Anderson Camper Levelers, anyone use them, do you like them?

[#1]

Hi, sorry I can't seem to attach a picture of them, but they are orange 2 piece that have an arc you drive on and level to the thickness. I don't see anyone using them at campgrounds I stay in so far.....

I'm trying to carry less boards for leveling and was wondering if you have experience using these? I like the look and concept, what's your opinion?

Thanks
Normy

Not sure this is the correct forum to post this.

[FF286]

Would it make you feel better if it had a different name on it? Camco make a similar product, maybe it’s a good idea from them?
I agree I haven’t seen these in a campground yet but I rarely look at what others use to level there camper. Personally I am thinking of trying these out after looking at them. Being plastic there is the possibility of them breaking, I have broken my LEGO blocks in the past.

[Cummins12V98]

"Well if you want to be picky about it an insist on another Andersen product known to fail apparently some have concerns about the company's 5th wheel hitch."

Got it covered! That's where my "folding hitch" comment comes in.;)

[SoundGuy]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Snapping" Andersen levelers and "folding" hitches, what's next???

SoundGuy wrote:
Oh I dunno ... how 'bout trailer tires that unexpectedly blow - now how could that ever happen?! :W

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Andersen makes tires now?

Well if you want to be picky about it an insist on another Andersen product known to fail apparently some have concerns about the company's 5th wheel hitch. I wouldn't know, never have owned a 5th and never plan to, but forum discussions indicate this has been an issue for some. 😞

Good enough? :W

[wannavolunteerF]

As a person traveling alone, they (along with a giant level on the front) made getting level an easy job. Prior to them, I had to get in and out of the truck numerous times trying to stack boards to the right height for how far I thought I might be out of level. With the Andersen levelers, back or pull the trailer to close to where I want to be. A quick glance at the giant level to see which side was low, walk to that side and place the levelers against the tire. Pull up until level said I was good. Set emergency brake and check to see if ball in level was still centered. Walk to side with levelers, insert the chocks, and then start chocking the other tires. Also always chocked opposing sides of the tires with rubber chocks too. I used the big rubber truck type chocks as I didn't trust the plastic ones to stay in place. Once this was done I began the process of unhooking and leveling tongue to bumper.

I always said if carrying them meant I got a site that was level side to side, I was still good. Much easier than worrying about uneven site, I could get the site I wanted. So many sites here in GA state parks have tree roots causing them not to be perfectly level. Levelers made dealing with roots a no stress issue.

[Cummins12V98]

SoundGuy wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Snapping" Andersen levelers and "folding" hitches, what's next???

Oh I dunno ... how 'bout trailer tires that unexpectedly blow - now how could that ever happen?! :W

Andersen makes tires now?

[SoundGuy]

Durb wrote:
"Between this thread and the other SoundGuy linked, the consensus so far favors passing up on them, I'm surprised and bumbed"

I don't see any consensus here. You asked for people with experience with the levelers. You received 22 replies, 11 of which (50%) were from just two posters who obviously do not own them and feel their way is the best. Consider the posts of leveler owners only to make a determination. You'll probably come to a different conclusion.

SoundGuy wrote:
If you're referring to me you'd be wrong :R - I could care less what method anyone else uses for leveling nor do I care if anyone at all approves of my preferred method. The point to forum discussion about any topic is to weigh the pros & cons of any RV related product one might be interested in, not to hide one's head in the sand and pretend that issues like leveler breakage don't happen or don't matter.

Durb wrote:
Apparently you do care, you now have 10 posts bashing the levelers. Did yours fail, I think not? OP asked for feedback from those that have owned the levelers, not a bunch of negativity from a self appointed expert.

Nope, don't care at all ... and my number of posts on the subject has nothing to do with it at all. :R It's merely an interesting subject to discuss, as can be any other subject here on the forum, and I have the right, just as anyone else does, to participate as much or as little as I want, whether you like it or not. :W The Andersen leveler is merely another tool available to RVrs so both the advantages and disadvantages are worthy of discussion and isn't "bashing", it's actually what the OP asked for - an assessment of this product so he can make his own decision as to whether it will work for his particular situation.

[Padlin]

I use them. I carry a strip of rubber from an old truck bed mat to keep them from sinking or slipping. I've been told you can pick up rubber floor mats at one of the big box hardware stores. I think you can now buy rubber mats from Anderson.

The Andersons are occasionally not high enough for the site. I carry a couple short 3/4" PVC boards that I put under the mat in that case, I've not needed more then that. Many times I just use one or both of the boards without the levelers if I only need to come up a smidgen.

Altogether I carry the 2 levelers, 2 pvc boards 8"x about 16", the rubber mat, and a pair of rubber chocks.

What I don't like about the levelers is they are narrower then the tires, if they added another inch or 2 they might also be stronger and not break, not that mine have, but then I have a small trailer.

[dfm]

Rustycamperpants wrote:

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
Well I am happy to rock the boat....my Andersen levellers are my favorite rv purchase over the last several years. camp on gravel 100% of the time, and they are a wonderful item. No more stacks of boards, no more drive on/drive off add/subtract wood! We use radios, find the low side and carefully back on until level. In my experience, worth it to leave all the 2x4 2x6 and deck boards at home

^ This X infinity....

I have used Andersen levelers for the passed 6 years and love them. Buy them and you will never regret it.

