TESA Autolift 4

This review will only interest those who are considering having a self-levelling system.  I think they count as as accessories which is why I have put the review in this part of the Forum.
 
Self-levelling systems are unnecessary, expensive and something else to go wrong.  Nevertheless, a month ago I took a leap of faith and had a TESA Autolift 4 fitted to my 2019 Nuevo EK by Essanjay in Poole for £3,500.  One was demonstrated to me last year by a contented owner who had had it for over a year and earlier this year I saw it at the NEC.  RoadPro in Daventry is the sole UK importer and only supply the Italian made Autolift to professional fitters.  Supply chain problems caused by Brexit and Covid made it difficult to get hold of.
 
I haven’t weighed the Autolift but believe it plus its fixing brackets for the Boxer chassis with AdBlue tank and other bits and pieces is about 65kg.  TESA claim this is lighter than hydraulic levelling systems but I don’t know if this is true.  I have reduced the overall weight increase on my Nuevo to about 40kg, with about 20kg on each axle, by removing the heavy rear corner steadies and not taking the corner steady brace, jack and levelling wedges, which also frees up space.
 
TESA say that the current drawn by each jack is determined by its load and when one jack is elevating 1000 kg it will draw on average about 12A.  The all up mass of my fully loaded van with the Autolift but less occupants is about 3140 kg, with about 1270 kg on the front axle and 1870 kg on the rear axle.  The heavy lifting is only done by 2 jacks at a time.  Taking account of the geometry between my Nuevo’s jacks and wheels, I have calculated the maximum current should average between about 19A and 24A, depending whether the front, back or side of the van is being lifted.  These figures are unmeasured and subject to spikes so could be higher.  They would certainly be higher on a heavier van but should be lower when I’m carrying less load and when the wheels are still on the ground.  The Autolift is supplied with an 80A Mega fuse and holder for the battery end of the power cable.  I believe this is because each of the jacks can elevate up to 2500kg i.e. 5000kg when 2 jacks are working together.  At 12A per 1000kg this equates to 60A.  I suspect the fuse on my lighter Nuevo can be reduced.  Elevation typically takes less than a minute so the Ah consumed is small compared to the battery capacity.
 
The Autolift can be connected to either the starter or leisure battery.  Mine is connected to the leisure battery as recommended by TESA, RoadPro and at least one other fitter who I spoke to at the NEC.  Their logic is there is no chance of the Autolift flattening the starter battery and if the leisure battery goes flat, the engine can be started which will generate enough charge for the leisure battery to raise the jacks into the driving position.  If the Autolift is powered by the starter battery and it goes flat, it will not be possible to start the engine or raise the jacks electrically.  A dual battery solar regulator will also recharge the leisure battery more effectively than a starter battery that only receives a trickle charge.  Due to the relatively high currents, Essanjay thought the Autolift, like I believe hydraulic levelling systems, should have been powered by the 95Ah starter battery.  Either way, the van can be plugged into an EHU or the engine can be running whilst the Autolift is being used, which lessens the load on the battery.  When the time comes to replace my 90Ah Hankook DC27 leisure battery that came with the van, I might get a larger one that is covered by the NCC classification scheme – Class A or Class B.
 
When the Autolift’s 4 jacks are in their driving position they are fully retracted and folded up to the chassis where they are largely out of sight.  Before the jacks are used, they are folded down from the driving position and partially extended by pressing the START button on the Autolift’s control panel.  There should then be a gap between the bottom of the jacks and level ground of at least 30mm.  On my Nuevo it varies between the front and rear jacks and is dependent on how much load is being carried and its position, and how flat and soft the ground is.  Tyre pressures and the condition of the suspension will also affect it.  If the gap is not big enough, the jacks will strike the ground as they are lowered.  If this happens, the gap can be increased by removing a collar on the jacks which shortens them.  I had to do this on my rear jacks.
 
