Homemade Jack Stands

[jim_harvey]

Hello All,

We bought a 2014 Southwind 32VS. I'd like to work with it in my driveway (our development doesn't allow us to use the street), and have determined I need to raise the front wheels 14 inches to get it level due to the slope of my driveway (it is a asphalt/macadam driveway).

Anyone have plans for homemade system to get the unit's front end to this height in a safe manner? I used 2x10's for my class C, but it didn't need near as much lift, and it scares me a little bit...

Thanks for any ideas, opinions on this matter.

Jim

[jwmII]

Try this. Use 2"x12"s x12' on edge about 10 boards wide and pull together by 1/2" all thread in 2-3 places evenly spaced. Before assembly tho. Layout a line on the bias that allows a ramp 4' long leaving a landing area 2' long. Cut the board on the bias line and you have two boards for the ramp 6'long. Repeat with however many 2"x12"s you want to make up your width. If you are so inclined; Makeup a wider set for the duals to rest on for the rear./Or just 1 wide set for front or rear use. The downside is these are heavy so you will want to store them close to where you work. A set of heavy rope handles goes a long way in helping to get the ramps in place and put away after use. I guess the upside is they aren't going to collapse under the weight of your rig.

[Cloud_Dancer]

I have a slide rule too. But, for this one I would use a string level and a string.

[427435]

Tinstar wrote:

jim harvey wrote:
How do you do the math to calculate/translate 2 to 3 degrees into height needed to get there.

I need to raise the front 12 inches to get it level, but if 3 degrees means I only have to get it up 4-5 inches that's doable.

13.125 inches (pretty close) is a 5.635 degree angle with your 210 inch wheelbase. That would make it level so if you raised the front 1/2 of that or 6.5625 inches you would be at a 2.8125 degree angle.

Somebody else check my figures. But that's what I'm calculating.

The inverse tangent or sine (pretty much the same at small angles) of 13.125/210 is about 3.5 degrees-------------not 5.6 degrees. That's with my very old HP 11C. 🙂

[Tinstar]

jim harvey wrote:
How do you do the math to calculate/translate 2 to 3 degrees into height needed to get there.

I need to raise the front 12 inches to get it level, but if 3 degrees means I only have to get it up 4-5 inches that's doable.

13.125 inches (pretty close) is a 5.635 degree angle with your 210 inch wheelbase. That would make it level so if you raised the front 1/2 of that or 6.5625 inches you would be at a 2.8125 degree angle.

Somebody else check my figures. But that's what I'm calculating.

[Effy]

jim harvey wrote:
How do you do the math to calculate/translate 2 to 3 degrees into height needed to get there.

I need to raise the front 12 inches to get it level, but if 3 degrees means I only have to get it up 4-5 inches that's doable.

There's an app for that. I have the level app on my iphone and it has 3 "types" of level, one measures degrees. That and a 2x4 and you can get what you need. That said I wouldn't recommend a slope on a slope, especially pointing downhill. I would think you want it level to prevent rocking back and forth. Last thing you want is the nose pointed downhill while it's 12" up in the air. I would get it flat or don't do it.

Did you think about all this before you bought the RV? Lots of places that offer storage with power that are secure and level.

[jim_harvey]

How do you do the math to calculate/translate 2 to 3 degrees into height needed to get there.

I need to raise the front 12 inches to get it level, but if 3 degrees means I only have to get it up 4-5 inches that's doable.

[barlow46]

Outside the box approach would be to rent a concrete saw and saw out width and length you need for your dual wheels. Dig out 14" of dirt put some mesh and steel in the now level depression in your drive and get a few bags of sakcreet and repour the area you cut out. May be more work than you want to do but in the future if things change, you could always re-pour it. I am assuming you driveway is uphill and you are backing in and that you chassis clearance would allow this to work. You would need a plate of some type to put over the cutout when the coach is not there.

[xctraveler]

I would check the refrigerator mfg website for that tolerance. It is my understanding that with most refers the tolerance left/right (of the refer) is more critical which in normal installation would be fore and aft orientation for the coach. My refer says 2 to 3 degrees off level is acceptable, but it was made in 2011.

Slides are a different matter. Although most mfg specify to level first the most critical is to have the coach square with no twist or torque in the body so the slides don't jam.

[jim_harvey]

The RV's wheelbase is a about 17'6", and the drop in my driveway is about 12-14 inches over that length. I was hoping to be able to run the fridge and extend the slides while parked in the driveway to prepare the RV prior to a trip. I do not intend to keep it there for more than a day, and would NOT live in it while parked in the driveway (my development restricts this behavior). How level does the unit need to be to run the refrigerator and extend the slides safely? Would raising it 6" be enough to run the frig? How level does the RV need to be to extend the slides?

[Raymon]

Tinstar wrote:

Raymon wrote:
I do not think these comments in any way help the OP:

RoyB stated "Surely you can extend a portion of your driveway to the side of the garage...."

Harvey51 stated "Forget ramps; modify your driveway. Use some rocks plus cement or asphalt to make a solid ramp..."

My guess is that neither of these members know where the OP lives or the layout of his house and driveway, but yet are quick to make comments that do not help the OP. JMHO

Ray

I don't want to sound rude but he did say: "Thanks for any ideas,

opinions on this matter." Maybe if it's help or not should be determined by the original poster.

Just saying.......... and again, I don't mean that to sound rude.

You are right; he did say ideas and opinion. I also did not really mean to come off rude. But when an OP asks for help, too many times responders take the liberty to drift way too far off of the question and provide little or no help. In my opinion this does not provide the help the OP is looking for. Example: if an OP asks for advice to replace the roof of his RV, I would not tell him it was too difficult and he should buy a new RV. I may advise him that I had replaced a roof and it was extremely hard and that he may want to reconsider doing the job himself. I know this is an exaggeration, but it demonstrates my point.

I only respond if I feel I can directly answer the OP's question and offer a viable solution.

Sometimes I respond too quickly to a post when I think a responder did not reply correctly. For this I apologize.

Ray

[Tinstar]

Raymon wrote:
I do not think these comments in any way help the OP:

RoyB stated "Surely you can extend a portion of your driveway to the side of the garage...."

Harvey51 stated "Forget ramps; modify your driveway. Use some rocks plus cement or asphalt to make a solid ramp..."

My guess is that neither of these members know where the OP lives or the layout of his house and driveway, but yet are quick to make comments that do not help the OP. JMHO

Ray

I don't want to sound rude but he did say: "Thanks for any ideas, opinions on this matter." Maybe if it's help or not should be determined by the original poster.

Just saying.......... and again, I don't mean that to sound rude.

[camperfamily]

Sounds potentially dangerous. I'd start with either a professional fabricator or solid wood 6x6 blocks cribbed and with an angled "ramp" cut. 3 ties wide x however long for the ramp. All tied together with threaded rods/bolts, 2 per layer. They'd sure be heavy to move around though. Maybe a hand truck/dollie or add wheels to them so as when tipped up the wheels touch and allow them to be rolled around. You could get about 12" high this way with 3 layers. Not perfect but good... Add a 2x in somewhere to get closer to 14".

Be careful, be safe. Consider the liability.

[Ductape]

If you go up 14" in the front, will the rear still clear the driveway?

[rgatijnet1]

I would think that it would be safer to build a ramp 7" or so high. Then, if you have to have the coach level for your refrigerator before a trip, use blocks under your leveling legs to allow the coach to be raised another 7". This way the wheels would remain on the firm surface of the ramps and your ramps would not have be dangerously high.
Depending on the refrigerator, it would probably work fine if it was a few degrees off level so you might only have to raise the front end 4-5".