1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recreational vehicles and especially to a system for leveling and supporting a recreational vehicle utilizing a source of water under pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of recreational vehicles are available on the market including small and large campers for attachment to the back of a family automobile for camping for short or extended periods of time; large motor homes and fifth-wheel campers, which do not have front wheels and are suspended by a "fifth-wheel" to the back of a pick-up truck. This latter vehicle requires front end support when disconnected from the truck.
One of the problems encountered by most recreational vehicles is supporting the front end or tongue of the camper when the recreational vehicle is disconnected from the family car or other towing vehicle. The support must be adjustable to allow the vehicles to be adjusted for different heights to maintain the inside of the recreational vehicle level.
In addition, on the smaller campers the springs are such that the campers tend to be unstable and shake considerably when positioned in a campground or the like. These problems are dealt with by hand actuated jacks which may be placed under the tongue of a camper or mounted to the front portion of the fifth wheel camper which may be hand actuated to raise or lower the front portion of the vehicle. On smaller campers that tend to be unstable, a series of smaller hand operated jacks are sometimes positioned on the four corners and each jack operated to get the camper level and supported by the jacks so that the camper will not rock when walking from one side to the other of the camper.
In addition to the hand actuated jacks that are commonly used or supplied with recreational vehicles, auxilliary jacks have been available which are actuated by electric motors for raising and lowering a portion of the vehicle. These, however, require connection to electrical power annd are expensive to purchase as an option to the recreational vehicles. Finally, large semi-trailers having fifth wheels have air over hydraulic jacks for supporting the trailers when disconnected from the cab portion and which are actuated by the truck's air system.
The present invention on the other hand, provides a simple series of water cylinders permanently attached to the recreational vehicle and having an operative and a stored position and which may be quickly moved from the stored traveling position to the operative position and operated by valves for leveling and supporting the recreational vehicle by the use of a pressure from the community or campground water supply or from the recreational vehicle's water tank. A typical water tank includes enough water pressure to level the vehicle for at least one occasion in a remote location.