Milenco levellers

[bigal]

jhorsf - 2010-05-26 8:07 PM

 

So it took Milenco four years with extensive test grounds to develop these and they are proud, four years!Wow what a great British company no wonder manufacturing in this country is in such a state.The four years they took to develop them would explain the price.How does the saying go, ah well back to the drawing board.

 

Yeah I like it, well said! B-)

 

[Guest Tracker]

As we were leaving Newbury I saw a guy dumping a set of Fiamma levels so being a tight fisted old s#d I asked him if he minded if I recycled them as they seemed in good condition. He was happy for me to have them as he had just bought a nice new set of Milenco levelers which he said would not skid away as he drove up onto them and would hold his wheels in place once mounted. I wished him luck - and dumped the dumped ones in my locker!

 

Never had shop ramps before in 35 years of motorhoming and I'm so excited about now being the same as everyone else - except for the Milenco brigade that is!

 

The only modification they need is that same as all ramps or levelers - either mount the whole ramp on a plank with a 6" protrusion at the shallow end or add a hinged flap to this end so that when you start to drive up the ramp the wheels are already holding it in place on the plank and it cant skid away from you.

 

Simples!

 

Sorry but it still don't help the handbrake off users though!

 

 

[Brambles]

Modify the ramps!! I have have Fiamma Jumbo?? ramps, NOT the stepped ones, and they have never ever slipped for me except on ice.

[jhorsf]

Tracker trust me you will never be the same as the rest of us :D

 

 

just as well really would be a boring world otherwise :-)

[tonyishuk]

The previous ramps we used on our Rapido were not high enough for our new Rapido which has a longer wheelbase. So we purchased a set of the above,

 

They do what it says on the box. I felt had to use blocks (rear wheels) / Brake and reverse gear because the M/home had a tendancy to roll back of the ramps. Leaving the M/home on the ramps, un-blocked over a few days seemed a little unwise.

 

When leaving I did experiment to see if the M/home would stay on the ramps with no other support. With a lot of muttering and groaning from the rear brakes, the m/home gently rolled slowly down the ramps.

 

I did not reverse up them, as they would not fit under the rear skirt.

 

Did Milenco arrange a demo of the levellers as discussed in the earlier parts of the thread ?

 

Rgds

 

 

 

 

[bigal]

tonyishuk - 2010-07-18 8:06 PM

 

The previous ramps we used on our Rapido were not high enough for our new Rapido which has a longer wheelbase. So we purchased a set of the above,

 

They do what it says on the box. I felt had to use blocks (rear wheels) / Brake and reverse gear because the M/home had a tendancy to roll back of the ramps. Leaving the M/home on the ramps, un-blocked over a few days seemed a little unwise.

 

When leaving I did experiment to see if the M/home would stay on the ramps with no other support. With a lot of muttering and groaning from the rear brakes, the m/home gently rolled slowly down the ramps.

 

I did not reverse up them, as they would not fit under the rear skirt.

 

Did Milenco arrange a demo of the levellers as discussed in the earlier parts of the thread ?

 

Rgds

 

 

 

Since I posted the original comment on this subject I have been touring in Europe and I have had ample opportunity to test the claims made by Milenco with regard to the Quattro levellers ie "eliminates the need for chocks". This is certainly not the case with a vehicle equipped with 15" wheels because as soon as you release the handbrake the vehicle does exactly what you would expect it to do and rolls off the levellers. How do Milenco justify such an advert that is obviously mis-leading? I also, would like to know whether Milenco actually arranged for the demonstration to take place as they suggested. It would be interesting to see the criteria which they are applying in testing these levellers. Having said that, the levellers are certainly well constructed, if a little heavy, and they do lift the and support vehicle but in my experience they certainly do not "eliminate the need for chocks". Rgds. :-S B-)

[Madmaggott]

lennyhb - 2010-05-24 12:07 PMMust say I'm a bit surprised Autotrail do not re-position the handbrake to the right hand side of the seat like most other manufacturers do.

 

Lenny, we have an autotrail 696g and the handbrake is on the right.

We formerly had an adria and the handbrake was on the left but returned to the low position after use to allow the seat to swivel.

 

[ron.]

