Driveway Incline Issue

[allenECUUNC]

Greetings, new RV owner here. 18ft KeyStone Light 2016 and 2003 Tahoe with sway bar kit. We purchased our RV from Camping World and they delivered which allowed me to learn not to drive on the highway for the first time! When a 20 year delivery driver got here they tried several times and the hitch scraped the drive way and they said you would never get it up that and left it on the side of the road. A quick google showed putting boards under your rear tires and lifting would work. I did it and got it up.

We explored ideas and seems grading your driveway is best solution which we cant do right now. We bought a roller ball for bottom of hitch as a suggestion but this doesn't seem right either. The issue is a combo of incline (which I still think is small) and that we have to take the sway bar off. If we keep them on then the saddles scape the ground. WHen we take them off it sits way lower. This picture is with the roller ball and I told my wife this may work but it looks like it is putting tremendous pressure on the hitch and trailer. This cannot be the right thing to do. We also still use the boards. Please RV professionals teach me the way we are going camping this weekend!

[allenECUUNC]

Ok, I agree with all and getting ready for the 2nd-weekend camping trip in the morning. I want to address all those statements.

Step 1. Take roller ball off
Step 2. Pulling out was easier to take a left at an angle since the tree is in the right side of the driveway exit.
Step 3. Let the hitch scape (I thought this was doing damage to the system but can now understand just the bottom metal piece.)
Step 4. When returning try again to scrap and push up along with boards. It seems to be only a few inches of clearer but it happens twice. Moving the 2X4 worked. I've also seen driveway ramps on amazon but unsure of exactly which ones I need.

Last time we got the best angle swooping in while at same time not going over curb. I would think you don't want the trailer doing that and tilting. If it was flat trailer sure.

[opnspaces]

If you decide to hacksaw it pull the hitch out and twist it 90 degrees sideways and reinsert. That way it will be easier to cut.

[Grit_dog]

Grit dog wrote:
Couldn’t see the pics but remember the jack is designed for a significant load already so if it doesn’t appear to put “more” load on it IE picks up the back of the TV significantly then it’s likely fine.
Another easy cheap option, get a drop hitch stinger, flip it over to raise the trailer tongue significantly, and use it to get the trailer in and out of the driveway.

Well, your hitch is already raised a bit, now I seen the pics.
Answer is the same, although getting your hacksaw out and chopping a little off the bottom of the jack, IF, it's only dragging by a bit, is free, quicker and easy as well.

[Grit_dog]

schlep1967 wrote:
After looking at your set-up my first suggestion is out. And disconnecting your weight distribution will only make it worse.
I think you are stuck with boards under your rear tires or .... Get some airbags installed on the vehicle, preferably with an onboard pump, so you can inflate them before backing into the driveway. You may even need to wait to inflate until you already have the back end of the trailer up the driveway.

It already has air leveling (most likely) and is also likely 19 year old components that aren't real cheap. I wouldn't recommend stacking bags on tht vehicle just to see how far you could stretch the OE air shocks.

[opnspaces]

Take the roller ball off. Then make a mark on the hitch where the drop is sticking out below the bolts. Then take the hitch apart and take it to a machine shop or a metal fabricator and get the bottom of the hitch chopped off.

Below is not your hitch. But the red box shows a bunch of unnecessary steel sticking down below the hitch head that can be cut off for probably less than $50

[schlep1967]

After looking at your set-up my first suggestion is out. And disconnecting your weight distribution will only make it worse.
I think you are stuck with boards under your rear tires or .... Get some airbags installed on the vehicle, preferably with an onboard pump, so you can inflate them before backing into the driveway. You may even need to wait to inflate until you already have the back end of the trailer up the driveway.

[Grit_dog]

Couldn’t see the pics but remember the jack is designed for a significant load already so if it doesn’t appear to put “more” load on it IE picks up the back of the TV significantly then it’s likely fine.
Another easy cheap option, get a drop hitch stinger, flip it over to raise the trailer tongue significantly, and use it to get the trailer in and out of the driveway.

[allenECUUNC]

When we put our WD set on it looks great but again we bought the one with bottom saddles and cost us $1000 for them to put on... won't do that again. I think because of this the Hitch has also shifted lower. Should I just re-adjust to be level I assume and that might help as well.

[allenECUUNC]

I cringe every time I see this. This is with the roller ball on and my wife says everything looks great. I think we need to take the roller ball off and use boards. This is the part of driveway that gives issue and it scrapes the hitch so that is why we added the roller ball.

https://ibb.co/fYTSZp4
https://ibb.co/mBzWhVp

[IDman]

We used to have a driveway that was very steep. To back into it, I had to make a 90 degree backing left turn, and would also scrape UNLESS I approached the drive at the right angle. Try backing from different angles and/or use boards, as suggested above. Good luck.

[joerg68]

To post pictures, go to http://photoposting.is-great.net and follow instructions there.

[schlep1967]

You don't have pictures so tell us what you have. If I'm reading right you can get the trailer in the driveway but when you get to the hitch it drags.
When you first start the trailer into the driveway how much room do you have before it drags? The answer to that, say 3 inches, is how much you can lift the front. If you have 3 inches buy another plain hitch with a 2 inch rise. Park on the street, chock the tires, unhitch, put the raised hitch in and hook back up. Now you may be able to get in the driveway.

Not convenient but it may work until you can find a permanent solution to the driveway.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Sounds like it would just be easier to move :C

[MitchF150]

I remove the WD bars from my setup when I park it at home. I have a pretty steep driveway to it's parking spot on the side of the house and have to almost jack knife the rig into it's final position.

I come in at an angle, so only one set of wheels hits the driveway first, then after it's on the driveway, the other set hits, so that helps a ton with any clearance issues.



My F150 is a 4x4, so it's a bit taller to start with..

Every situation is unique, so you'll just have to figure out what's gonna work in your situation.. 🙂

Good luck! Mitch

[ktmrfs]

switch from WD hitch with underslung bars to the ones where the bars are on top of the reciever. That may give you the clearance you need.