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08-01-2022, 02:27 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 499
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Let me level with you.....
OK, I purchased some of those back on leveling ramps that start out small, and get bigger, raising the trailer more, the further back you go.
When level, you place a chock in front of it, and you're done.
I love them.
You need two people to remove them, as you will have to back up just a wee bit to remove the chock.
Also, I bought one of those black tank "wands" that you attach water to shove it down your toilet, turn it on and its sprays water as it twirls around in the tank.
I always flush my tank, but many times at the dump station you can't connect to the remote flush location (outside) because their hose has no fittings.
This thing worked great too, the gunk that first came out was pretty, well, crappy
I could open the toilet valve and got absolutely no smell from my black tank when done, the water ran out clear as could be, and no, I ain't gonna drink it in a pich.....
Just sharing some good news stuff
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08-01-2022, 02:37 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,692
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Good deal! It's nice to get stuff for the RV that works. Those progressive levelers (I have the Andersen brand) are really handy. Now you need to get you a level mate pro and getting level will be super easy. I think I saw a brand new one out in the barn - I don't use them anymore with the auto level. Never used one of those black tank wands but may get one just to kill time and have fun when I'm camping...
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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08-01-2022, 03:13 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,996
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Island Eddie
OK, I purchased some of those back on leveling ramps that start out small, and get bigger, raising the trailer more, the further back you go.
When level, you place a chock in front of it, and you're done.
I love them.
You need two people to remove them, as you will have to back up just a wee bit to remove the chock.
Also, I bought one of those black tank "wands" that you attach water to shove it down your toilet, turn it on and its sprays water as it twirls around in the tank.
I always flush my tank, but many times at the dump station you can't connect to the remote flush location (outside) because their hose has no fittings.
This thing worked great too, the gunk that first came out was pretty, well, crappy
I could open the toilet valve and got absolutely no smell from my black tank when done, the water ran out clear as could be, and no, I ain't gonna drink it in a pich.....
Just sharing some good news stuff
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Just a word of caution about the second person (the chock puller) and their hands. One of the previous moderators for this forum was in Utah, on his way to Texas to escape the cold Northwest winter. There was a snowstorm overnight and he and his wife were rushed to try to get on the road while trying to stay warm. He was backing up to loosen the front "locking chock" and she reached in to pull it just as he rolled forward, just enough to crush and sever her thumb.
So, while you're right, it takes two people to remove the "Andersen levelers" or their competition, you might want to use a piece of rope tied to the chocks so your DW's hands and fingers are well clear of the "ever-present danger" while under the trailer, pulling chocks. All it takes is a split second of bad luck to ruin not only the day and the trip, but also potentially the rest of your lives.....
I know this isn't what you want to hear about your new purchase, but be careful using them, they can be a great way to improve leveling, but they can also be dangerous with just a little touch of carelessness.....
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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08-01-2022, 03:50 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Henniker
Posts: 2,169
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I use the levelers myself most of the time (it requires an extra walk around the truck or two, but doable). Whether I am doing it myself or my wife is assisting, we use a rubber mallet to tap the wedges out of place.
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Rob & Amy
2019 Passport 240BH SL (current)
2024 Cougar 29BHL (Taking delivery 5/15/24)
2022 Ford F250 7.3L Godzilla Crew Cab FX4
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08-01-2022, 03:52 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Portland metro
Posts: 238
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I use the Andersen levelers and I love them.
I don't agree that it takes two to remove them. In fact I adamantly REFUSE to have a 2nd person "help" removing them.
My wife and I have had several spats over this. She wants to "help" - and she does - but I won't let her help with this. I would rather back up a bit, put the truck in park and get out of the truck and do it myself. And do it several times if needed. As I've told her more than once, I'd rather take a little longer and walk a little bit to do it myself than to run over her hand -- or anyone else's -- in an accident.
__________________
GMC Sierra 2500HD Duramax
2022 Cougar Half Ton 24RDS
Solarflex 400i + 150w suitcase; 206ah LiFePO4; ready for boondocking
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08-01-2022, 05:03 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
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I saw a couple just about get divorced (guessing by the looks on their faces) a couple weeks back with those half moon shaped levelers. The guy was doing the backing, the wife telling him when to stop. Well she didn’t yell very loud (that’s why my wife calls me and I can talk to her over the Bluetooth on the truck). He backed up all the way over them. The look on her face was priceless, the look on his when he walked over to see what happened was just as good. I’m sooo glad I have auto level.
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08-01-2022, 06:58 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,752
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I use the Anderson levelers and the Level Mate Pro. I love it, makes life easy. The wheel chocks I use are rubber and have an eye bolt in the back. I tied nylon rope to two chocks so when placed the rope stats about 1' away from the sidewalls of the tires. When I go to remove them just give the rope a tug. If only one comes free then move an inch or two until the other one pops free. No mangled fingers and I can do this without assistance. Really no big deal. When I bought the Andersons I did the same thing with those chocks.
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Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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08-01-2022, 06:59 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Leon, WV
Posts: 469
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Ropes on chocks is a fantastic safety item and should be mandatory on every wheel chock sold.
BTW - you can pull forward on the Anderson levelers as well as back up on them.
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2022 Cougar Half Ton 24RDS
2017 F350 DRW 6.7L
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08-01-2022, 07:10 PM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,752
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrvond
Ropes on chocks is a fantastic safety item and should be mandatory on every wheel chock sold.
BTW - you can pull forward on the Anderson levelers as well as back up on them.
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Yup, and chocking with the Anderson can easily be done without help as well. I pull up on the levelers until the Levelmate indicates that side is between 1/2" -3/4" high. Set the truck's parking brake, get out set the chocks a let the rig drift into the chocks. Seems easy enough to me.