Once folded down, my jacks can be extended by up to 137mm by pressing either the AUTO or MANUAL buttons.  This is described as useable extension.  The Autolift comes with 200mm x 200mm x 25mm stout green plastic pads to fit under the jacks on soft ground and I also carry slightly larger pieces of 10mm marine ply.  Using these and the maximum useable extension of 137mm, I can easily achieve elevations above each jack of at least 125mm.  Taking account of the geometry between my Nuevo’s jacks and wheels, 125mm over the jacks equates to about 153mm over the front wheels if raising just the front, or, about 133mm over the front wheel and about 145mm over the rear wheel if raising just a side, or, about 134mm over the rear wheels if raising just the rear.  The Autolift outperforms my Fiamma Jumbo and Milenco Triple wedges in this respect, whose maximum elevations over any wheel are 110mm and 120mm respectively.  The control panel indicates which parts of the van need to be elevated to level the van and therefore which two jacks might need a pad.  On firm ground pads are not always needed and sometimes only one jack needs a pad.
 
The AUTO levelling function works well.  If it turns out not to be quite level, there is a procedure for fine tuning the level and then saving it, so it adopts the new level when the AUTO button is pressed again.  If there is too much slope for the van to be levelled completely, the AUTO function will level the van as best it can.  I have noticed that the jacks carrying the greatest load dig in overtime on anything other than firm ground.  To some extent this happens on my drive where the gravel is deep and it has happened to me on a hard-standing CL pitch which had poor footings.  In these circumstances a pad has to be put under the jack.  I’m waiting to try out the Autolift on a grass pitch but I am pretty sure it will require pads.
 
It’s important to apply the handbrake before the jacks are retracted from the ground and to ensure there is nothing obstructing them when they are lowered from or raised to their driving positions. This means checking the jacks are fully down from their driving position before elevation starts and removing any pads or wood before the jacks are folded up.  It also helps having everyone outside the van whilst the jacks are being operated.  Before the van is driven, the system will alarm if the jacks are not in their driving position.  The alarm can be suppressed for charging purposes.
 
Autolift jacks are not difficult to use but I suspect they are not as easy or fool proof as telescopic hydraulic jacks which have one stage of operation and I understand extend further with wider feet.  This should reduce the need for pads but if they are needed I believe thicker blocks can be used to achieve greater elevation.  This should allow them to handle longer vans and pitches that are more uneven or with more slope.  It should also make them a better substitute for Milenco’s largest wedges like the Trident and Quattro, which don’t fit the Nuevo’s wet locker.  However, the Autolift is much less expensive, when driving their jacks appear to have more ground clearance and there are no hydraulic pumps or reservoirs to locate, or, hydraulic oil to leak or replace. 
 
Time will tell how reliable the Autolift is.  It’s been around for a while so I would like to think its gremlins are ironed out.  The neat control panel is fitted just inside the habitation door so that it can be operated from outside.  The electronic control box is sealed and mounted on the underside of the floor.  The jacks and their electric motors are no more exposed to road spray than caravan movers which I have found to be reliable.  The jacks look robust and stable and TESA claim they are galvanised and can each withstand a static load of 5000kg, which is far more than the weight of any van or the load any levelling wedge can take.  Each motor on my Nuevo is working well under its maximum dynamic load of 2500kg.  The motors and their connections are sealed.  Keeping the jacks clean is the only maintenance although I plan to treat mine with Lanoguard.  If there is a problem, removal or replacement of a jack/motor looks straight forward.  The parts but not labour are covered by a 3-year warranty.
 
At home we used our Fiammas all the time, which was difficult on our gravel drive.  This was to help drain the water system, which I do after every trip, and to stop rainwater and dew pooling on the roof.  The Autolift does this with the added advantages of taking much of the heavy load off the tyres and suspension, providing an extra layer of security and if needed lifting all 4 wheels clear of the ground.  This makes it easier to inspect and remove stones from the tyres, fit wheel covers and work under the van.  Wheel changing is safer and easier and by raising the rear of the van, as recommended by Peugeot, there is more space to check or use the spare wheel. 
 
We used our Milencos on perhaps 50% of pitches which didn’t always level the van.  On the remaining pitches we sometimes put up with the van being not quite level.  We site our van for the best aspect rather than levelness but we do like it to be level.  After using the Autolift now on 7 successive pitches, we plan to use it all the time.  Jacks with the pads should stop the tyres from sinking into soft ground and forming cups and allow traction mats to be placed easily under the drive wheels.  This should lessen the chance of getting stuck on grass pitches which has happened to us 3 times in as many years.  A bonus is that the jacks steady the van.  This makes the rear corner steadies superfluous which, due largely to the bike rack, I found awkward to use and so invariably didn’t.  The main advantages though are that I can now level or elevate the van on my own and see what’s going on, and I can do so more precisely, quickly and safely and, most important of all, without stress.  My wife is particularly relieved that she doesn’t have to guide me onto wedges anymore which was a major reason for having the levelling system.

