E2 Hitch/Unhitch on non-level spot
This past weekend, I was on an very unlevel spot. The TT was level but the tongue was very close to the ground; truck was quite nose high when hitching and unhitching. Had to raise the tongue VERY h...
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We have done our share of camping on very unlevel sites where the campsite ran uphill and downhill at an angle that was greater than my tongue jack could reach.
Here's how I handled it when the nose of the trailer was close to the ground and the tail in the air. (sloped downhill front to back).
To unhitch: I would put blocks under the tongue jack and lower the tongue jack to the ground, lifting the front of the trailer and the back of the tow vehicle high in the air so you can get the WD bars off easily. With a stack of wood, I could raise the trailer and truck pretty high making it very easy to remove the bars.
After the bars are off, I lowered the tongue about half the distance, and then I lowered my front stabilizer jacks.
I'd then continue lowering tongue jack until the trailer rested completely on the stabilizer jacks, then keep cranking until the tongue jack was clear of the lumber.
Once the tongue jack is dangling in the air (only an inch or less from the boards), remove the lumber and crank the tongue jack back up until the trailer just raises and takes all the pressure off the stabilizer jacks.
Crank the stabilizer jacks back up completely and then lower the tongue jack to the ground or until level, which ever comes first.
To hitch back up, reverse the process.
Crank the trailer up with the tongue jack about half way. Lower the stablizer jacks to the ground. Rest the trailer on the jacks by retracting the tongue jack enough to get lumber under the tongue. Once you have lumber under the tongue, crank the tongue jack as high as you need to go to hitch and attach the WD bars, then completely retract the tongue jack.
If parked on a hill just the opposite where the nose is down hill and rear uphill, use the same process, only put boards under the stabilizer jacks, then under the tongue jack, and if you need to add more under the stabilizer, then more under the tongue until you reach your height. This works very, very well.
Do make sure you chock your tires well first.
The first time I tried this I questioned if my front stabilizer jacks would hold the camper (I did this on 3 different travel trailers), and all 3 trailers did just fine. I practiced this scenario in the driveway, using the stabilizer jacks to momentarily hold the tongue in the air. Once I had confidence the jacks would hold, and I had confidence in the process, unlevel (front to back) campsites never bothered me again.
Here's how I handled it when the nose of the trailer was close to the ground and the tail in the air. (sloped downhill front to back).
To unhitch: I would put blocks under the tongue jack and lower the tongue jack to the ground, lifting the front of the trailer and the back of the tow vehicle high in the air so you can get the WD bars off easily. With a stack of wood, I could raise the trailer and truck pretty high making it very easy to remove the bars.
After the bars are off, I lowered the tongue about half the distance, and then I lowered my front stabilizer jacks.
I'd then continue lowering tongue jack until the trailer rested completely on the stabilizer jacks, then keep cranking until the tongue jack was clear of the lumber.
Once the tongue jack is dangling in the air (only an inch or less from the boards), remove the lumber and crank the tongue jack back up until the trailer just raises and takes all the pressure off the stabilizer jacks.
Crank the stabilizer jacks back up completely and then lower the tongue jack to the ground or until level, which ever comes first.
To hitch back up, reverse the process.
Crank the trailer up with the tongue jack about half way. Lower the stablizer jacks to the ground. Rest the trailer on the jacks by retracting the tongue jack enough to get lumber under the tongue. Once you have lumber under the tongue, crank the tongue jack as high as you need to go to hitch and attach the WD bars, then completely retract the tongue jack.
If parked on a hill just the opposite where the nose is down hill and rear uphill, use the same process, only put boards under the stabilizer jacks, then under the tongue jack, and if you need to add more under the stabilizer, then more under the tongue until you reach your height. This works very, very well.
Do make sure you chock your tires well first.
The first time I tried this I questioned if my front stabilizer jacks would hold the camper (I did this on 3 different travel trailers), and all 3 trailers did just fine. I practiced this scenario in the driveway, using the stabilizer jacks to momentarily hold the tongue in the air. Once I had confidence the jacks would hold, and I had confidence in the process, unlevel (front to back) campsites never bothered me again.
