Honest review of the LevelMateMAX RV leveling system
Honest LevelMateMAX review
What is a LevelmateMAX and do you need one? We recently were asked to review the latest version, the LevelMateMAX, to get our input on how it works.
What is the LevelMateMAX
This device is essentially a really fancy bubble level, although it’s really much more than that.
In the box is a small unit that you permanently affix to your RV with the provided screws. That device determines how level your RV is and transmits that information to your smart phone, either Apple or Android.
What this device allows you to do is determine how level your RV is without having to get out of the driver seat, although you are encouraged to have someone other than the driver actually look at the screen of the phone while operating the RV. That’s just common sense.
Setting up the LevelMateMAX
Setting up the LevelMateMAX was pretty simple. You find a level spot for your RV and then configure the device, with your smartphone, with information on the size and type of RV. This device can work with just about any type of RV from rigs like our travel trailer (a Rockwood Mini Lite 2506FK) to large motorized RVs, vans, Class B and C rigs - you name it.
The LevelMateMAX transmitter which uses standard batteries
You will be asked things like the length and width of the RV and the type of rig one time. On towables like ours we had to measure the distance from the tip of the tongue to the wheels. It’s relatively simple to do this and you only have to do it once.
From there the gadget knows the parameters of the rig.
We screwed our device to the wall of a compartment so it’s easy to get to.
Another interesting thing as you set the device up is that you can set it to accommodate “slide lean” where some RVs will lean slightly to the side when the slide is out. You can accommodate that if you choose to.
How does the LevelMateMAX work?
Once you’re ready to check the level of your RV you turn on the LevelMateMAX transmitter device and open the app on your smartphone. After a moment where the phone finds the LevelMateMAX it then displays your RV and shows how level or off level you are. Interestingly the device actually pinpoints, to the fraction of an inch, how much you need to adjust if you need to adjust at all.
We keep the transmitter in a place where we can easily reach it and turn it off once we’ve leveled the trailer. It is battery-powered and I’m cheap so I don’t want to have to replace the batteries more than I need to.
Apparently this newest version of the LevelMateMAX has an accelerometer and a gyroscope to provide better leveling on the go.
Comparison of the various LevelMate systems
There is also a provision to listen to the LevelMateMAX but I haven’t used that function. However that means you can simply listen to the LevelMateMAX rather than looking at the screen of your phone.
Why I like the LevelMateMAX
You could easily use a level or even the level app in your phone to accomplish this. You could also just stick a bubble level on your RV as well.
What I really like about this app is that it shows you how far off level you are in fractions of an inch. It also continuously displays the level so you can make adjustments before resorting to other measures, such as driving up on ramps and such.
For us, with a travel trailer, as we back into a site it continuously shows how close we are to level.
I have used this several times to jog the trailer a bit to find a more level spot. At a recent campsite I realized that if I just moved the trailer over a few inches I would be level side-to-side.
From there once we’re disconnected from the trailer I also use the app to determine how level we are front-to-back and adjust accordingly with the tongue jack.
If you are out of level side-to-side the LevelMateMAX shows you by how much. Let’s say it’s just an inch, for example, you could just drive up on those leveling bricks. Or, if you’re using something like the Beech Lane Levelers as we do, it will show you how far up those wedges you have to go to obtain level.
We level our trailer with these Beech Lane levelers
I can imagine with a motorized RV this would be an even bigger advantage as you have to be concerned about side-to-side level and front-to-back level.
Why do you need to be level?
Of course the more level you are in your RV the better it feels to sleep in my opinion. But there are logical reasons to be level as well.
If your RV has a gas absorption (propane-electric) refrigerators they have to be within 3° of level when stationary to operate properly. You can actually damage the fridge operating it out of level for prolonged periods of time.
Depending on how far out of level you are, your drains may also not flow optimally. This isn’t a big issue but it might affect things like how your shower flows and that sort of thing. It could also affect how well the pump in your fresh water system picks up water from the tank.
What RVs does the LevelMateMAX work with?
This device can work with just about any type of RV from rigs like our travel trailer (a Rockwood Mini Lite 2506FK) to large motorized RVs, vans, Class B and C rigs - you name it.
Other cool features in the LevelMateMAX
Something useful for those with towable RVs like our travel trailer is a hitch height setting. You can configure how high the hitch is on your trailer and then use the LevelMateMAX to help you return to that hitch height once you’re ready to hitch up and head out.
Something else this has is a temperature reading. I put the LevelMateMAX in the same baggage compartment as our battery and solar charge control system from ABC Upfitters so I can also measure the temperature in there. I think the idea is to have the sending unit in the main body of the RV so you can see the temp in there but this works for us.
Some common sense
Some RVs come with automatic leveling systems. If yours did, perhaps you could save your money unless you really want to be on top of things. I am not a fan of automatic leveling systems just from my days working with RV warranties - auto levels caused a good amount of gray hair.
Also, we always recommend walking your RV site before pulling in. We look for obstructions at ground level but also for tree branches or other things that can damage the upper portion of an RV. So when we get out and walk the site, that’s when we plug in our Hughes Power Watchdog to make sure the power at the site is good and then start getting the RV in the site.
Yes, we have encountered RV sites where the power is bad so we go ask for a different site if that’s the case.
I absolutely love this device and had planned to buy one anyway when they reached out and asked if we wanted to try it. I have had zero issues with it in the past few months of having it and now absolutely would get another one if space aliens came and stole this one.