For anyone interested, I have reworked my Autolift 4 review below.  It’s not radically different to the previous one but it includes experience gained over the past 5 months.
 
In June 2022, some 5 months ago, I had a TESA Autolift 4 fitted to my 2019 Auto-sleeper Nuevo EK coach-built motorhome by Essanjay in Poole for £3,500.  An Autolift was demonstrated to me last year on a larger coach-built motorhome by a contented owner who had had his for over a year and earlier this year I saw one at the NEC.  I took my motorhome to Essanjay to discuss the installation before placing my order.  RoadPro in Daventry is the sole UK importer from TESA in Montesilvano Italy.  RoadPro do not fit the Autolift and only supply it to professional fitters.  Supply chain problems caused by Brexit and Covid made my Autolift difficult to get hold of.  
 
TESA state the Autolift’s weight plus the fixing brackets for my short wheelbase 3,500kg Peugeot Boxer chassis with AdBlue tank is about 65kg.  RoadPro claim this is lighter than hydraulic levelling systems which may be the case for some.  I have reduced the mass of my motorhome by about 25kg by removing its heavy rear corner steadies and not taking the corner steady brace, jack and my Milenco Triple levelling wedges, which also frees up storage space.  The overall weight increase of about 40kg is spread evenly between all four wheels and is low down.
 
Some websites wrongly state that the Autolift is rated at 12A, as did the RoadPro website until I raised it with them.  The Autolift’s battery power cable is 16mm within a conduit giving it a rating of 76A and it is fitted with an 80A bolt in strip fuse.  Each of the 4 jack motors has a 10mm power cable within a conduit giving it a rating of 52A.  The Autolift manual explains that the current drawn by each jack is proportional to its load with on average about 12A being drawn when lifting 1000kg and that only 2 jacks work together when lifting.  This being so and taking account of the position of my jacks in relation to my motorhome’s wheels, I have calculated that my current consumption when fully loaded minus occupants (front axle 1270kg - rear axle 1870kg) should be between about 19A and 24A, depending whether the front, back or side of the motorhome is being lifted off the ground.  When I replaced the 80A strip fuse with a 20A maxi blade fuse, it eventually blew but a 30A fuse didn’t blow which is the fuse I now use.  I don’t know how this compares with hydraulic levelling systems.  Heavier motorhomes will draw more current.  
 
Elevation typically takes less than a minute so the Ah consumed on my motorhome is small compared to the useable capacity of its fully charged leisure or starter battery - if it is in good condition.  The Autolift can be powered by either battery.  Mine is powered by the leisure battery as recommended by TESA, RoadPro and an Autolift fitter I spoke to at the NEC.  Their logic is the Autolift will not flatten the starter battery and if the leisure battery goes flat, the engine can be started which should generate enough charge for the leisure battery to raise the jacks into their driving position.  If the Autolift is powered by the starter battery and it goes flat, it will not be possible to start the engine or raise the jacks electrically.  My dual battery MPPT solar regulator is also more effective at recharging the leisure battery than the starter battery.  Essanjay felt quite strongly that, as with previous Autolifts they have fitted and hydraulic levelling systems, mine should have been powered by my 95Ah starter battery.  This was due to its higher alternator recharge capability, because of the currents involved and the likelihood that it will be fully charged and in better condition than my 90Ah leisure battery.  I rarely go off-grid so my leisure battery is usually fully charged and, before using the Autolift, I normally plug into an EHU.  This reduces the load on the battery and immediately starts to recharge it.  So far, my lead acid leisure battery has been fine but, when the time comes, I might replace it with a larger NCC Class B one.  
 
My motorhome has an 80W solar panel and a power-hungry Sargent power control system so, depending on the time of year and weather, I might not always use my Autolift off-grid.  It might be better for an off-gridder and frequent mover to power their automatic levelling system from their starter battery.  With the Autolift, the engine can be running whilst it is being used.  I assume most wild campers don’t use levelling devices.
 
