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kfp673's avatar
kfp673
Explorer II
May 05, 2020

Steep Driveway

Hello All,

Not sure if anything can be done about my situation, but I figured I'd share to see if someone has any ideas.

We have a short but steep top half of our driveway which then flattens, turns to the left,s and into the garage. There is a nice spot for our travel trailer straight down the hill, but the problem is when backing the travel trailer down the rear bumper, spare tire, and rear Stab jacks hit due to the angle. We have been storing the trailer at a local storage yard for many years now which has been fine, but we are starting to think we would like it to be home. As of now, I go get the trailer the day before a trip and leave it hooked to the truck up in the street. It's a bit of a pain hauling all the clothes and food up. Not a huge deal but not ideal. The bigger issue is cleaning. I again have to do it in the street. Again, not the end of the world, but not ideal to have 2 slides sticking out into the street even in a fairly quiet neighborhood.

A few weeks ago we were determined to find a way to get it down so I could do some maintenance while we have the time and we were able to do so by having my wife place 2x6's under the right tires just before the bumper scrapped and continuing to pace them until the rear started to lift. It then clears by a few mm literally, but it made it. So my question is, is there any easy way to gain 1 1/2 to 2" of clearance? Go bigger tires maybe?? I guess we could keep using the wood trick, but if it kicks the wood or I slides off then the bumper and jacks may get damaged. Oh, and the driveway is paved so grading is really out of the question at this point.

Thanks for any suggestions and thoughts you might have. Not sure I can do much but let me know your thoughts.
  • At least consider a different RV type. Perhaps a B or C would be better able to negotiate your driveway than a towable.

    :):)
  • Lynnmor wrote:
    Don’t do the caster wheels on the rear, loading all that trailer weight on a corner is a good way to twist the frame. Trailer frames are not what they used to be.

    +1 Really bad for trailers with slide outs..
  • Don’t do the caster wheels on the rear, loading all that trailer weight on a corner is a good way to twist the frame. Trailer frames are not what they used to be.
  • wnjj's avatar
    wnjj
    Explorer II
    Maybe you could install air bags on the trailer. Inflate to stretch the suspension out. Deflate when you hit the road.
  • On some trailers it is pretty straightforward to flip the axle and gain height, making it so it's mounted below the springs rather than above them. If your trailer is one of those, that might be a good possibility to consider.
  • jkwilson wrote:
    A friend of mine stops at a grocery store a half mile from his home and drops his hitch as low as it will go so he can back in to his drive. Does the reverse when leaving.

    Maybe you could chock the trailer and go with a lower hitch point.


    That's a idea. Have a drop hitch way too low for traveling but perfect for getting into your parking spot at home.
  • Put a set of sturdy caster wheels on the back bumper, in line with the end of the frame where the bumper is welded on. Or just back of the bumper on the frame.

    When it goes to hit bottom, the wheels will touch and roll, lifting the back up a bit so it doesn't scrape.
  • “Go bigger tires maybe?“

    The new tires would need to be 3 to 4 inches taller to raise the trailer 1.5 to 2 inches. Not practical.
  • Bigger tires if there’s room will help, minimally. Probably can’t go more than an inch taller ? So gain 1/2”.
    Stouter springs or spring over axle lift is possible but has its downsides.
    Temporarily lowering the hitch height at the truck as low as possible will help the most for the least amount of effort. IMO. Only requires unhooking the trailer to level it up for towing.
    Goofy idea, if you could rig up air shocks or airbags on the rear trailer axle to give it temporary lift with just air, that would be slick.
    Last suggestion, depending on layout of jacks etc, is adding some casters to the bottom of the frame rails at the rear , assuming the trailer just needs a little help and you won’t be actually supporting near the whole trailer by the casters.
    Hope this helps
    All I can think of besides tossing boards.
  • A friend of mine stops at a grocery store a half mile from his home and drops his hitch as low as it will go so he can back in to his drive. Does the reverse when leaving.

    Maybe you could chock the trailer and go with a lower hitch point.

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