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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08-01-2022, 07:38 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,692
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy
Yup, and chocking with the Anderson can easily be done without help as well. I pull up on the levelers until the Levelmate indicates that side is between 1/2" -3/4" high. Set the truck's parking brake, get out set the chocks a let the rig drift into the chocks. Seems easy enough to me.
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This was my method as well. Without the Andersen levelers and the LevelMate Pro I always ran up on blocks after looking at a level and pretty much knew how much blocking got me how much bubble movement - checked then chocked. . Wasn't hard, DW helped, as she does in everything, but she's never near anything that could get her hurt if the truck/trailer is able to move.
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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08-01-2022, 08:21 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Mico, TX
Posts: 7,467
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I have used those yellow things to level the trailer when the slot was really not level. I have red things for getting a tire off the ground to change it and they came with chocks. I also bought a set of heavy rubber chocks at Harbor Freight and have paracord connecting the metal eye bolts they have in the rear.
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wiredgeorge Mico TX
2006 F350 CC 4WD 6.0L
2002 Keystone Cougar 278
2006 GL1800 Roadsmith Trike
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08-01-2022, 08:59 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 499
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Good idea on tying a leash to the chocks.
OK, no comments on the turd wand, I guess everyone's poop here smells like roses
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08-02-2022, 03:50 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Leon, WV
Posts: 469
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy
Yup, and chocking with the Anderson can easily be done without help as well. I pull up on the levelers until the Levelmate indicates that side is between 1/2" -3/4" high. Set the truck's parking brake, get out set the chocks a let the rig drift into the chocks. Seems easy enough to me.
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I do essentially the same thing but use the autolevel in manual mode instead. I pull up on the Andersons, check the readout on the control and adjust accordingly (if necessary).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Island Eddie
Good idea on tying a leash to the chocks.
OK, no comments on the turd wand, I guess everyone's poop here smells like roses
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I have one, but it won't work worth crap in my fifth wheel due to the two 45° bends in the pipe between the toilet and the black tank. I suspect virtually all modern 5ers are this way. But when I had a TT it was the berries. Our Coachmen Catalina rear kitchen had an outside door in the bathroom so running a garden hose to the toilet was a snap. That tank was always clean as a whistle.
I recently removed the anti siphon valve under the bathroom sink so now use the black tank flush with confidence.
__________________
2022 Cougar Half Ton 24RDS
2017 F350 DRW 6.7L
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08-14-2022, 07:19 AM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Allentown
Posts: 44
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For what its worth we use the black curved leveling blocks with a Hopkins level indicator.
Backing up onto the blocks is a snap and the level indicator snaps onto to a bracket on the side of our TT. I can easily see the level indicator in my rear view mirror which flashes when the trailer is level. Bars on the indicator also tell you how many inches you need to get to level. The best part is the Hopkins costs about $35.00, unsnaps for storage out of the weather, when not in use,
I also have my wife pull the chocks out with a pole with a hook on the end, that I use to reach items located far forward in my pick-up bed.
Safe simple and low cost..
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08-14-2022, 07:31 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,719
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I still carry a massive amount of lumber in my camper for leveling, for using under the jacks, and for leveling the picnic table. I'll probably never change this, but folks that use those half-moon shaped levelers seem to like them. I ruled them out a long time ago for all the reasons mentioned above. Plus the weight of my camper would probably crush them.
However, the toilet wand is a great device, if your toilet is directly above the black tank. It does work great. Not only there, but also if you have a Blue Tote for hauling your waste away to the dump station. In addition, it's also great for spraying down (the inside) of your sewer hoses too. You can shove the wand down the hose and clean them out pretty good. You'll probably discover other uses for that wand too.
It's always nice to hear when a product works well for a fellow RVer.
__________________
2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Duramax HD 6.6 - 3500 Diesel Dully Long bed Crew Cab
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08-14-2022, 08:24 AM
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#16
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Allentown
Posts: 44
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I too carry a couple of 2X10's & 2x4's for leveling in extreme out of level conditions. With the leveling wedges they work great.
As for black tank flushing, we have a 90 degree bend right below the toilet which prevented us from using the wands available at the time.
I stumbled across a small garden sprinkler head that screwed on the end of a hose. It basically had a slot cut across the top that put out a fan shaped spray pattern with a pretty strong stream. The diameter of the head was aprox 1". Removing the stake that came with it and screwing the head to the end of a hose was perfect. Using a quick connect hose fitting, I could get the spray head past the 90 degree fitting and rotate the hose/head as I moved it into the black tank. It only cost $2.00, couldn't be more reliable with no moving parts, takes no space for storage, and leaves our black tank squeaky clean!!
Now that I think about it, I could do the same thing by cutting a narrow slot in a plastic pipe cap, glued to a female plastic hose fitting
Gotta love simple solutions !!
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08-19-2022, 11:01 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Saugatuck
Posts: 102
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peanut
I use the Andersen levelers and I love them.
I don't agree that it takes two to remove them. In fact I adamantly REFUSE to have a 2nd person "help" removing them.
My wife and I have had several spats over this. She wants to "help" - and she does - but I won't let her help with this. I would rather back up a bit, put the truck in park and get out of the truck and do it myself. And do it several times if needed. As I've told her more than once, I'd rather take a little longer and walk a little bit to do it myself than to run over her hand -- or anyone else's -- in an accident.
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I always remove them myself too. 99% of the time I'm solo with friends in their rigs. Mine don't have 3 separate levels to them, just slope up to maybe 5". Think they are older Camco ones. Learned that if I go slightly past level once in park the truck will roll just enough to be right.
__________________
Karen & Darc 32yrs
2007 Crossroads Cruiser 28RL
2019 2500 HD Duramax
Past
2006 Springdale 280 FWIKL-GL
1997 Jayco 253
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