Leveling pads/blocks while in storage

[BillHoughton]

Someday, I hope to know enough to offer answers to questions; in the meantime, I am so grateful to the generous folks here willing to answer my newbie questions.

We are and will be storing our Class C RV in the unpaved backyard, on a more or less level spot (which has to be made: our yard's gently sloped every which way). We plan to be taking it out on the road every month or so; it won't be sitting for a long period.

So, two related questions:

1. Should I put something under each wheel, or is it OK for the tires to rest on the dirt?
2. Because our soil is a sandy loam, I'd prefer not to use the Lego blocks (kind of expensive anyhow). I was thinking about patio bricks, 12" square by about 1-1/2" thick concrete, buying enough of them that, if I need more than one layer, I can stairstep them up to the needed height. Are these OK, or should I be using something else? Should I round the edges of the blocks somehow?

[ronfisherman]

I would put the mat on top of wood. That way it's rubber on rubber.

[tenbear]

If you could level the area where the RV will be stored it will make parking it much easier. I just use gravel to park on.

[BillHoughton]

Thanks for the suggestion of cow mats, Ronfisherman. The local Tractor Supply's not all that local, but it turned out to be the only place around here I could get cow mats, in spite of the fact that dairy is still a significant part of agriculture in this area (I got a lot of "...um, cow mats?" when I called around looking for them). I did, however, locate horse stall mats at a ranch supply close to today's chore trips. These are a heavy rubber in various thicknesses (I got 3/4"), various sizes (4 by 6 feet is the smallest).

If I use wood blocks to level the RV, on top of these rubber mats, does the species matter? Redwood or cedar would be the durable choice, but will the tannins in the wood affect the tire rubber?

[Grandpa_Joe]

I would be somewhat leery of moisture coming out of the ground, I used to park my pickup truck on gravel and have a lot of rust issues underneath, wife's car is on the paved section, much less rusting underneath. When we purchased our new Class C, we had a concrete slab poured, I park the tires on plastic cutting boards during the season; in the winter I place the cutting boards on 2 X 10s to get the tires a bit higher off the slab.

[Hank85713]

Go to a cheap store and buy the film type of meat cutting boards, walmart sells them 2 or 3 to a package. I use 2x12s to park on with the cutting board film to be between the wood and the tires. If ya have termites in area be sure to put down a good coating of bug killer prior to putting the wood down and parking on it. My rear 2x's are 24 inches wide the fronts are about 18 inches long. Go to home depot and look at the cull lumber normally will find the lumber there as it is split and people dont want. 70% off and a 8-10ft board will give ya what you need.

[cbshoestring]

I have my trailer sitting on 24"X24" patio blocks...tires and the front jack... in a gravel portion off the driveway. I put the pads there to have a LEVEL surface (I often use the systems while home) that would not be subject to moving as much as stone might. I have never had a problem with them. It has been MY EXPERIENCE that if they are on solid ground, they last a very long time. I think (JUST MHO) that they break when they are off-kilter...they make terrible bridges.

[Explorer1016]

Not sure what rig you have but those patio blocks are pretty brittle and more than likely will break in half when you put your RV on them. i park mine on limestone rock all year long but i drive it a lot. My RV rarely sits still for more than any 2 week time period so any type of block would be more work than it is worth.

Parking any type of vehicle on concrete for prolonged periods is one of the more damaging materials for tires due to the chemical reaction between the tire compounds and cement and additives. Over time, a concrete draws the oils out of a tire and if the vehicle remains parked for long periods tires can develop flat spots.

If it were my yard and I was spending the money for a contractor to cut in a level area for parking I would have some 2" minus rock brought in, have the contractor spread it out with whatever machine he used to cut your grade with and park on that. This still requires maintenance due to settling throughout the freeze thaw seasons and then the rainy season but after several years of adding rock and additional grading you should end up with a nice solid rock parking area and driveway. Then later you can pour a concrete pad over it or even lay asphalt on it for a more permanent pad.

[ronfisherman]

I use a horse mat cut into 4 pieces to fit under tires. About $35 from TSC store.