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Old 08-07-2015, 03:52 AM   #1
trueweb
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Leveling Thrust Pad

How many times have you leveled your trailer only to have it settle a little or perhaps just didn't quite get it right. There has to be a solution other than starting over. I've been thinking about how to solve this and the Leveling Thrust Pad used for manufacturing equipment is the closest thing I can find. You could put it under any fixed type level like the front landing gears of an RV where the adjustment increments are usually about an inch.

I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but it's amazing how little play RVs have for being out of level when all the slides are extended with regard to being weather tight and all the appliances operating smoothly.

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/b...10-376689.html

Just thought I'd share and see if anyone else has ideas.
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Old 08-07-2015, 05:20 AM   #2
SteveC7010
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Originally Posted by trueweb View Post
How many times have you leveled your trailer only to have it settle a little or perhaps just didn't quite get it right. There has to be a solution other than starting over. I've been thinking about how to solve this and the Leveling Thrust Pad used for manufacturing equipment is the closest thing I can find. You could put it under any fixed type level like the front landing gears of an RV where the adjustment increments are usually about an inch.

I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but it's amazing how little play RVs have for being out of level when all the slides are extended with regard to being weather tight and all the appliances operating smoothly.

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/b...10-376689.html

Just thought I'd share and see if anyone else has ideas.
Rigs settle on softer campsites because of a too-small footprint of the landing gear, stabilizer jack, etc. Most experienced campers use some kind of boards or cribbing to spread the load and prevent settling. I use a combination of 4x4 cribbing and 2x stock. The 2x goes under the wheels mostly and the 4x4's go under the landing jacks and stabilizers. You may have heard them called sand pads, too.

In this pic, the cribbing also is used to safely and securely build up on a sloped campsite:


The product you mentioned is adjustable to 1/100th of a millimeter. That is way too precise for the leveling needs of an RV. And I suspect that each pad costs several hundred dollars or more. Way overkill in my opinion.

The landing gear is adjustable by much smaller increments than 1" using the motor or hand crank. Manual stabilizers also have much finer adjustment than 1" as do the hydraulic systems. I'm not sure how you figure that these systems are adjustable only in 1 in increments.

FWIW, my cribbing is pressure treated 4x4 cut to about 11.5" in length. (Bought an 8' piece and cut it into 8 equal sections.) The drive-on boards are pressure treated 2x10 cut to about 18" in length. The ends of the drive-ons are cut at 30 degree angles so the tires will roll up onto them easier. I store the 4x4's in the trailer's bumper. The 2x10's fit neatly between the rails of the 5th wheel in the pickup bed. I also carry a few odd pieces of 1x stock and 1/2" stock for that occasional leveling job where one of the landing gear needs a bit extra before putting the weight of the trailer on them. I've never needed anything more precise in 25+ years of RV camping.

Today's appliances and slides are not so finicky that minute leveling as you suggest would be required.
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Old 08-07-2015, 06:17 AM   #3
Dave B
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Probably a silly question, but how do you get the 4x4's back out of the bumper? That's a great use of the space.


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Old 08-07-2015, 06:46 AM   #4
SteveC7010
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Probably a silly question, but how do you get the 4x4's back out of the bumper? That's a great use of the space.
Not a silly question at all, and I am glad you brought it up.

I have four pairs of 4x4's that are connected with nylon rope similar to the chock blocks used for airplanes. They are used in a V shape under the Steady Fast feet on all four corners of the trailer. Two pair go in the rear bumper. Each pair is on the outboard end of the bumper so they just pull out. I put a large eye hook on the end of them as a pull handle to help with that. (The other two pair are for the front landing gear and they are kept in the front storage compartment.)

The loose 4x4's in the middle are easily pushed out of the tube with an extension pole that I have that is nearly 12' in length.

I don't bother with the rubber bumper caps, they just fall off. I just drop a simple clevis pin through each end.




I long ago stopped using the rear bumper for sewer hose storage. The interior rusts no matter how much you try to stop it, and the rust is abrasive on the thin plastic wall of the hose. Also, today's fittings on sewer hoses are generally too large for the 4x4 dimensions. 4x4 pressure treated lumber doesn't much care about rust or moisture for that matter. Most of my 4x4 cribbing is about 20 years old and shows no sign of deterioration.
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Old 08-07-2015, 08:27 AM   #5
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I am set up on a permanent site and have more times than once used a bottle jack on the frame to slowly raise it to shim up one of the jack pads. This method works well especially if trying to raise one side of the rig to level the front (landing gear). It is easy and totally safe as long as a properly load rated bottle jack is used and using a solid point of contact on the frame for the bottle jack.
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