Forum Discussion

boonie's avatar
boonie
Explorer
Jul 19, 2014

BAL X-chocks

Just purchased some BAL X-Chocks for my 2014 Sunset Trail 33BD and find they do a pretty good job at stopping the movement however they were quite expensive here in Canada. Granted, I had to get them at the dealer and knew they would be more as I have the wide stance axles but I did not expect 118.00 each!!!!

Anyway, I have 2 questions I am hoping you can help me with....

1. How tight should you put them on?
2. Will they damage the tires? Especially if they are on long term such as a few months??

Our trailer is parked at our lake lot and stays there for the duration of our summer. I was hoping I did not have to put them on and take them off every time we get there. Thanks for the help!!!!!
  • Aluminum Siding wrote:
    I want those soooo bad but I have a keystone passport with a reallllllyyy wide stance. pulls really nice but when it comes to chalking it's a pain. I really envy people who have those.

    They sell x-chocks for the wide-stance wheels. I have a pair for my trailer (see sig for wheel spacing).

    After looking it up, wow, they have really come down in price! I paid I believe $80/ea. about 4 years ago.

    Bal X-Tended X-Chock
  • myredracer wrote:
    You only need to make them snug. I doubt you could damage tires when you think of how much weight a TT imposes on the contact patch area on the ground. The X-chocks have a bit of a radius on the pads.

    If you are anywhere near the border, use a "mailbox" on the US side of the border and go pick it up. You could have bought those here for example for $55.88 (plus shipping): MakariosRV $236 for a pair of them is highway robbery.

    Buying any RV parts at a local RV dealer is like dealing with the Mafia. You can buy RV stuff on the internet for a fraction of the price. We have purchased a ton of RV and household stuff on the internet and get it shipped to Blaine, Wa. We've saved maybe several thousand $$ by now. We limit what we bring back on a short duration trip to $200-300 for each of us and never get pulled over to pay duty or taxes. The only time we've ever been pulled over is when we had a $500 computer. If you're not near the border, this isn't an option though.

    If you do happen to be near the border, I recommend getting a Nexus card. We usually get through very quickly.


    If your patient and shop the net you can find US retailers that will ship by postal service or Pitney Bowes. You just have to be sure and avoid retailers that will only ship by UPS. UPS charges usurious brokerage fees on top of the shipping and taxes.

    I just bought a set of hubs for my Ram, the cost in Canada with an employee discount $360 plus GST & PST. From a US retailer using Pitney Bowes $225 plus $20 shipping and GST/PST, no brokerage fees and delivered to the door. Savings $125+.

    The problem in Canada is we have to many layers between the manufacturer and the consumer and they all want their pound of flesh.
  • You only need to make them snug. I doubt you could damage tires when you think of how much weight a TT imposes on the contact patch area on the ground. The X-chocks have a bit of a radius on the pads.

    If you are anywhere near the border, use a "mailbox" on the US side of the border and go pick it up. You could have bought those here for example for $55.88 (plus shipping): MakariosRV $236 for a pair of them is highway robbery.

    Buying any RV parts at a local RV dealer is like dealing with the Mafia. You can buy RV stuff on the internet for a fraction of the price. We have purchased a ton of RV and household stuff on the internet and get it shipped to Blaine, Wa. We've saved maybe several thousand $$ by now. We limit what we bring back on a short duration trip to $200-300 for each of us and never get pulled over to pay duty or taxes. The only time we've ever been pulled over is when we had a $500 computer. If you're not near the border, this isn't an option though.

    If you do happen to be near the border, I recommend getting a Nexus card. We usually get through very quickly.
  • Thanks for the replies....I don't think the pads have indented the tires but it would be close if they have not.

    As for the theft thing....it would be very unlikely anyone here would take them. We are off the beaten path and have a small cabin with a trailer on our lot amongst multi-million dollar homes!!! The crime rate here is virtually non existent. In the twenty years I've been coming here the only theft was two years ago where someone broke into a few sheds to steal propane bottles for heat during the winter. That being said, They have holes drilled into the top of the crank you can put a padlock on if you would like.
  • I want those soooo bad but I have a keystone passport with a reallllllyyy wide stance. pulls really nice but when it comes to chalking it's a pain. I really envy people who have those.
  • !!! I'm in Alberta and paid $130 for a pair. Did they ring that in wrong?
  • boonie wrote:
    Just purchased some BAL X-Chocks for my 2014 Sunset Trail 33BD and find they do a pretty good job at stopping the movement however they were quite expensive here in Canada. Granted, I had to get them at the dealer and knew they would be more as I have the wide stance axles but I did not expect 118.00 each!!!!

    Anyway, I have 2 questions I am hoping you can help me with....

    1. How tight should you put them on?
    2. Will they damage the tires? Especially if they are on long term such as a few months??

    Our trailer is parked at our lake lot and stays there for the duration of our summer. I was hoping I did not have to put them on and take them off every time we get there. Thanks for the help!!!!!


    They don't need be tightened to the point that the tires are being seriously deformed.

    I doubt leaving the on would damage the tire, I've park on top of rocks that cause the tire to deflect and haven't had any problems.

    I wonder if you really want to leave them on all the time though. They are a very attractive item that could grow legs and walk away. Locking them will only keep the honest folks honest.
  • Ouch on the price...

    I tighten mine until they are firm but not too tight that it changes a tire shape.