Our problem with these ramps is that our wheels simply did not fit in the pockets as advertised. More often than not one or other of the wheels was sitting on, or part on, the ridge part of the ramp, much like parking with your tyre on the edge of a sharp curb for a fortnight - not good. I finally cut the two top ridges off each block leaving a flat top. This is just as high as the original as the lowest part of your tyre determining the height. Now we have a nice, wide, flat, grippy ramp and no problems once up.

 

Ron

[bigal]

ron. - 2010-07-26 8:47 PM

 

Our problem with these ramps is that our wheels simply did not fit in the pockets as advertised. More often than not one or other of the wheels was sitting on, or part on, the ridge part of the ramp, much like parking with your tyre on the edge of a sharp curb for a fortnight - not good. I finally cut the two top ridges off each block leaving a flat top. This is just as high as the original as the lowest part of your tyre determining the height. Now we have a nice, wide, flat, grippy ramp and no problems once up.

 

Ron

Well done Ron, I have been considering doing that myself but should you have to modify a new product just so that it complies with the claims made by the manufacturer ? I would still be very interested to know whether Milenco carried through their earlier offer to invite motorhome owners to witness trials using these levellers at their premises. The Caravan Club magazine is still carrying Milenco adverts that claim this type of leveller "eliminates the need for chocks". How many more people will buy them on the strength of this statement? :-S B-)

[Harvey]

ron. - 2010-07-26 8:47 PM

 

I finally cut the two top ridges off each block leaving a flat top. This is just as high as the original as the lowest part of your tyre determining the height. Now we have a nice, wide, flat, grippy ramp and no problems once up.

 

Ron

 

Excellent.

 

I haven't bought any of these yet but decided that that is what would be needed if I did. I haven't seen any out of their packaging so wasn't sure if it would be a viable modification. So pleased that you have told us that you have done it successfully.

 

What did you cut the lips off with: angle grinder? file? chainsaw? ( not sure how tough they are.) :-D

 

By the way, I recall that the offer of a demo. from Milenco was dependent on receiving enough requests from people who would like to attend. Maybe they did, maybe not.

 

Harvey

[ips]

I use the triple ramps and agree that the tyres dont fit exactly in the dips but i find it to be a great product as for the need for chocks whats wrong with leaving it in gear thats what i have allways done and havent rolled off yet

[bigal]

ips - 2010-07-27 12:51 PM

 

I use the triple ramps and agree that the tyres dont fit exactly in the dips but i find it to be a great product as for the need for chocks whats wrong with leaving it in gear thats what i have allways done and havent rolled off yet

This would put strain on the gearbox when the handbrake cannot be applied whilst the seat is swivelled. If the tyres "don't fit exactly in the dips", how can Milenco advertise that "the wheel is pocketed at every height, no need for chocks"?. No one disputes that this leveller is of strong construction, but it does not meet the claims made by Milenco on a standard motorhome 15" wheel. If it is primarily aimed at the 13" caravan type wheel then surely that should be made clear in the advert. :-S B-)

[ips]

Thats a fair point and your prob right that it would fit a 13" caravan wheel no probs defo no were near my massive tranny ones

[ips]

Fair point your prob right on all counts

[ron.]

Harvey - I cut the blocks with an ordinary wood saw (panel type) and finished off the top with an angle grinder. The plastic ramps are quite soft and cut easily but it is a bit of a pain to get things level as the ramps are difficult to hold steady. If I did it again I would get a timber merchant to slice them through with his bandsaw, after convincing him that it wouldn't ruin his saw of course! Or wait until his saw needed changing if he was dubious.

 

Ron

 

 

[Harvey]

ron. - 2010-07-27 5:38 PM

 

Harvey - I cut the blocks with an ordinary wood saw (panel type) and finished off the top with an angle grinder. The plastic ramps are quite soft and cut easily but it is a bit of a pain to get things level as the ramps are difficult to hold steady.

 

 

Thanks Ron,

 

I guess they would clamp into a B&D Workmate. I have one of those. :-)

 

I think that they are now back on my list of 'things to buy at Shepton Mallet show'.

 

Harvey

[ron.]