[mike-s]

I find the Andersen's useful and easy to use, unless on soft ground where to curve doesn't allow as much contact area so they sink in. But I carry a few chunks of 1x6 which I can set them on if needed.

[Rustycamperpant]

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
Well I am happy to rock the boat....my Andersen levellers are my favorite rv purchase over the last several years. camp on gravel 100% of the time, and they are a wonderful item. No more stacks of boards, no more drive on/drive off add/subtract wood! We use radios, find the low side and carefully back on until level. In my experience, worth it to leave all the 2x4 2x6 and deck boards at home

^ This X infinity....

[Durb]

SoundGuy wrote:

Durb wrote:
"Between this thread and the other SoundGuy linked, the consensus so far favors passing up on them, I'm surprised and bumbed"

I don't see any consensus here. You asked for people with experience with the levelers. You received 22 replies, 11 of which (50%) were from just two posters who obviously do not own them and feel their way is the best. Consider the posts of leveler owners only to make a determination. You'll probably come to a different conclusion.

If you're referring to me you'd be wrong :R - I could care less what method anyone else uses for leveling nor do I care if anyone at all approves of my preferred method. The point to forum discussion about any topic is to weigh the pros & cons of any RV related product one might be interested in, not to hide one's head in the sand and pretend that issues like leveler breakage don't happen or don't matter. Of course the OP could go ahead and try a set of Andersen levelers - but are you going to be there to pay for his experiment to see if he likes them? Being aware of the drawbacks as well as any advantages this method of leveling might offer is the key to the OP making a decision that is right for him.

Apparently you do care, you now have 10 posts bashing the levelers. Did yours fail, I think not? OP asked for feedback from those that have owned the levelers, not a bunch of negativity from a self appointed expert.

[#13]

Durb wrote:
"Between this thread and the other SoundGuy linked, the consensus so far favors passing up on them, I'm surprised and bumbed"

I don't see any consensus here. You asked for people with experience with the levelers. You received 22 replies, 11 of which (50%) were from just two posters who obviously do not own them and feel their way is the best. Consider the posts of leveler owners only to make a determination. You'll probably come to a different conclusion.

What I didn't mention is that I went on irv2 & popup portal (PUX) and did searches on them as well. I found both sites also had some poor view on them. I will admit I didn't study the %'s here as you kindly took the time to do or those sites either. I'm just surprised of the things people mentioned happened, I thought they looked pretty slick.

The only other I should mention (and it may not mean anything), but those levelers have been out for a few years and so far the places I camped at I haven't seen anyone using them at other sites. As I said, this might not mean anything or I just missed them here or there.

I would compare their use and the "masses" that get the latest items as myself included for instance....everyone at one time seem to have the Colman Road grill (the red one), I have one too when I saw them and talked to fellow campers. I think the grill is great with 2 zone grilling, but the cleanup is more than I liked and the lid is too shallow to keep down when grilling. I also got the Webber portable you now see everywhere, the cleanup is a bit less extensive, the cover is awesome and has a temp gauge, but it only has one zone burner that can blow out easy on windy days.

Sooo…… I am trying to avoid another purchase that I buy without doing my homework. I'm just so surprised there are any negative issues with the concept. But there is always an issue with anything you can do a search on.

I take your point and appreciate you doing it!

I need more users to chime in who haven't yet :@

Thanks
Normy

[SoundGuy]

Durb wrote:
"Between this thread and the other SoundGuy linked, the consensus so far favors passing up on them, I'm surprised and bumbed"

I don't see any consensus here. You asked for people with experience with the levelers. You received 22 replies, 11 of which (50%) were from just two posters who obviously do not own them and feel their way is the best. Consider the posts of leveler owners only to make a determination. You'll probably come to a different conclusion.

If you're referring to me you'd be wrong :R - I could care less what method anyone else uses for leveling nor do I care if anyone at all approves of my preferred method. The point to forum discussion about any topic is to weigh the pros & cons of any RV related product one might be interested in, not to hide one's head in the sand and pretend that issues like leveler breakage don't happen or don't matter. Of course the OP could go ahead and try a set of Andersen levelers - but are you going to be there to pay for his experiment to see if he likes them? Being aware of the drawbacks as well as any advantages this method of leveling might offer is the key to the OP making a decision that is right for him.

[Durb]

"Between this thread and the other SoundGuy linked, the consensus so far favors passing up on them, I'm surprised and bumbed"

I don't see any consensus here. You asked for people with experience with the levelers. You received 22 replies, 11 of which (50%) were from just two posters who obviously do not own them and feel their way is the best. Consider the posts of leveler owners only to make a determination. You'll probably come to a different conclusion.

[SoundGuy]

Normy wrote:
My axles are spread out much further than your setup, where'as I use the extended X-Chocks. I may get away with (2) shorter separated that I may be able to fit one in between, we will see.

As you're probably aware X-Chocks are not intended to be used to actually chock the trailer to prevent it from inadvertently rolling away but to minimize suspension wiggle when walking around inside the camper. Norco even includes a note in every box of X-Chocks to this effect.



To properly chock any dual axle trailer you want to be using a chock (or chocks) sitting on the ground or whatever you're using to elevate the low side tires. That in turn means you really don't want to use 2 separate stacks of "whatever" under the low side tires of a dual axle trailer but rather one continuous piece so the chock(s) sit at the same level as the tires themselves and can properly secure them. Since your trailer has wide track axles that would be even more reason to use a hinged base which shortens the length to half when folded for storage.