Systems and methods for detecting jack contact with ground

A system for determining when one or more jacks on a vehicle have contacted the ground, comprising:

• a pitch sensor operatively associated with the vehicle, said pitch sensor sensing a pitch angle of the vehicle;
• a roll sensor operatively associated with the vehicle, said roll sensor sensing a roll angle of the vehicle;
• a jack extension system operatively associated with the jacks, said jack extension system extending and retracting the one or more jacks on the vehicle;
• and
• a control system operatively associated with said pitch sensor, said roll sensor, and said jack extension system, said control system sensing initial pitch and roll angles of the vehicle and combining them with respective pitch and roll setpoint values to create a resultant pitch value and a resultant roll value, said control system monitoring said pitch and roll sensors to determine the pitch and roll angles of the vehicle, said control system operating the jack extension system to lower the jacks to the ground, said control system determining that the jacks have contacted the ground based on detected changes in the pitch and roll angles of the vehicle.