If you’ve spent any amount of time camping with a truck camper, you know the drill. Pull into camp. Get out. Stack leveling blocks. Pull forward. Back up. Restack the blocks. Repeat until your refrigerator stops complaining and your spouse quits saying, “we’re still leaning!”
It’s all part of the experience…or at least it used to be.
We recently had LiquidSpring’s newest Tru-Earth Leveling software installed on our Elevation Off Grid Ford F-550 Black Edition truck. After several trips and plenty of uneven campsites, we’ve come away impressed with just how much easier the system makes setting up camp.
LiquidSpring believes the days of carrying around a crate full of cracked plastic leveling blocks are numbered. The company’s latest Tru-Earth software takes its already impressive adaptive suspension system and transforms it into a push-button campsite leveling solution.
To learn more, I caught up with Carl Harr, Director of Sales and Marketing for LiquidSpring, to talk about the newest version of Tru-Earth Leveling, what has changed, and why truck camper owners might never look at leveling blocks the same way again.
Level Once…Then Stay That Way
The biggest advancement in the newest version of Tru-Earth Leveling isn’t simply that it levels your truck—it continues to keep it level.
According to Harr, previous versions of the software would automatically level the truck and camper when activated, but temperature changes and other environmental factors could allow the suspension to drift slightly over time. The newest software continuously monitors the vehicle for up to 72 hours, automatically making small adjustments to maintain level.
That’s an important distinction.
It doesn’t mean you have to stay at one campsite for three days. Instead, whenever you arrive at camp, simply activate Tru-Earth Leveling and it will monitor and maintain your truck’s level for as long as the next 72 hours. If you’re staying longer than that, just reset the system and another 72-hour monitoring cycle begins.
For most overlanders and truck camper owners, that’s more than enough.
“As adventure travelers, we’re usually moving every few days anyway,” Harr explained. “We’re going to see the sights, enjoy camp, and then move on.”
Finding the Sweet Spot
Using Tru-Earth Leveling is refreshingly simple.
Once you’ve parked, navigate to the Tru-Earth Leveling menu on the LiquidSpring touchscreen display. The system immediately evaluates whether your current parking position falls within the suspension’s leveling range. A simple color-coded display does all the work. Green means you’re good to go, yellow indicates the truck can probably level but you may want to reposition slightly, and red means you’re outside the suspension’s available travel and should move before attempting to level.
Simply inch the truck forward, backward, or slightly left or right until you reach the yellow or green zone. Press “Auto,” and the system uses its onboard accelerometer to bring the truck to zero-pitch and zero-roll based on the original factory calibration. Once level, it automatically begins monitoring and maintaining that position.
How Much Slope Can It Handle?
Naturally, every truck camper owner wants to know the same thing: just how crooked can a campsite be before the system reaches its limits?
The answer depends on the wheelbase and vehicle.
A 40-foot motorhome obviously has different operating parameters than a pickup carrying a truck camper. For most truck camper applications, however, Harr says owners can expect the system to comfortably compensate for roughly 3 degrees of front-to-back pitch and about 4 degrees of side-to-side roll, giving users a surprising amount of flexibility when choosing a campsite.
There is one practical consideration to keep in mind when setting up camp.
If your camper is equipped with set rear entry steps, it’s often best to position the truck so the rear sits slightly downhill and the front slightly uphill after using the Tru-Earth leveling system. This helps keep the entry height more comfortable and avoids having to take an awkward high step every time you enter or exit the camper.
Normal Height—or Low?
One question that comes up frequently is whether the suspension should be lowered before activating Tru-Earth.
LiquidSpring recommends starting from the truck’s Normal ride height because it allows the suspension to move equally upward or downward to achieve level in the most efficient manner.
However, owners who prefer camping with the truck sitting lower can first select the Low ride height before engaging Tru-Earth Leveling. The process simply takes a bit longer because the suspension has farther to travel.
Either method works.
Just don’t start from the highest suspension setting.
Goodbye Leveling Blocks
During my own testing, I intentionally parked our truck camper on a noticeably uneven campsite. The rear of the truck sat low while the front pointed uphill.
