Extreme Leveling

We travel with 16 squares of 15"x15" 3/4 inch treated plywood to put under my jack pads....i use the "jack boards" to level the coach & keep from "punching" thru an asphalt pad or to put down when the ground is soft.

Ive never had an issue raising our coach off its wheels to get the coach level (in fact i STORE it w/ the tires off the ground to prevent flat spotting & premature tire deterioration)....i don't know how people get "level" w/out raising a tire (or couple of tires) off the ground.

when parked on the curb of my in-laws, the crown of the road, is such that i end up lifting my passenger rear and front off the road.

I was able to do some more leveling and although its not perfect...... its better than it was. When we get home I have some ideas on what I need to add to my leveling collection. Thanks again for all the great input!

Thanks all for your input on this. We have no choice for other sites and I simply don't have enough blocks for leveling. Our only other choice is to leave which I am on the verge of doing. I will see about adding to my collection of leveling stuff.

chuckftboy wrote:
I agree with raising the front till level. If the levelers don't have enough stroke, just put some 2x12 wood pads under them. With the rear wheels on the ground, you will be fine.

x2. what he said :)

I carry 4- 6" X 6" X 18" Doug Fir blocks with me! If need be for the front end to be lifted.

If it is a diesel you can dump the air, but looking at the picture it seems like you have a gasoline Pace Arrow. So the only thing you can do is put blocks under the leveler and raise the front as needed. I have seen many coaches with the front wheels in the air. It will not hurt anything. The only problem is you will need a foot step to help get into the coach.

stugpanzer wrote:
We arrived at a site that is not very level. I pulled in front first as we are overlooking a lake. I do have some plastic leveling ramps which has three levels to drive on which brings the coach up about 6 inches. I then chocked the rear wheels and used the levelers to bring the front end up without allowing the wheels to raise up. Bottom line is we were still rear end higher than the front end. I almost feel like the front needs to come up at least another 6 inches. What do you guys do in a situation like this?

Stugpanzer,
It is for that EXACT situation that I carry a small lumber yard with us. It always cracks me up when you're in a situation like you are and folks suggest, "just move to another spot"! Yeah sure you're going to. Just try that in the Sierra/Nevada/California mountains in any of the campsites there. There's quite a few campgrounds in that region and, during the summer, just about every site, in every campground is "BOOKED UP". So, if you happen to book one without knowing its terrain, and, you arrive and it's seriously un-level, like we did, you have to resort to Plan A.

And that is, start some excavation for tire relief on the high side/end and, building of ramps/blocks etc. on the low end. You don't just "move to another spot" when there isn't any. You have to work with what you have. Storage for a few lumber blocks and ramps etc. can be a problem for many folk out there. I've made it a point to have that equipment as a top priority. This way, you've prepared yourself for just about any given situation/spot.

I'm also one of those that does NOT like to "hang" the front wheels. It's a preference thing. I like as much contact with the ground, with all points as possible for maximum stabilization. To me, if you've got 6 tires, and all are touching the ground or, at least sitting on ramps or blocks etc., and, your jacks/levelers are also being utilized almost to the max, then at least you're as stable as you can be, even with the coach sitting in the upper atmosphere, if you know what I mean.

Now, just what to use for blocks, well that's just a matter of choice. I personally keep (4) 4"x10"x 22" blocks, with one end beveled to be used as a ramp and tire lift. Then, I also have (4) blocks made of two, 4"x6" x 11" sitting side by side and, sandwiched between two, 3/4" pieces of ACX plywood. All is screwed and glued together. Those are primarily for the jacks, if needed.

So, while most guys don't have a problem lifting the front wheels, I'd rather take the extra time and use my blocks so that things are as stable as I can get it to be. My choice.

Scott

I have to say that I have seen units raised up at Newport Dunes in their 'long-term' section. We have always had fairly level sites. I would not want to lift my front-end off of the ground. I would move somewhere else.

As expensive as Newport Dunes is, they should level out their sites to accommodate all RV's. Some of the sites are $150 a night. Our new coach will only have air leveling which has it's limits. I would not take a super un-level site.

MM.

Are you certain your leveling system is accurate?
they do get out of calibration. Check with a carpenters level, or even as simple as door swing.
The best level is a skillet with a little bit of water in it.

Heard somewhere (probably on this forum), you can level with front wheels off the ground, but not your rear wheels, as the parking brake locks up the rear wheels. We've had the fronts off the ground a couple of times whithout any problems (32' Itasca Sunrise).