When the Autolift’s jacks are in their driving position they are fully retracted and folded up to the chassis where they are largely out of sight.  Before the jacks are used, they are folded down from their driving position by pressing the START button on the Autolift’s control panel.  According to the Autolift manual, the gap between the bottom of each jack and the ground should then be at least 30mm.  This is needed to provide enough space for the supplied 25mm thick 200mm x 200mm plastic pads, which are needed on soft ground, and to reduce the risk of the jack striking the ground as it is folded down.  The poorly translated manual suggests that striking the ground will damage the jack but it happened to me on a number of occasions without mishap - other than having to scrape a hole in the pitch to allow the jack to fold down!  In use the gap varies due to variations in load, the slope and evenness of the ground and the amount each tyre sinks into the ground.  Tyre pressure and suspension aids would also affect it.  If the gap is 30mm when the Autolift is fitted in a workshop with the motorhome unloaded, it will be less than this in use.  When my jacks were fitted, the gap was barely 30mm at the front and less than 30mm at the rear.  The length of the jacks and therefore the gap can be adjusted by removing or adding collars of varying width (10mm, 20mm & 40mm) at the bottom of each jack.  After using my Autolift on different pitches with different loads, I had to shorten my front jacks by 10mm and rear jacks by 40mm.  I did this on the drive at home.  I needed a pair of fine-toothed circlip pliers and for the wheels to be on levelling wedges.  Care must be taken not to overstretch the circlips which are very small.  
 
I have supplemented the supplied 25mm plastic pads with 11mm thick plywood pads and now I can generally get one or other under the jacks.  Sometimes I need more than one to ensure I have enough elevation.  I know of one owner who has had 5mm thick aluminium pads made.
 
Once the jacks are folded down, they will extend on my motorhome by a maximum of about 137mm by pressing either the AUTO or MANUAL buttons.  This extension is unaffected by the number of collars fitted to the jack.  The Autolift manual and RoadPro and other websites give different jack extension figures. 137mm is an important figure as it is the maximum van elevation possible above each jack if all the space between the jack and the ground is filled with pads with the bottom pad being on solid ground.  I rarely achieve 137mm but with my pads I can generally achieve elevations of 125mm.
 
On my installation, the jacks are between the axles.  As a result, the distances between the front jacks and rear wheels and the rear jacks and the front wheels, are both less than the 3-metre wheelbase.  Taking these shorter distances into account, 125mm elevation above the jacks equates to about 153mm above the front wheels if raising just the front or about 134mm above the rear wheels if raising just the rear.  Similarly, the distances between the offside jacks and the nearside wheels and the nearside jacks and the offside wheels, are less than the wheel tracks, which it will be on all installations.  Taking these shorter distances into account, if raising just a side, 125mm above the jacks equates to about 133mm above the front wheel and about 145mm above the rear wheel.  In all cases, this is better than my Milenco Triple wedges whose maximum elevation above any wheel is 120mm and Fiamma Jumbo wedges whose maximum elevation is 110mm.  Different motorhomes will have different geometries making their elevation figures different from mine, particularly fore and aft. 
 
My Autolift’s maximum elevation is sufficient to tip the motorhome to the off-side with all 4 wheels off the ground.  This allows the handbrake to be released and for all the weight to be taken off the tyres and suspension in storage and it is useful for drain down, inspecting the tyres, fitting wheel covers and security.  It makes wheel changing easier and safer and it allows better access to the spare wheel and for general maintenance under the motorhome.
 
When the AUTO button is pressed, my Autolift levels and steadies the motorhome well.  If it can’t achieve enough elevation on one or two jacks to level the motorhome, it will do the best it can and indicate on the control panel which jacks need more elevation.  It’s possible to increase the elevation of the jacks by temporarily retracting them from the ground with the GETUP button and then adding an extra pad, for which there is often space after the ground beneath the jack has been compressed.  The MANUAL button can be used to level the van and to lift the drive wheels so traction mats can be placed under them on grass pitches.  The jacks reduce the amount the wheels sink into grass pitches which also helps.
 
It’s important to apply the handbrake before the jacks are retracted from the ground and to ensure there is nothing obstructing them when they are lowered from or raised to their driving positions.  The manual warns of severe damage if the pads are not removed before the jacks are folded up.  The system will alarm if the jacks are not in their driving position when the engine is started.  The alarm can be supressed for charging purposes.  If anyone is in the motorhome whilst the Autolift is being operated, it increases the risk of ground strike when jacks are folded up or down and the current consumption will be slightly higher when the jacks are lifting the motorhome.  
 
