Curious about mounting exterior levels

Atom Ant wrote:
what is the purpose of a level on a boat?

Sailboats. Lets you know how much the boat is heeling. Powerboats, same thing, usually because of imbalance of various tank contents.

what is the purpose of a level on a boat?

I have a couple of those cheapy RV levels stuck on. The 'to do' list has a couple sailboat levels on it. One of these days I'll stop at a marine store & get a couple. Maybe.

Much cheaper & every bit as effective is the DW hopping out of the truck with an 8" or so level in hand. For side to side she puts it on a ladder rung then uses it under the 5er overhang for front to back leveling.

I just use my Auto Level button.

I need to correct my prior post. I used RV Goop to mount my level.
bumpy

Ohiojude wrote:

Vulcaneer wrote:
Side to Side & Frt/back all in one

Fully adjustable. When backing you can see it in your mirror to see if you need side to side leveling...before you even get out of the truck.

This is what we put on our last unit and worked great. We have since upgraded to a new unit with 6pt leveling system, which is really nice!

Us too, but I still use this simple level when finding a spot to park the 5th since it helps us get closer to level and I don't get an out of range result anymore.

I also still carry some wood blocks too, just in case...

:)

Vulcaneer wrote:
Side to Side & Frt/back all in one

Fully adjustable. When backing you can see it in your mirror to see if you need side to side leveling...before you even get out of the truck.

x2

The stick-on level tape may be a little spongy, but there is no reason to be concerned about such a tiny variation from level. You're over thinking it IMHO. Having said that, I have screws installed in my levels. Not because I'm worried about perfection leveling, but because that doublesided tape won't last forever and I don't want to lose my levels on the road.

Atom Ant wrote:
Are you saying temperature makes the level itself move around on the tape, or it actually changes the level reading?

Just curious as I had a stick on above the cabinet near the landing gear switch that worked great for years until I sold the unit. I also had the large bubble level on the front pin box that could be read from the mirror. Loved that one, as it gave me immediate notice if the site was level left to right or if I had to drag out the pads to put under the tires.

Temperature does have an effect on bubble levels.
Years and years back when I was first starting out in construction I had set up a transit to shoot elevations for a foundation pour. There was a surveyor on the job site and when I was breaking for lunch he told me to put the cover on the transit. I asked him why and he came over and told me that as the sun moved across the sky and hit the transit it would change the bubble.
He then took his finger and held it just above the glass and to one side of the line and darned if the bubble didn't start to move towards his finger. He told me this was because of the heat from his finger. When he took his finger away the bubble went back to its original position.

fj12ryder wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
I have the large king pin level that I can see as spotting for side to side leveling. then a smaller stick on for front to rear leveling.

That's how we do it and it works like a champ.

I do the same, but the reading on the stick-on will vary from the reading on the pin box level. It gets wiggly when it's warm - I'll add a couple of screws one of these days.