Leveling

[Arleyg]

What type of leveling device is best to use under your tires? I have seen boards and tri levelers. Do you extend slide before leveling or after?

[Festus2]

I'm "old school" and use boards but also carry the yellow, interlocking ones. Haven't used tri-levelers so can't comment there. I really don't think one is any better than the other. Some folks don't like boards because they get wet and dirty and are too bulky. Use whatever you think will work best for you.

I level then extend the slide but other folks might advise otherwise. Putting the slide out afterwards seems to tilt the RV ever so slightly so that the slide is sloping away from the camper - not towards it. Since I have a slide topper, it helps to ensure that any water is draining away.

[therink]

I always use boards. Sometimes, I will dig out small divets in the grounds on the high side and roll the wheels into the holes. I then refill the holes when I break camp.
I always level before putting out the slides.
Steve

[SAD]

1) level left to right using my "cheap-to-free" boards
2) disconnect truck
3) level front to rear using landing gear/tongue jack
4) lower stabilizers till snug plus a touch
5) open slides

Break camp is exactly the reverse

[Outbackmel]

Usually the campgrounds we visit only need like 1, 2 inch board. Do carry a plastic tri level and have used it several times with no issue. It's a matter to me of getting as level as possible as ez as possible

As a note; I never camp with a generator, or in off road open spaces, etc. Simply not in our camping vision.

Just say'n

Respect all that choose to do so. Just not me.

Have tried all ways of leveling and slide extension. Never found any difference of consequence whether a TT or 5er. If I were a gambling man, I would lay my money on the recommendations of those very expensive self leveling systems and follow what they do.

My name may be Outbackmel, BUT, my vision of roughing it is a 5 star RV RESORT with full services, even propane to the site.

[chuck&gail]

Used boards until I got tired of trying to figure where to carry them, and getting dirty and muddy from them. I bought Lynx Leveler blocks, burned the boards, and have been happy I did.

[hoffbrew]

Has anyone with 3 axle trailers come up with a easier way of leveling? If I stack 2 leveling blocks plates together, half the time the tires push them instead of going on them!

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by hoffbrew

Has anyone with 3 axle trailers come up with a easier way of leveling? If I stack 2 leveling blocks plates together, half the time the tires push them instead of going on them!

two leveling blocks should fit between your tires, then stack a third block centered over the two (sort of like a pyramid) you can back onto that without the blocks moving most of the time. .

As for the choice between boards or plastic blocks. I have always used 2x8 boards until recently. In an effort to cut down on weight we carry, I realized that I had about 40 lbs of wood stacked in the truck bed. No I really didn't need the room, but I realized that was about the same as a 5 gallon gas can. So, I bought a set of leveling blocks, they weigh about 2 lbs, do pretty much the same thing for setup and reduce my weight some. Is the weight savings enough to justify the cost? In my situation, towing with a half ton, Yes, I think it is, but if I had a larger truck, I'd probably still be using wood blocks to level.

I will say, the plastic blocks don't slide on each other the way the wood did, once I put them behind the tires, I very seldom have a block slip out of place. That was a problem with wood that always frustrated me.

[kenn209]

I use the Lynx level blocks, I bought 1 set and then my FIL gave me 3 sets! So no more boards, which I have used in the past. Slides after I level, Don't like moving the camper with them out.

[DTJ9610]

Originally Posted by SAD

1) level left to right using my "cheap-to-free" boards
2) disconnect truck
3) level front to rear using landing gear/tongue jack
4) lower stabilizers till snug plus a touch
5) open slides

Break camp is exactly the reverse

Just on step in between 1 & 2 - chock or block the wheels before disconnecting the truck.

[Bushman512000]

Yes that is what I have Plastic Ice do not laugh it is true Years ago they made it in our town I got a few feet of it and cut it up for the use in the trailer works great its lite strong and stacks easy I whish I could find more some ice rinks still have it as back boards the cutting boards in some stores look the same but thin....Bushman remember leave nothing but Your foot prints if You dry camp respect is always first where ever You camp!

[SAD]

Originally Posted by DTJ9610

Just on step in between 1 & 2 - chock or block the wheels before disconnecting the truck.

Oh yeah! An important omission.

[Yak]

I liked this

[Javi]

Originally Posted by Yak

I liked this

Sometimes you just got to improvise...

[mhs4771]

I like our way better. Unhook the TV and pull it our of the way, then hit the auto level button, in less than a minute were level and putting the slides out. Sorry, just couldn't resist. Love the auto leveling system.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

I like our way better. Unhook the TV and pull it our of the way, then hit the auto level button, in less than a minute were level and putting the slides out. Sorry, just couldn't resist. Love the auto leveling system.

It would be a "nice to have" feature, if it were cost effective for me, however, given the installed cost of about $4,000 and assuming my "labor rate" were calculated at $20 an hour (retirees labor is cheap), and also assuming it takes 30 minutes to level my RV, then it would be roughly 400 leveling "jobs" given a camping season of, let's say 30 "disconnects/connects" that's roughly 15 years of manual leveling to pay for the system (provided it doesn't require maintenance or repair/replacement in that 15 years).

I can do a lot of battery recharging for my 18V drill with a 3/4 inch socket and my $25 set of plastic blocks doesn't require maintenance that I know of. So the auto-leveling system may be a "nice feature" but for most RVers, it's simply a luxury that would probalby never pay for itself.

Some may think it's a great feature, some may not. To each his own (ain't it great to have choices).... To me, it's sort of like a radio controlled lawn mower. Sure it's nice to lay in the chaise and sip a mint julipe while mowing the lawn, but when it won't stop and you run over the neighbor's cat, spill the mint julipe and fall out of the chaise trying to get to the lawn mower before it attacks his dog too, well, maybe it just isn't for everyone..... LOL

[Zeb]

Originally Posted by chuck&gail

Used boards until I got tired of trying to figure where to carry them, and getting dirty and muddy from them. I bought Lynx Leveler blocks, burned the boards, and have been happy I did.

I also got the Lynx blocks but found they worked ok on hard, packed gravel. However when on soil, they dig into the ground and after a day, my TT was off level. So I went back to wood, for at least the base but did keep the Lynx as a back-up for when need extra height to level or for stab. jacks.

I would also be concerned to have my tires on those lego blocks for extended periods of time. I was told by a tire expert that if a tire is not totally supported on the whole area that is in contact with the ground, then the tire could actually misform and create a weak point more prone to blow-outs. Since the TT tires rests on those four pegs with some space in between, it is not totally supported. Could be that the unsupported space is small enought to be negligable, but I'd be careful for extened periods none the less....uness you have the Lynx caps!

[KCSA75]

Resurrecting an old thread for a newbie question.

We recently purchased a NTU 2008 Cougar 29FKS. I was looking at a YouTube video the other day about leveling and the guy on video was using a Yellow Tri-Leveler under one axle to level side-to-side and leaving the other axle on the ground.

Assuming this does indeed level up the coach, are there any problems with this scenario?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Desert185]

Level with these: https://andersenhitches.com/Products...r-leveler.aspx

Just roll it up until the bubble levels.

Chock opposite side.

Adjust the gear legs for fore-aft level.

Set SteadyFast stabilizers.

Open slides.

Auto levelers? Not for me. Extra weight and extra malfunctions to deal with.

[Drydays]

I just find a good spot, and jump in bed. If I roll out it ain't level.