Chocks or lack of ??

I use one 2X8X8 under each of the front jacks, one 6X6X12L under each of the two rear stabilizers and chock the wheels on both side, always when on un-level ground, and only if I feel up to it on level ground.

I chock both sides, always. If the site looks level and I can't tell which way the trailer would roll, I chock both front and back of both sides.

Guy with a Cedar Creek 5'r had no chocks and front elevators on 6X6's. On a flat and level site. He backed in his new RAM dually to hitch up. When he bumped the hitch, the trailer rolled back and the elevators slid off the 6X6's. dug into the ground about 4 inches. Then bent the elevators. And bent up the bed rails on his new truck with a terrible crunch. He had some of his friends around, all kibitzing about how to get it back up to try and re-hitch. I approached and asked if they needed help, or an extra jack or two, I can help with that. To which I was told,"No we got this. Charlie has been towing trailers for 40 years. He knows what he is doing."

I immediately backed away, and offered them best of luck. But I wondered if he was so smart, why he ignored the first rule. "Chock first...And un-chock last." He may be very experienced. I wasn't impressed.

TucsonJim wrote:

DiskDoctr wrote:
CHOCK IT!!!

If your vehicle is unhooked, you MUST CHOCK your camper!!!

Would you park your vehicle and leave it in neutral without a parking brake, just hoping it wouldn't roll away? And then bounce around in it for a few days, hoping the same thing?

Danger, danger, danger! I cannot stress that point enough.

Now, it is also important to chock BOTH sides of the trailer so it does not pivot on the free-rolling axles (that is what they are designed to do, roll without resistance).

When unhooking, chock both sides first, leave the safety cables/chains connected and jack up the tongue and unhitch. Keep your feet out from under it and watch your pinch points. After it is unhitched and has not moved, you can remove your safety cables and such.

Please heed this advice. Getting hurt or causing damage over this is unnecessary and so very preventable.

Very sage advice. Thanks!

Wheels are round and designed to roll!!!

This is where a total lack of common sense is evident!!

A less politically correct statement would be "You can't fix stupid".

DiskDoctr wrote:
CHOCK IT!!!

If your vehicle is unhooked, you MUST CHOCK your camper!!!

Would you park your vehicle and leave it in neutral without a parking brake, just hoping it wouldn't roll away? And then bounce around in it for a few days, hoping the same thing?

Danger, danger, danger! I cannot stress that point enough.

Now, it is also important to chock BOTH sides of the trailer so it does not pivot on the free-rolling axles (that is what they are designed to do, roll without resistance).

When unhooking, chock both sides first, leave the safety cables/chains connected and jack up the tongue and unhitch. Keep your feet out from under it and watch your pinch points. After it is unhitched and has not moved, you can remove your safety cables and such.

Please heed this advice. Getting hurt or causing damage over this is unnecessary and so very preventable.

Very sage advice. Thanks!

CHOCK IT!!!

If your vehicle is unhooked, you MUST CHOCK your camper!!!

Would you park your vehicle and leave it in neutral without a parking brake, just hoping it wouldn't roll away? And then bounce around in it for a few days, hoping the same thing?

Danger, danger, danger! I cannot stress that point enough.

Now, it is also important to chock BOTH sides of the trailer so it does not pivot on the free-rolling axles (that is what they are designed to do, roll without resistance).

When unhooking, chock both sides first, leave the safety cables/chains connected and jack up the tongue and unhitch. Keep your feet out from under it and watch your pinch points. After it is unhitched and has not moved, you can remove your safety cables and such.

Please heed this advice. Getting hurt or causing damage over this is unnecessary and so very preventable.

We were eating lunch one day and were observing our neighbor hitching up his travel trailer. It was not chocked and the front jack was up about 7" on a few other pieces of wood probably 2x4's .

He had a suburban and obviously not very good judgement. He kept backing up and pulling forward to get it aligned. I told my wife to keep looking. Sure enough he bumped into the jack and knocked it off the wood. I ate my last bite of sandwich and went out to help him out. Luckily "I" had a jack. The ground was soft and his jack sank 6" into the ground. Jacked him up and helped him hook up. I did ask him to chock the wheels first. I wondered if he would think about it next time he setup.

He didn't say much, thanked me and drove off.

We chock before unhitching and remove the chocks after hitching back up again. I find it interesting that so many people do not use them. We were in a state park in Virginia when a travel trailer pulled into the site next to us. He had a bunch of 2 x 4s stacked under the tongue jack. I am not sure what happened but the tongue jack fell off the blocks. Thankfully no one was hurt but they did hook up and leave the campground.

et2 wrote:
We have been camping since last Saturday. I noticed almost 50% of the travel trailers and fivers without chocks being used. OK the sites were mostly level and paved, but I would have never considered it. Too many things can go wrong in my opinion, level or not.

Another thing I notice were the placement of a treated 4x4 by many under the front jacks, sometimes doubled up ( no wider than the jack foot). I've seen trailers get blown right off them in a storm and during hook up. I have put 8"x8"x2" slabs under the jack pads not stacked to keep them from sinking.

Not mine to worry about, but I just can't understand the lack of thought put into things that cost ten's of thousands of dollars, much less things that could harm or kill you or someone else.

I haven't used chocks or had my 5er blown of the 4x4 blocks since 1970.

The only time i don't chock is when i leave the truck hooked up. As for the 4X4's, i use some wider boards under the 4X4's. and yes i stack them. The trailer will not slip off if set up properly, and when the jacks are fully extended the trailer will be less stable, i.e. movement inside of trailer. I've had mine setup in soft sand with no issues. If you know what you are doing you will have no issues!