Perhaps you are one of the lucky RV owners to have a hydraulic leveling system installed. Our 2013 Greyhawk 31DS has the Bigfoot Leveling System installed, an option for that year’s Greyhawk. The cost, at that time, was nearly $5,000 for the system; however, having two slide-outs on our RV, the original owners thought it was a necessary option. On paper, the system is simple: push the auto level button, and within a few minutes the coach is level and slide-outs can be deployed and the fridge operated.
We are the fifth owner of this RV, but all previous owners kept fantastic records, and routine and preventative maintenance was kept up to date. The one common complaint from the previous owners was the Bigfoot system. Sometimes the system worked, and other times it wouldn’t level the coach. Our first season of camping, we were stranded in Illinois when one jack would not retract off the ground. GoodSam to the rescue! Their mobile tech had the issue fixed in five minutes and educated me on how to prevent this in the future. Later that year, the front jacks began to activate while we were driving! The ignition interlock was supposed to prevent the jacks from doing this, but obviously a poor design allowed the jacks to start up while moving! In 2025, we had another mishap with the jacks when they refused to deploy, but rather just retracted all the time, even when fully retracted!
The Bigfoot customer service tech was great at helping me debug the issue. I was told by the tech that the Ford ECM interferes with the Bigfoot level controller, which probably caused the jacks to deploy while moving. The second problem, where they would extend, was probably due to a failed controller. We were never impressed with the leveling system. Most times, the RV was extended much too high with the jacks extended nearly to their limits and, in a few cases, with wheels off the ground. When I was told I needed a new controller for $950, I asked the tech for the details of how the jacks are deployed and the limit switch operation.
After a fashion, the tech got me all the technical details for me to design my own controller using toggle switches. The system is super simple, and so I went on my way designing my own control panel. The safety features that didn’t function all that well were left out of the design. So there is no audible alarm when a jack is not fully retracted, and the engine is started or running. There is no interlock mechanism at all, so the user has to be certain the jacks are up before moving. There are four LEDs, one for each jack, which are illuminated if the jack is not fully retracted. I added a mechanical pull plug to remove 12VDC from the system.
I am happy to share my design with anyone wishing to build their own controller. I assume no responsibility for its use. The end user is responsible for their own work and the function of this design. The design has been in use for 13 months without issue. I have shared the design with 6 fellow campers who were ‘fed up’ with their Bigfoot system.
My design notes from July 2025:
Our trip in July was plagued by the Bigfoot leveling system not working. I talked to the techs at BF, and they said I needed a new controller. Cost was $1000. Didn’t make sense to put money into this system since it has been very unreliable.
To raise and lower a jack, simply apply 12VDC to the appropriate pin. Example: to retract the driver’s front jack, just apply 12VDC to pin 11 (Green with a white stripe). The limit switches are ground closure. When the piston is down, the switch lead is a short to ground, and when retracted, the lead is an open.
Purchased a Molex connector to mate with the existing harness. Used 14AWG stranded wire from the connector to the switches. Used 18AWG for limit switch lines. Very straightforward design.
Coachella 