If your Workmate is like mine it won't, but then mine is about 15 years old, or more! *-)

 

Ron

[flicka]

bigal - 2010-07-26 9:18 PM

 

ron. - 2010-07-26 8:47 PM

 

Our problem with these ramps is that our wheels simply did not fit in the pockets as advertised. More often than not one or other of the wheels was sitting on, or part on, the ridge part of the ramp, much like parking with your tyre on the edge of a sharp curb for a fortnight - not good. I finally cut the two top ridges off each block leaving a flat top. This is just as high as the original as the lowest part of your tyre determining the height. Now we have a nice, wide, flat, grippy ramp and no problems once up.

 

Ron

Well done Ron, I have been considering doing that myself but should you have to modify a new product just so that it complies with the claims made by the manufacturer ? I would still be very interested to know whether Milenco carried through their earlier offer to invite motorhome owners to witness trials using these levellers at their premises. The Caravan Club magazine is still carrying Milenco adverts that claim this type of leveller "eliminates the need for chocks". How many more people will buy them on the strength of this statement? :-S B-)

 

 

Milenco posted on this thread so they may still be monitoring the situation.

So.

If Milenco have such faith in their product, would it not be of benefitial for them to demonstrate the Levellers, to a wide audience as possible, at one or more of the Motorhome Shows.

IMO think they possibly offered the demonstration at THEIR premises, with tongue firmly in cheek, knowing they would be little take-up and even then less opportunity to co-ordinate a time / date suitable for interested parties.

 

If, having read the post, users are dissatisfied they can always report it to Trading Standards or Advertising Standards

http://www.asa.org.uk/

regarding the (alegedly) mis-leading advertising & claim a full refund deeming the Levellers as "Unfit for Purpose".

 

This is to invite Millenco to re-address their previous statement OR give detailed report of their testing OR attend the Shows to demonstrate how to use of the levellers & to help those who have spent a lot of cash, on what appears to be a mis-represented product.

[bigal]

I doubt very much whether Milenco will be monitoring this discussion since their representative, Nicky Ward, told me by email that they were quite satisfied with their advertising which indicates to me that they are not really bothered too much about what the end user may think about their claims regarding "not needing chocks". However trading standards may well be the way to go in an effort to get this mis-leading advert withdrawn or clarified. As far as I am concerned it is not a case of wanting my money back, I just wanted to draw to someones attention that these levellers did not do what the advert claimed ie. "eliminate the need for chocks" after all, I bought them on the strength of that statement because I cannot swivel the driving seat whilst the handbrake is applied and I did not consider that leaving the vehicle in first gear without the handbrake on was in my best interests considering the cost of gearbox repairs. If the levellers had performed in accordance with the advert I would still have chocked the wheels as added security. I would look forward to a live demo by Milenco at one of the shows but I wont be holding my breath on that one. I will try to contact Milenco on this subject if I can raise Nicky Ward by email.

[bigal]

I doubt very much whether Milenco will be monitoring this discussion since their representative, Nicky Ward, told me by email that they were quite satisfied with their advertising which indicates to me that they are not really bothered too much about what the end user may think about their claims regarding "not needing chocks". However trading standards may well be the way to go in an effort to get this mis-leading advert withdrawn or clarified. As far as I am concerned it is not a case of wanting my money back, I just wanted to draw to someones attention that these levellers did not do what the advert claimed ie. "eliminate the need for chocks" after all, I bought them on the strength of that statement because I cannot swivel the driving seat whilst the handbrake is applied and I did not consider that leaving the vehicle in first gear without the handbrake on was in my best interests considering the cost of gearbox repairs. If the levellers had performed in accordance with the advert I would still have chocked the wheels as added security. I would look forward to a live demo by Milenco at one of the shows but I wont be holding my breath on that one. I will try to contact Milenco on this subject if I can raise Nicky Ward by email. :-S B-)

[Derek Uzzell]

I notice that there’s a Milenco Quattro-related thread on

 

http://motorhometoday.co.uk/index.php?/topic/3503-fiamma-or-milenco-levellers/

 

This includes a photo (Posting 10 on Page 1) of a motorhome 15” wheel with a (presumably) 215/70 R15C tyre positioned on the lowest ‘pocket’ of a Quattro leveller.

