Leveling Blocks? Why?

[FL Crackers]

The mechanics only matter in the extreme! What matters is how the Darling Wife feels about it. Come on! Unless you're doing a very short over-night, who would not level their trailer?

[Silver.Sanctuary]

My first experience with a 22 foot Safari was down at Valley of Fires State Park in NM. I didn't figure I would need blocks, but spent thte first night hooked to the tow vehicle. After rolling out of bed twice during the night and not getting much sleep with my head below my feet, I decided to fix that the next night.

I had a couple of four foot 2 x 6 wood dividers in my Tundra bed liner to keep things from sliding, and those with a 2x6 about two feet long borrowed from the campground manager, I slept soundly the second night.

The first thing I did when I got home was to drive to Camping World and buy two packs of 10 "Lego blocks". Short pieces of wood work fine, but the two packs are very compact and are easy to store in the nylon bag they come in.

I sometimes use a couple to put under my trailer jack to raise the tongue high enough to get my Tundra hitch under the tongue when the foot sinks into soft ground. Cranking stabilizers up and then retracting the trailer jack to get the pads under the foot, then retracting the stabilizers and jacking the tongue up is easier than letting the air out of the back truck tires or trying to put the front wheels on ramps to lower the hitch ball.

[UKDUDE]

Gentlemen, it was mentioned before, but the original poster has an Interstate, not a trailer! With a Class B leveling is just not that important or critical!


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[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

Gentlemen, it was mentioned before, but the original poster has an Interstate, not a trailer! With a Class B leveling is just not that important or critical!

I beg to differ. I've stayed in sites— usually at older State Parks— where leveling my class B was indeed important! It's not important to the all-electric fridge, but it's important to the drainage of the shower, it's important for cooking on the stove so the pans and skillets don't slide away, and it's important for the sliding side door to slide in a controllable fashion. If you've got sewer hookups, it's also important for properly draining your holding tanks, too.

You may not have to get it exactly level, but getting it to within about half-a-bubble off of plumb definitely helps if it's further off than that when you first park it.

[Lily&Me]

Being slightly un-level is eminently doable, tho, Protag.

You may have to hand-swish a bit of water toward the drain, but it's not at all difficult.

If you are so un-level that pans slide off the burners......that is a different story, and un-level enough that you might have trouble with your frig.

Usually, jockeying around in your site is all that is necessary.

Don't get too bogged down in perfection, folks.......unless you require perfection, of course .

I do in some areas , but you really just want to get out there and enjoy yourself.

We spent 3 wondeful weeks roaming the Rockies a couple of years ago, staying in NF sites and not being completely level even once. It was amazing.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Being slightly un-level is eminently doable, tho, Protag.

One reason why I have an Airstream Interstate instead of a live-aboard boat is that I had foot surgery a few years ago that left me with a left ankle that doesn't bend properly (but at least the foot is still attached! an ankle that doesn't bend properly is a lot better than amputation and a prosthetic!). Walking on an un-level surface is doable if I have a handhold to maintain my balance, but it's painful.

So my tolerance for not being level is a lot less than some people's. But that said, my first year of Airstream Interstate ownership I got by without leveling blocks. Right up until I stayed at a campground where the only available site has a 1-on-12 side-to-side slope. The van is only six and a half feet wide, but the driver's side was a full six inches higher than the passenger side. That's awfully un-level by anyone's standards. That campground was where I had that incident with the skillet sliding off the stove and depositing a nearly-raw omelet on the floor. That was when I decided that kneeling in the dirt to build a pyramid of lego blocks was worth the effort, so before my next trip I went to Camping World and bought some blocks.

Every time I level my Interstate, my bad ankle thanks me.

[RangerJay]

If most of your camping is in modern RV type campgrounds you can be confident that the sites will be reasonably level and not require any serious levelling - but campsites in public parks are not necessarily built to the same consistent standard - a couple of leveling boards give you complete flexibility in helping you to be comfortable on pretty much any campsite you can fit into. We carry a 2 foot 3/4 inch board, a 3 foot 1 1/2 inch board and a 4 foot 1 1/2 inch board. It is a rare treat to not have to use any boards at all and not unheard of to use them all.


