refusing to enter auto mode
- A grinding or clicking electric jack that stalls partway through travel
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Symptom reproduction
We operate the system exactly the way you described the failure, because a jack that fails only on the second cycle or only when warm points at a different cause than one that never moves.
- 02
Electrical verification
Battery condition, feed voltage, and grounds checked under load at the pump and at each jack. A large share of leveling faults are voltage drop rather than component failure.
- 03
Hydraulic or motor circuit test
Pressure tested at the manifold on hydraulic systems, or current draw measured on electric legs, to isolate whether the fault is supply, valve, or actuator.
- 04
Control logic check
Controller interrogated for stored faults and the level reference verified. On auto-level units the reference is frequently the whole problem.
- 05
Documented findings and authorization
Findings priced with parts identified by part number before anything is ordered, so you approve a specific repair rather than an open-ended one.
- 06
Repair and rebuild
Cylinders resealed or replaced, motors and gearboxes swapped, valve blocks serviced, and corroded grounds and connectors repaired rather than cleaned and reused.
- 07
Calibration and cycle testing
System recalibrated on a flat surface and cycled repeatedly through full travel, then left extended to confirm it holds without drift.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $350 to $6,500+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 2 to 25+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Mechanical and electrical labor | $260 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Gas Motorhomes
A Class A gas motorhome is a flat-front coach built on a Ford F53 or Workhorse front-engine chassis, typically 28 to 38 feet. Rear
Vehicle
Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes
A diesel pusher carries a rear-mounted diesel on a raised-rail air ride chassis, usually 34 to 45 feet with full-body paint and pa
Vehicle
Class C Motorhomes
A Class C is a coach body built onto a cutaway van chassis with a sleeping or storage cabover extending above the factory cab. Tha
Vehicle
Super C Motorhomes
A Super C is a full coach body mounted on a medium duty truck chassis such as a Freightliner M2, International, or Kenworth, with
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Toy Hauler Fifth Wheels
A toy hauler fifth wheel carries a cargo garage behind the axles with a full-height rear ramp door. Load behind the axle centerlin
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
08
Questions about leveling system service and repair
Frequently asked questions
How much does RV leveling system repair cost?
Work runs $350 to $6,500 and up, or 2 to 25 plus hours at $260 per hour plus parts. A failed solenoid or a corroded ground repair sits near the low end. Replacing a pump, multiple hydraulic cylinders, and a control board on a six-point system sits at the high end. Parts are billed at markup, 35 percent over $100.
Why does my RV settle overnight?
On a hydraulic system that is almost always internal cylinder bypass or a leaking valve in the manifold, letting fluid return to the reservoir under the weight of the coach. A pitted cylinder rod that has torn its wiper seal is the most common cause we find, and on coastal units the pitting is salt corrosion. Resealing without addressing the rod means it repeats.
My auto-level finishes but the coach is not level. Is the system broken?
Usually not. The controller stores a level reference, and that reference is lost or corrupted by frame work, suspension changes, a controller swap, or a deep battery discharge. Recalibrating on a verified flat surface fixes most of these. We check calibration before recommending any hardware, because replacing jacks on a calibration fault solves nothing.
Can you work on HWH, Lippert, BigFoot and Power Gear systems?
Yes, all of them, plus BAL. They differ meaningfully in valve architecture, sensor type, and control logic, so diagnosis follows the specific system and its documented fault codes rather than a generic procedure. Parts availability also varies considerably between them, which affects schedule more than labor does. All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer on-site or route service of any kind.
Is it safe to keep using a jack that sticks?
No. A jack that sticks partway is usually a jack that will eventually extend or drop when you are not expecting it, and a coach supported on an intermittent jack is a real hazard when someone is working underneath or when a slide is out. Get the manual retract verified at minimum, and stop relying on the system until it is diagnosed.
09
Related services
Service
Suspension Service, Leaf Torsion and Air Ride
Suspension service covers leaf spring, equalizer, shackle, torsion axle, and air ride repair on trailers, vans, and truck chassis.
Service
Air Bag Suspension Repair
Air bag suspension repair covers ruptured bags, failed height control valves, leaking air lines, and compressor faults on air ride
Service
Frame and Structural Repair
Frame and structural repair corrects bent rails, cracked welds, failed outriggers, and out-of-square cage on RVs, trailers, and co
Service
12V and 120V Electrical Diagnostics and Repair
Electrical diagnostics traces 12V DC and 120V AC faults on RVs, vans, trailers, and fleet units, including dead circuits, parasiti
Service
Annual Maintenance Service
Annual maintenance service covers seal inspection and renewal, roof assessment, opening and slide operation, running gear checks,
10
More chassis and running gear work
Ready to move on leveling system service and repair? Bring it to Yorba Linda.