 

It should be obvious from that photo that the tyre will only sit securely in a pocket if the flat base of the leveller is angled so far downwards that a notional line drawn across the front and rear ‘lips’ of the pocket approaches the horizontal. This scenario could occur if the motorhome were on an extremely steep slope, but, in more normal usage on less steep inclines, it’s plain that the front lip of each pocket will be higher than the rear one causing the motorhome to roll off the leveller unless some sort of restraint (handbrake, gear selection, chock) is employed to counter this tendency. It should also be evident how, even when a motorhome’s wheel is accurately positioned above the centre of a pocket, the vehicle’s weight will cause the pocket’s ‘lips’ to dig into the tyre’s tread. (And, of course, the greater a tyre’s circumference the more the lips will dig in.)

 

The motorhometoday poster (“Richard”) who provided the photo mentions that, when he drives his motorhome on to the Quattro levellers, there is a distinct ‘clunk’ as the vehicle transfers from pocket to pocket. I can’t say I’ve noticed this when I’ve used Quattros, though my Hobby’s larger 215/75 R16C tyres (that fit even less well in the pockets) and my all-or-nothing mounting-the-levellers technique may be significant.

 

I’ve never considered chocks as a must-have in the first place, so I’m not particularly outraged by Milenco’s ‘no chocks needed’ advertising claim. It’s the comment in MMM’s Interchange that Milenco

 

“…do not expect the vehicle to roll back (if the handbrake is momentarily released to swivel a seat for example) when level and correctly positioned with the tyres pocketed"

 

that really needs challenging.

[bigal]

Derek Uzzell - 2010-07-29 8:55 AM

 

I notice that there’s a Milenco Quattro-related thread on

 

http://motorhometoday.co.uk/index.php?/topic/3503-fiamma-or-milenco-levellers/

 

This includes a photo (Posting 10 on Page 1) of a motorhome 15” wheel with a (presumably) 215/70 R15C tyre positioned on the lowest ‘pocket’ of a Quattro leveller.

 

It should be obvious from that photo that the tyre will only sit securely in a pocket if the flat base of the leveller is angled so far downwards that a notional line drawn across the front and rear ‘lips’ of the pocket approaches the horizontal. This scenario could occur if the motorhome were on an extremely steep slope, but, in more normal usage on less steep inclines, it’s plain that the front lip of each pocket will be higher than the rear one causing the motorhome to roll off the leveller unless some sort of restraint (handbrake, gear selection, chock) is employed to counter this tendency. It should also be evident how, even when a motorhome’s wheel is accurately positioned above the centre of a pocket, the vehicle’s weight will cause the pocket’s ‘lips’ to dig into the tyre’s tread. (And, of course, the greater a tyre’s circumference the more the lips will dig in.)

 

The motorhometoday poster (“Richard”) who provided the photo mentions that, when he drives his motorhome on to the Quattro levellers, there is a distinct ‘clunk’ as the vehicle transfers from pocket to pocket. I can’t say I’ve noticed this when I’ve used Quattros, though my Hobby’s larger 215/75 R16C tyres (that fit even less well in the pockets) and my all-or-nothing mounting-the-levellers technique may be significant.

 

I’ve never considered chocks as a must-have in the first place, so I’m not particularly outraged by Milenco’s ‘no chocks needed’ advertising claim. It’s the comment in MMM’s Interchange that Milenco

 

“…do not expect the vehicle to roll back (if the handbrake is momentarily released to swivel a seat for example) when level and correctly positioned with the tyres pocketed"

 

that really needs challenging.

Hi Derek, I have just had a look at the motorhometoday.co.uk thread you suggested and was surprised to see that the topic of Milenco levellers was being so widely discussed. It does seem apparent from the various comments made that there is definitely a problem with the shape of the "pockets"/platforms on which the wheels sit. I have emailed the Milenco representative, Nicky Ward, and suggested having a demonstration of the features claimed for the Quattro levellers at one of the major shows but have not had an answer so far. I suppose it is not in their interests to further publicise the points being made by the end users of the product. Head in the sand comes to mind!!! :-S B-)

[flicka]

Looking at photo on the "Motorhometoday" thread on Derek's post, it would appear that the Milenco Levellers have been designed for smaller diameter wheels than those fitted to the majority of Motorhomes.

