What should you watch out for when levelling on icy and snowy ground in winter?
On icy ground the biggest risk is the leg slipping and the vehicle shifting position. Before lowering the legs, clear the ice and snow from the ground, put a solid, non-slip plate under each leg, and after finishing the levelling wait a while and check the slope value again. Chocks are even more critical in winter; the legs never take the place of the parking brake under any circumstances.
Points to watch in winter conditions:
- Ground preparation: clear the snow and ice from the four points where the legs will come down. A leg landing on ice can slip under load.
- Plate: put a solid load-spreading plate under each leg. If frozen soil thaws during the day, its bearing capacity drops and the leg sinks in.
- Interim check: snow melt and the freeze-thaw cycle change the ground during the day. On a long stay, check the slope indicator regularly and repeat the levelling if needed.
- Icing: if water collected in the leg mechanism freezes, movement is blocked; in that case the current protection and timeout control cut the movement. Clear the ice before retracting, do not force it.
- Battery: battery capacity drops in the cold. Considering that in lead-acid/AGM the usable capacity is already roughly half the label value, a full charge becomes far more important in winter.
- Chocks: on slippery ground chocks are mandatory and the legs do not replace them. Do not lift all the wheels off the ground.
Since no operating temperature range has been published for the product, it is right to consult technical support before use in extreme conditions.
The full topic: How to choose levelling leg capacity