Jay

[markdoane]

I find an entrenching tool works pretty good for leveling, takes up less space than blocks and boards, and can be used for self defense if necessary.

[m.hony]

Can you dig a trench in asphalt or concrete?

[markdoane]

Yuck. You mean at Walmart?

[xrvr]

Digging holes and cutting trees are two things usually not allowed, unless you are way out. Remember this thread is about B vans, not trailers. Peace,Jim

[jerhofer]

My driveway has a fairly steep incline and slopes away from the house for drainage. The only place I have used leveling blocks is in the driveway when I wintererized the AI and when I want to check fluid levels. We have yet to come across a campsite where I needed them. But they are packed just in case.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

I beg to differ. I've stayed in sites— usually at older State Parks— where leveling my class B was indeed important! It's not important to the all-electric fridge, but it's important to the drainage of the shower, it's important for cooking on the stove so the pans and skillets don't slide away, and it's important for the sliding side door to slide in a controllable fashion. If you've got sewer hookups, it's also important for properly draining your holding tanks, too.

You may not have to get it exactly level, but getting it to within about half-a-bubble off of plumb definitely helps if it's further off than that when you first park it.

I second the motion - I want to hear about the topic. There are some areas in west Texas and southern New Mexico where I'd like to re-visit and I'm already thinking about how to deal with leveling issues. For the Interstate, not a trailer. And boondocking... oh my goodness. Plenty of challenges there.

[Lily&Me]

I don't believe I have ever seen a Class B on levelers, so you who need them may need to invent the wheel.



Maggie

[xrvr]

When we iwned an Interstate I often leveled it with Lynx levelers. Just put them down and drive on. And if you aren't paying attention you can drive off and leave them for the next guy. Used the levelers also to raise the van so the slinky would drain. I guess the new ones don't use a slinky though. Peace, jim

[scarletbison]

Lynx or Camco "Lego"? and why?

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

I don't believe I have ever seen a Class B on levelers, so you who need them may need to invent the wheel.



Maggie

Boy guys....and I'm not trying to be critical.....but if you've never needed leveling your "B's", you're not camping far enough away from the cement and stop lights!

I've seen plenty of B, B+, and C's leveled with blocks.

I am RARELY camped where I don't need blocks for my trailer, and that's the way I like it!

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Boy guys....and I'm not trying to be critical.....but if you've never needed leveling your "B's", you're not camping far enough away from the cement and stop lights!



I've seen plenty of B, B+, and C's leveled with blocks.



I am RARELY camped where I don't need blocks for my trailer, and that's the way I like it!

X2


WBCCI #7246 Michigan Unit,Texas Hill Country Unit (associate member), AIR #91367

[Skater]

I regularly had to level my B190 using the yellow blocks, and often struggled in sites that were off in both directions. Sometimes, I considered jacking it up and shoving blocks under, instead of trying to drive on a hill built out of them. Aside from three Cherry Blossom Rallies held on a sloped field, I don't think I ever camped in anything other than a campground with the B190.

I can't imagine what it's like to rarely encounter a site that doesn't require some leveling work. It's bizarre when we pull into a site and don't need to level - my wife and I look at each other with a "Now what do we do?" moment. It throws us off our game. In this situation, I usually find she hasn't chocked the trailer, because that's something she does when we finish leveling it.

Even concrete pads built to have RVs sitting on them are sloped for drainage purposes. The amount of slope likely depends on several factors, but the one we had installed at home has enough slope that we need one leveling block under the wheels curbside. And that's with my request to make it as level as possible (the contractor wouldn't warranty the work if it was perfectly level, because of the drainage issue).

A year or two ago, I watched an SOB Class B or Class C use some small, random stones/rocks in the site to 'level' their motorhome at a campground. It had to be hard on the belts in the tires, and I wondered if there was a risk of the stone fracturing under the weight (they didn't). I should've grabbed a picture.

[cwf]

You could use them as stepping stones in a muddy area to plug in your utilities.