With one tap of the screen, Tru-Earth Leveling quietly went to work.
The truck settled into a perfectly level stance without me ever touching a leveling block.
Side slopes? No problem.
Fore-and-aft inclines? Handled.
According to Harr, the goal is simple. Find the campsite with the best view—not necessarily the flattest—and let the suspension do the rest.
For owners of heavy truck campers, that’s especially appealing. Traditional plastic leveling blocks often crack or crush under 15,000- to 16,000-pound expedition rigs. With Tru-Earth Leveling, many owners can finally leave those blocks in the garage.
More Than Just Leveling
While Tru-Earth Leveling may be grabbing the headlines, it’s really just one feature of the larger LiquidSpring suspension package.
Harr describes LiquidSpring as delivering something traditional steel suspension simply cannot. Conventional leaf springs force engineers into a compromise between ride comfort and vehicle control.
Make the springs soft and the truck rides comfortably but sways excessively.
Make them stiff and handling improves, but ride quality suffers.
LiquidSpring’s electronically controlled hydraulic suspension largely eliminates that compromise. The system delivers a noticeably smoother ride while simultaneously improving handling, reducing body roll, automatically leveling heavy loads, and providing excellent articulation when traveling off pavement.
Add Tru-Earth’s one-touch campsite leveling to the mix, and the result is a suspension that improves both the journey and the destination.
“It’s the ultimate suspension,” Harr said.
After thousands of miles behind the wheel, I’d have a hard time arguing. Even on steep 6- and 7-percent mountain grades, the system keeps our truck camper remarkably composed through sweeping curves. Body roll is dramatically reduced, and the truck feels firmly planted in situations where conventional suspensions often feel unsettled.
What Gets Replaced?
Installing LiquidSpring involves much more than swapping out a set of shocks.
The front and rear suspension is completely redesigned.
Traditional leaf springs and shock absorbers are removed and replaced with four liquid-based struts and a sophisticated five-link suspension featuring parallel control arms and a track bar.
Sway bars are retained though we’d argue that LiquidSpring makes them obsolete too.
The result is improved axle articulation, smoother transitions over uneven terrain, better handling on curves, and improved tire contact when traveling off pavement.
Which Trucks Are Compatible?
LiquidSpring currently offers suspension systems for a broad range of heavy-duty trucks.
Pickup applications include Ford F-250 models and larger, along with Ram 3500 pickups equipped with rear leaf springs. For commercial and expedition builds, the company also supports Ford, Ram, Chevrolet, International, and Freightliner cab-and-chassis platforms.
Owners of Ford and Ram trucks equipped with LiquidSpring’s four-corner suspension receive the full benefit of Tru Earth automatic leveling, while larger commercial applications currently utilize rear-only suspension systems.
Smarter Software Is Coming
LiquidSpring isn’t stopping here.
Harr revealed that another software update is already in development that will allow owners to fine-tune the system’s calibration based on the actual floor of the camper rather than solely the truck frame.
Using the onboard accelerometer—which continuously measures pitch, roll, and yaw—the future update will let owners slightly adjust the “zero” point if their camper floor isn’t perfectly level after installation.
That may sound like a minor tweak, but for truck campers where drains, countertops, and refrigerators care more about floor level than frame angle, it’s a meaningful improvement.
Final Thoughts
Truck camper owners spend thousands of dollars chasing better ride quality. We install sway bars, overload springs, airbags, helper springs, shocks, and every other suspension gadget imaginable.
LiquidSpring approaches the problem differently.
Rather than adding another component to the factory suspension, it replaces the entire rear suspension with a fully integrated hydraulic system that delivers exceptional ride quality, outstanding handling, automatic load leveling, and now one-touch campsite leveling.
After spending time with the newest version of Tru-Earth Leveling, one thing became clear: the suspension isn’t just making the drive more comfortable—it makes camping itself much easier.
And if I never have to crawl around in the dirt wrestling with another stack of cracked leveling blocks, I’m perfectly okay with that.
To learn more about the LiquidSpring smart suspension, visit the company’s website at www.liquidspring.com.
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