Autolift jacks are not difficult to use but I suspect they are not as easy or fool proof as telescopic hydraulic jacks which have one stage of operation and I understand can extend further and have wider feet.  This should reduce the need for pads but, if they are needed, I believe thicker ones can be used to achieve greater elevation.  This should make it easier to handle vans with long wheelbases and pitches that are more uneven or have more slope.  It should also make them a better match for Milenco’s largest wedges like their Trident and Quattro which don’t fit into my motorhome’s wet/skirt locker. However, the Autolift is much less expensive, it has no hydraulic pumps or reservoirs to locate, or, hydraulic oil to leak, replace or check, and when driving their jacks appear to have more ground clearance.
 
Time will tell how reliable the Autolift is.  It’s been around for a while so I would like to think its gremlins are ironed out.  The neat control panel is fitted just inside the habitation door so that it can be operated from outside.  It also has a remote fob which I haven’t used.  The electronic control box is sealed and mounted high on the underside of the floor.  The only intrusions into the habitation space are the control panel and leisure battery power cable.  The jacks look robust and stable.  TESA claim they are galvanised and can each withstand a static load of 5000kg.  This is more than the weight of most motorhomes and much more than the load my levelling wedges can take, which after 3 years of use have broken/bent lattice or cracks in them.  Each motor is sealed and, on my motorhome, is working well under its stated maximum dynamic load of 2000kg.  Previously this was 2500kg which might account for the 80A fuse and cable size. The only maintenance appears to be keeping the jacks clean.  If there is a problem, removal or replacement of a jack/motor looks straight forward.  If a jack or jacks stop working in their lowered position and the van is lifted high enough, they can be folded up by hand and temporarily tied in place until they are repaired.  The parts but not labour are covered by a 3-year warranty. 
 
So far, I have no regrets buying the Autolift.  I use it all the time and consider it to be a very worthwhile accessory.  It frees up storage space and, once the gaps between the jacks and the ground have been sorted, it’s easier, quicker, more effective and less stressful to use than levelling wedges.  It also does important things that levelling wedges can’t do.  Now I have a self-levelling system, I wouldn’t want to be without one.

As I've had the Autolift for over a year now, I'll give a short update.  

I continue to be pleased with it and, so far touch wood, there have been no problems.

Only once have we struggled to level the van.  We couldn't quite get the front wheels high enough on a forward facing slope, the van being naturally high at the back.  It was probably good enough and we could have turned the van through 180º and levelled it but we decided instead to move to a pitch that lay across the slope.  We then levelled the van with the near side wheels elevated.  This wouldn't have been possible with our levelling wedges.  Hydraulic jacks with blocks may have faired better.

Despite raising the jacks by removing spacers, a jack has still struck the ground on a grass pitch on a couple of occasions and prevented it from folding down fully.  The cause was one of the wheels in a dip.  The remedy was to move the van slightly so the wheel wasn't in a dip.  If this becomes a problem I can remove more spacers but, for the time being, I think I've got it about right for the load I carry.

After a while I realised that if I had a flat tyre, there wouldn't be enough ground clearance for the Autolift jack closest to the flat to fold down.  So I have re-instated the scissor jack.  It should be easy to raise the corner of the van with the scissor jack for the Autolift jack to fold down and then for the Autolift to do the rest.  Alternatively I could call out the breakdown service.

Despite regular use, my 90Ah leisure battery which is over 4 years old is holding up well.  That said, on most occasions I use the Autolift, I am connected to an EHU which takes some of the load off the battery and ensures a quick recharge.

In the early days I released the handbrake after levelling but I found on more sloping pitches this sometimes caused the van to move slightly which was disconcerting.  So I only release the handbrake now if I am on a fairly level pitch e.g. when I'm parked up at home.  I assume this would be the same with hydraulic jacks.

On one occasion after I raised all 4 jacks manually on our drive to their maximum elevation, the foot of one of the rear jacks didn't press firmly into the gravel meaning most of the van's weight was supported on 3 jacks making it less steady.  I imagine the same would happen with hydraulic jacks that are extended manually to their maximum length.  The remedy was to raise the jacks and ensure there was more equal space between the bottom of the jacks and the ground across the axle.

I have found the jacks invaluable for improving tyre husbandry (inspecting the tyres, fitting covers, checking the spare, rotating them and taking the load off them) and under van maintenance where the extra few inches of headroom have made all the difference.