Help with parking area

[tim1970]

I am looking at having a parking spot built for my (soon to be new) 5th wheel. I want something that will last, but do I really need a 40 X 8 concrete pad built? Could I go with just a pad under where my 4 tires will rest and then put 4 small concrete blocks under where the stabilizers will be, and then fill in with gravel everywwhere else below the camper? Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Tim

[spoon059]

There isn't really any need for all that concrete underneath the camper. That's just if you want it to look pretty, and if you think concrete looks pretty.

I made 2 concrete pads about 24" wide, about 5 feet long. The pads are level so that my trailer sits level in storage. Everything else has landscape fabric and gravel laid down. Couple hundred bucks and a weekend of my own labor... perfect.

[Halmfamily]

tegu69 wrote:
I was thinking that $250 was way more than I paid, but then I realized that was almost 25 years ago.

Just purchased 75 tons of gravel to redo our road and driveways and paid $1200. The price has come down since I laid the RV pad.

[Tin_Pusher]

OP, depending on where you live, zoning may dictate. Where I live, parking must be on an "all weather surface", gravel is not considered as such.

Why I have a $3000 concrete pad 🙂

[Biaggio]

Home Depot has 4" concrete solid blocks. Set them 2" in the ground and drive the wheels on them. One day I might go for a concrete pad. Holds my 10,000 Winnebago ERA just fine.

[wa8yxm]

Gravel/Crushed rock is actually a good surface, drains well, easily maintained, supports an RV very well.. Now if you want to provide a "Patio area" wood deck or concrete is best there.

But I went with Crushed rock.

[tegu69]

I was thinking that $250 was way more than I paid, but then I realized that was almost 25 years ago.

[ScottG]

We park our TT on 4~6" of compacted gravel. I hate it. Constant weeds and even moles coming up in it.
Some day I'll cement it over.

[Halmfamily]

We park our 14600lb fifth wheel on a 4" gravel pad. Leveled the site, layed the gravel and compacted with our dually. 5 years and still solid. Total cost $250 for gravel.

[tegu69]

I dug out two "strips" and framed out of 2x4's so that the concrete would be even with the surrounding ground. The strips that I made were about 18" wide and about 4-5 feet longer than the wheelbase of the fw. My original fw was 23' I think, but also worked on my 31'. If yours is 40', I would think you would have to make the strips deeper. I also bought square stepping stones that are about 12" square (you would have to figure out the width to fill in the area between strips). As for the landing gear, make squares a little larger than you think would be necessary, in case you don't back up perfectly. I rented a mixer and bought the extra strength concrete, added the steel and wasn't hard at all (that was a long time ago though).

[DrewE]

Why not just gravel all around, properly compacted? Many campsites (and roads) are gravel, and they work just fine, even with much more traffic than you'll see.

I park my class C on plain old dirt next to my garage. (Technically the low side is on ramps on the dirt so as to make it approximately level.) This started out as somewhat scraggly lawn, but the grass underneath the RV doesn't get much light and isn't really thriving. So far, this has not been a problematic approach in the least; it helps that the area is appropriately graded and doesn't tend to get soft or muddy.

[rk911]

sure you could. me, I'd do it right and construct a proper covered pad with an electrical post. and if zoning permitted I'd have a water and sewer connection.