Wheel chocks

[3Fivers51]

I have been reading that one person posted that "mechanical chocks are a lawsuit waiting to happen". May I ask why? I had the X chocks before and did not have a problem. I got Class C and could not use them and so I sold them. I have been thinking about getting them again but now I wonder. I guess I am looking for other possibilities.

Thanks,
Bill

[Super_Dave]

I use short pieces of 4” X 4” on both sides of the tires.

[fj12ryder]

I've never forgotten the Roto-Choks since I can't move the trailer with them in place. 🙂 But I have forgotten the Camco leveler blocks a couple of times.

[agesilaus]

I don't understand what the problem is, I just have a routine: pull into spot put down the chocks, get ready to leave, hitch up and retrieve chocks. I have to admit that we did leave them behind once and had to go back and get them when the cg called.

[fj12ryder]

I've never had my HF chocks slip, on the rare occasion when I use them.

[agesilaus]

I haven't had any problems since I switched to the rubber ones, which are probably the sames as as the Northern Tools ones I got. The wedge shape converts some of the force pushing the chock out into downward force which is why they work.

[Sjm9911]

Ill disagree the harbor freight one are fine for my TT. The rubber and groved edges help it catch the tire and ground better especially on paved/ concrete surfaces. The hard plastic ones don't grip as well and can slide. Chocks are 2 fold , to stop you from rolling away is number 1, the second is stabilization. With the HF ones im not rolling away. I do use 2 sets of chocks on my TT with the levelers it dosent rock at all. You guys with the bigger tires and such might need diffrent stuff. People sware by the x chocks for stabilization. But they are not really chocks to stop you from rolling away. Oh, side note, the hard plastic yellow ones used to have an experation date on them. Lol.

[pcm1959]

Interesting little video comparing 3 types of chocks. The exterior shot is great for comparison. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QmK2B-el80

[Lynnmor]

bpounds wrote:


Chocks work because they are a wedge. They can slip on the ground, especially if they are on gravel or other loose base. But if the angle is correct they will lock in pretty good. Some chocks you can purchase have an angle that is too steep in my opinion. Those Harbor Freight chocks are too steep, again in my opinion. And of course the diameter of the tire plays a part too. Those HF chocks are a better fit for semi truck sized tires.

I agree with this, when I look at the HF chocks I wonder what they were thinking. A chock should have a considerable down pressure so the steeper the angle the less you get.

[ACZL]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

Roger10378 wrote:
I forgot to remove my Roto Chocks one time. I knew it real soon as I couldn't move. I took a lot of work to get them out because they had lodged even tighter as I tried to move the trailer. Too bad they are no longer made.

Rotos are/were great - so was Pearl & her husband (RIP).

However - the main benefit of Rotos (and others) is they keep the RV from movement - like walking inside, moving from one end to the other, etc.

Wood is your friend for lots of uses. So, two or three 2 x 6s about 18 inches long will keep you from moving - even if you forget them - trying to drive over them will get your attention....:W

BTW - I always chock in front of - and behind - at least one wheel with *wood* chocks. Cheap & handy for other stuff - if beat-up, toss 'em and replace.


:C

.

I TOTALLY agree about Roto-Chocks. 1st on/last off. Pearl and her hubby were great folks w/ a great product. I still have mine in shed and won't sell them. They are the "Super Glue" of wheel chocks. Saying all this tho, they won't fit on current rig, so like above, I simply put a 2x4x12 in front of LR tire and behind LF tire. No probs.

[bpounds]

3Fivers51 wrote:
I still wonder how the chocks on the ground do work, I guess I wonder what keeps them from slipping on the ground as well. Anyway, does anyone have a picture of their wood chocks? I would like to use some of the wood I have around my house!

Thanks,
Bill

Chocks work because they are a wedge. They can slip on the ground, especially if they are on gravel or other loose base. But if the angle is correct they will lock in pretty good. Some chocks you can purchase have an angle that is too steep in my opinion. Those Harbor Freight chocks are too steep, again in my opinion. And of course the diameter of the tire plays a part too. Those HF chocks are a better fit for semi truck sized tires. I'm sure they work for RV's too, and a good thing about them is that they have a lot of weight to them.

I've never purchased chocks, just cut a wedge out of scrap lumber. I carry a couple of different styles, and have had others in the past too. Lately I've been using the ones pictured below. It is sized just right for between my current trailer tires, and it can work in either direction, and if I've mis-judged the slope of the land it will still work within an inch or so in the other direction. I also carry a couple of single wedges. Depending on how bad the slope is on a particular site, I might only chock like below on one side, or I might use this on both sides, and I might even add 1 or 2 of the single chocks if it gets really bad.

I've never cared about a little wiggle in the coach, so don't use expanding chocks or pin stands or any of that stuff. Just the rear crank down stabilizers, and for short overnights I might not even deploy those.

Even a chunk of firewood makes a decent chock, and I would argue better than X-Chocks, or any of the jack style chocks alone. X-Chock style stop working if you have a tire loose pressure during the night, and your trailer can roll away while you blissfully sleep. Not something I want to trust my life on.

[3Fivers51]

I still wonder how the chocks on the ground do work, I guess I wonder what keeps them from slipping on the ground as well. Anyway, does anyone have a picture of their wood chocks? I would like to use some of the wood I have around my house!

Thanks,
Bill

[pcm1959]

bpounds wrote:

pcm1959 wrote:
I will get yelled at by saying this, but I NEVER chock my fiver UNLESS on an incline which I can recall that may only have happened once where it was to be of concern. The air hitch in the bed will compress before pushing back the RV so no worries there either. With the leveling jacks down and the Steadyfast its not going anywhere.

I wouldn't yell at ya. I'm sure you know what you're doing, and you probably camp where things are fairly level. I never chock here on my driveway storage area. For us it is rather rare to have a nice level site to camp, so my habit of chocking before unhitching has served us well.

I've had a trailer move enough to roll off the blocks under the tongue jack, and that was WITH chocks behind the wheels. No harm done, unless you count the extra laundry detergent needed to clean my drawers. That also taught me not to stack blocks under tongue jacks or landing gear, but that's a different, even though somewhat related topic.

Exactly. Its very rare that I'm in a site that's not level fore/aft. I certainly use chocks in a case I'm not. I have seen serval people push their rig off the jack blocks in my days. Not good.

[fj12ryder]

wopachop wrote:
Harbor freight rubber are heavy and nice. 20% coupon works on them.

Yep, I got a couple of those and they do work very well. I mainly use the Roto-Choks, but I have the HF jobbies if I ever feel the need.

[wopachop]

Harbor freight rubber are heavy and nice. 20% coupon works on them.