How do I level a dual axle trailer???
I thought I was fairly seasoned, having camped 150+ nights in our single axle trailer. However, I put on quite the show for the neighbors during my first outing with the new, 2-axle trailer. I also ...
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I use four foot lengths of plywood about a foot wide. (ie cut up a 4 by 8 sheet to get some planks) However many it takes. If too many, you can't drive up on the collection without pushing them back. Stagger them for a slope.
If on a really extreme sideways slope (eg Bridal Falls, BC up behind the Shell station) you have to also put some planks down under the truck back tire on the low side, so the truck and trailer stay about the same or else the 5er hitch will jam.
First put the slide out, which makes the trailer sag to that side. THEN do your side to side levelling, fiddling around back and forth to get the number of planks stacked on the low side just right. It doesn't matter if only one tire is up and the other down; the equalizers take care of that. What matters is your level bubble.
You might want a four foot plank on the high side too, in order to give a firm stand for your between the tires screw-out blocking set ( I only have one of those, so it goes on the low side where the planks are anyway)
You are not out of the woods yet if it is a 5er. Now you lower the front jacks and shim one more than the other with square pieces of plywood about a foot square, so that when you raise the front to un-hitch it stays level side by side. (Your trailer twists so it can be level at the tires and off at the front. Makes the cabinet and bathroom doors inside not close right.)
Now you can uhitch the truck, pull away, and finish up by levelling fore and aft (Assuming you remembered to leave enough travel in the jacks! As a newbie it took me a while to understand you had to extend some jack out before you could lower the front if parked with the nose pointing uphill.)
You are still not done! Now you put down the rear stabilizers which raise the back end so now your fore and aft level is ruined. Extend the front jacks some more to scrunch the front jacks into the (maybe soft) ground and the rear stabilizers also into the soft ground on their one foot square pieces to spread that out--did I mention those pieces of wood :)
At last, you are there. Except if on soft ground, next day give the jacks another extend if you are getting wobbly on the soft ground with time.
All this time while you are doing it right, DW is supposed to be reading a book in the truck and not showing any sign of impatience! (Yep :( ) Or get her to take the dogs for a walk while you do it right. :)
If on a really extreme sideways slope (eg Bridal Falls, BC up behind the Shell station) you have to also put some planks down under the truck back tire on the low side, so the truck and trailer stay about the same or else the 5er hitch will jam.
First put the slide out, which makes the trailer sag to that side. THEN do your side to side levelling, fiddling around back and forth to get the number of planks stacked on the low side just right. It doesn't matter if only one tire is up and the other down; the equalizers take care of that. What matters is your level bubble.
You might want a four foot plank on the high side too, in order to give a firm stand for your between the tires screw-out blocking set ( I only have one of those, so it goes on the low side where the planks are anyway)
You are not out of the woods yet if it is a 5er. Now you lower the front jacks and shim one more than the other with square pieces of plywood about a foot square, so that when you raise the front to un-hitch it stays level side by side. (Your trailer twists so it can be level at the tires and off at the front. Makes the cabinet and bathroom doors inside not close right.)
Now you can uhitch the truck, pull away, and finish up by levelling fore and aft (Assuming you remembered to leave enough travel in the jacks! As a newbie it took me a while to understand you had to extend some jack out before you could lower the front if parked with the nose pointing uphill.)
You are still not done! Now you put down the rear stabilizers which raise the back end so now your fore and aft level is ruined. Extend the front jacks some more to scrunch the front jacks into the (maybe soft) ground and the rear stabilizers also into the soft ground on their one foot square pieces to spread that out--did I mention those pieces of wood :)
At last, you are there. Except if on soft ground, next day give the jacks another extend if you are getting wobbly on the soft ground with time.
All this time while you are doing it right, DW is supposed to be reading a book in the truck and not showing any sign of impatience! (Yep :( ) Or get her to take the dogs for a walk while you do it right. :)