Their advertising statement that chocks are not required is possibly true, but IMHO their tests must have been carried out on Caravans & CDV's with 12" / 13" wheels, rather than Motorhomes constructed on Panel Van / chassis based vehicles with 15" / 16" wheels.

BUT, I still think the advertising statement to be misleading as it does not qualify what size wheels it is applicable for & levelling ramps are more commonly used by Motorhomes than Tuggers.

 

Not applicable to me, but anyone having purchased them & is dissatisfied should contact their dealers / sellers for their money back on the basis of levellers being "Unfit for Purpose"

If dealers are inundated with such requests they have several option available to them, a couple of which are:-

A) Stop selling the Milenco's

B) Approach Milenco for recompense.

 

If Milenco keep getting ear-ache from dealers they might take notice.

Or as I previously posted, if you feel strongly enough take the matter up with Trading Standards or the Advertising Standards Authority.

& refer to the photo as example.

[Derek Uzzell]

On this forum, back in May, a Milenco representative said

 

“We are soon to update our website and will provide more information and tips on use, soon.”

 

but, more than two months on, I can see no indication that this has happened for Quattro.

 

Rather than have aggrieved buyers traipse to Milenco’s Milton Keynes factory for a demonstration of the ‘correct’ way to use Quattro levellers (or possibly provide demos at outdoor shows) Milenco might consider adding a short instructional video to their website (or even stick it on YouTube!) That way everyone would know how Milenco envisage Quattros being employed and argument over the levellers’ capabilities/limitations could be minimised.

 

Regarding wheel/tyre size, in MMM May 2010 (page 216), in the Interchange piece that provoked this thread, Milenco’s Nigel Milbank said

 

“We designed the levels to fit from the 225/75 R16 Fiat Maxi chassis down and most of our development work was with this chassis.”

 

I’m very doubtful that an Unfit for Purpose approach would be successful. As I suggested earlier, it’s the ‘seat swivelling’ claim that’s really iffy and that was made (with several provisos) in MMM and does not appear in Milenco’s commercial advertising.

[milenco]

Hi there this is Milenco Limited.

 

We have received a couple of emails about this post, last week; however we were on our annual shutdown.

 

With regards to updating our website, we are currently in the process of doing this. We are also producing a video, which we believe will answer all the questions raised.

 

Updating the website has become a bigger task as new technology is being introduced like wap for smart phones, so please bear with us, whilst this is completed.

 

Product Demonstration:

In our previous contribution to the forum we offered to show the Quattro Levels in use, and not one person rang the office to accept our offer.

 

The Quattro Level was designed to be used with 15” and 16” Motorhome wheels.

 

We are satisfied that this is the best level ever made. It is certainly the tallest and widest Level. The level does not slip on grass or concrete or sink in to soft ground. It’s engineered and designed so that it does not need chocks. As a company we do not like chocks because of the potential danger of hand trap.

 

It was not designed however to replace the vehicles handbrake or hold the vehicle in situation.

 

If you are looking for a device to stop the Motorhome from moving, our Quattro Level was not designed to do this. It is designed to level the Motorhome in the best possible manner.

 

With various ground conditions there will always be forces trying to move the Motorhome and to be safe you need to use your vehicle handbrake and engage a low gear.

 

Since our previous postings we have conducted some more studies on Motorhome handbrakes and positional stability when on Quattro Levels. This information will be included in the updated website, however we are satisfied that a current model Motorhome on a standard chassis when levelled will be stable on levels, but we would still recommend the use of the handbrake and the gear engaged.

 

In every test we have been able to hold the vehicle in gear whilst the driver’s seat was rotated with the hand brake momentarily released.

 

What we have subsequently found is that on certain Motorhome without original chassis, do have a large amount of movement after the handbrake is applied and our recommendation is to park these vehicles in a low gear as well as with the handbrake.

 

We are demonstrating all Milenco products including our Quattro levels at all the forth coming major international shows (Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, America and UK, etc)

 

Regretfully this means we do not have time to participate at any additional UK Motorhome shows this year, but if we receive enough interest, we would look in to organising a levelling clinic at the Peterborough Motorhome show next April.

 

Finally If you do have a problem with any Milenco product, please contact our office on 01908 220102 and we will do everything we can to resolve any issues.

 

Best wishes

Milenco Limited