Good parking surface?

Since the asphalt IS already a petroleum rich product, it has little need to leach out the petroleum based products in your tires!

Etc Etc

WoodGlue

trail-explorer wrote:

WoodGlue wrote:
1) Parking on asphalt (black-top) is the best since it won't leach out the petroleum products (as quickly) in your tires.

Blacktop / asphalt IS a petroleum based product, so it WILL "leach out" faster. Everyone's truck sits on asphalt every time they drive it, and that hasn't hurt the tires.

WoodGlue wrote:

2) Parking on concrete is ok, but it will leach out the petroleum products in your tires quicker.

I've yet to see petroleum in concrete/cement.

WoodGlue wrote:
3) Parking on gravel lessens the change of leaching, but increases the chances of parking on a sharp rock or an errant nail.

Don't put nails in your gravel, and this won't be a problem. all rocks in gravel are sharp. small ones are fine and won't harm the tires. Park on some blocks of wood, DONE.

WoodGlue wrote:

4) Parking on wood leaches out the petroleum products on your tires faster than concrete or gravel.

I've yet to see petroleum in a normal (untreated) piece of wood.

WoodGlue wrote:
5) Parking on grass or dirt greatly increases the petroleum leaching.

I've yet to see petroleum in my lawn. If there was, the lawn wouldn't grow.

I believe he is indicating the leaching of the petroleum from the tires into the surface.

All I know is that it seems if you park on dirt long term it's worse. Other than that it's whatever floats your boat.

Covering makes a dramatic difference. We had our TT covered the first 7 months and it stayed nice and clean/new looking. Since we moved back to Orlando we had to put it outside, and it's not looking so nice after the second 7 months... We're going to have to do a lot more exterior maintenance this way.

I am gonna post this again, since I don't know where it went last time. Thanks for all the responses. I am going to do gravel and maybe concrete pads for the wheels for now.

trail-explorer wrote:

WoodGlue wrote:
1) Parking on asphalt (black-top) is the best since it won't leach out the petroleum products (as quickly) in your tires.

Blacktop / asphalt IS a petroleum based product, so it WILL "leach out" faster. Everyone's truck sits on asphalt every time they drive it, and that hasn't hurt the tires.

WoodGlue wrote:

2) Parking on concrete is ok, but it will leach out the petroleum products in your tires quicker.

I've yet to see petroleum in concrete/cement.

WoodGlue wrote:
3) Parking on gravel lessens the change of leaching, but increases the chances of parking on a sharp rock or an errant nail.

Don't put nails in your gravel, and this won't be a problem. all rocks in gravel are sharp. small ones are fine and won't harm the tires. Park on some blocks of wood, DONE.

WoodGlue wrote:

4) Parking on wood leaches out the petroleum products on your tires faster than concrete or gravel.

I've yet to see petroleum in a normal (untreated) piece of wood.

WoodGlue wrote:
5) Parking on grass or dirt greatly increases the petroleum leaching.

I've yet to see petroleum in my lawn. If there was, the lawn wouldn't grow.

X2

WoodGlue wrote:
1) Parking on asphalt (black-top) is the best since it won't leach out the petroleum products (as quickly) in your tires.

Blacktop / asphalt IS a petroleum based product, so it WILL "leach out" faster. Everyone's truck sits on asphalt every time they drive it, and that hasn't hurt the tires.

WoodGlue wrote:

2) Parking on concrete is ok, but it will leach out the petroleum products in your tires quicker.

I've yet to see petroleum in concrete/cement.

WoodGlue wrote:
3) Parking on gravel lessens the change of leaching, but increases the chances of parking on a sharp rock or an errant nail.

Don't put nails in your gravel, and this won't be a problem. all rocks in gravel are sharp. small ones are fine and won't harm the tires. Park on some blocks of wood, DONE.

WoodGlue wrote:

4) Parking on wood leaches out the petroleum products on your tires faster than concrete or gravel.

I've yet to see petroleum in a normal (untreated) piece of wood.

WoodGlue wrote:
5) Parking on grass or dirt greatly increases the petroleum leaching.

I've yet to see petroleum in my lawn. If there was, the lawn wouldn't grow.

Our property slants from front to back, so I had to have a parking pad beside the garage framed with landscaping timbers and filled with fill dirt/sand/crushed rock (bottom up in that order). One of those large compacting machines - self-propelled, many tons, jumps up and down - was used to compact the fill. My wife thought we had moved the house to California when it was being done.

The boat that preceeded the travel trailer weighed about the same - 6,700# gross. Both trailers are/were dual-axle with decent size tires. Over a couple of years' time, I found that the tires further compressed the fill and/or pushed the crushed rock aside. In addition, it was very painful getting down on the crushed rock to work on anything low or underneath either rig. As a previous poster stated, I was also concerned about what the sharp edges on the crushed rock were doing to the tires. I finally bit the bullet last fall and had concrete poured. It was expensive, but I'm very glad I did.

Here's a photo of my setup. I set large concrete stepping stones into the sod at each of the wheels. I made them all level so that when the trailer is parked it is automatically leveled.It;s worked out well.

Save the cost of asphalt/concrete. Use gravel and put the money into some kind of structure to cover your trailer.

Mine is parked over what used to be a grassy area. S. Louisiana, lots of rain and moisture. No rust problem over the last 15 or so years, no more grass either. I framed up two pads 18" x 36", poured a few bags of ready mix and put the tongue jack on a concrete stepping stone. Works fine.

1) Parking on asphalt (black-top) is the best since it won't leach out the petroleum products (as quickly) in your tires.
2) Parking on concrete is ok, but it will leach out the petroleum products in your tires quicker.
3) Parking on gravel lessens the change of leaching, but increases the chances of parking on a sharp rock or an errant nail.
4) Parking on wood leaches out the petroleum products on your tires faster than concrete or gravel.
5) Parking on grass or dirt greatly increases the petroleum leaching.

Go with the black-top asphalt!

Hope this helps,

WoodGlue