Leveling my trailer. Do things settle?

[Wishbone51]

I took my initial level setting by placing a bubble level in the freezer. I marked a spot on the counter that shows the same reading as in the freezer and take my reading from there when camping. I noticed today that this reading is now way off from the freezer. Do things shift around over time?

Even two spots in the freezer show different readings. I took the average. Seems like absolutely nothing is level in this thing 🙂

[Dog_Folks]

BarneyS wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:

BarneyS wrote:

NanciL wrote:
Mine will change on a daily basis unless I am on a concrete pad.


We snow bird for four months in Florida, and it changes constantly

Jack L

That's because of all those sinkholes! :E :W
Barney

Correct!!! It helps keep Michigan tourists away. :B

Nah. I have spent the past 13 winters in Tampa area and there are lots of them in that vicinity (both sinkholes and Michiganders). 🙂
Barney

Some slip through our defenses and just don't get the hint. :B:B:B

[mgirardo]

We've never had an issue with the camper settling, but the ground under it definitely does. Last year at our seasonal site, it was just grass. The day we got there, I leveled everything nicely and put the stabilizers on. That night we had a lot of rain and the next morning the Lynx Levelers had sunk in the ground throwing us off level.

-Michael

[BarneyS]

Dog Folks wrote:

BarneyS wrote:

NanciL wrote:
Mine will change on a daily basis unless I am on a concrete pad.


We snow bird for four months in Florida, and it changes constantly

Jack L

That's because of all those sinkholes! :E :W
Barney

Correct!!! It helps keep Michigan tourists away. :B

Nah. I have spent the past 13 winters in Tampa area and there are lots of them in that vicinity (both sinkholes and Michiganders). 🙂
Barney

[Dog_Folks]

BarneyS wrote:

NanciL wrote:
Mine will change on a daily basis unless I am on a concrete pad.


We snow bird for four months in Florida, and it changes constantly

Jack L

That's because of all those sinkholes! :E :W
Barney

Correct!!! It helps keep Michigan tourists away. :B

[Water-Bug]

Let's sumarize this. Axels are on tires, that flat side. Trailer is on springs connected to axels. Fridge is on flexible plywood floor. Fridge is mostly plastic that is flexible. Everything is sitting on a gravel pad. Nah!! The level will NEVER change. All the variables will cancel each other out. OR NOT!!

[mosseater]

I've noticed our trailer settles after we've been set up for an hour or so. I typically go tweek the chocks and jacks after the tires cool down and the whole mess gets vibrated in. Depends whether it's pavement, grass or gravel too. Close to level is good enough.

[BarneyS]

NanciL wrote:
Mine will change on a daily basis unless I am on a concrete pad.


We snow bird for four months in Florida, and it changes constantly

Jack L

That's because of all those sinkholes! :E :W
Barney

[NanciL]

Mine will change on a daily basis unless I am on a concrete pad.


We snow bird for four months in Florida, and it changes constantly

Jack L

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Wishbone51 wrote:
It's on gravel. I know that the gravel will settle, but I still expected the same reading between my two points that used to be the same. Unless the settling of the gravel causes the frame to twist. I do notice that when I'm on gravel, on different days, I have an issue locking the deadbolt on the door, indicating that it's slightly twisting the frame?

Each corner settles differently and that does twist stuff slightly.

Unless I'm on concrete - I recheck all my jacks/ stabilizers on the second day. Then check again every Monday for the length of the stay.

[mlts22]

If my TT is within 1-2 degrees of level so the fridge doesn't eat itself when turned on, it is good enough for me.

[tpi]

How did you level the trailer? When I had the Airstream we were told the frame was flexible and by using jacks under frame you could temporarily tweak it so doors wouldn't latch, etc. Never had it myself but always leveled with the tires side to side and the front jack. But anyway from what I hear trailer frames are not that rigid. You may want to inspect the frame for any cracks or bad welds but otherwise I wouldn't sweat it. I've long ago given up on leveling perfection.

[korbe]

Wishbone51 wrote:
...... I noticed today that it's difficult for me to lock the deadbolt unless my slide is out.

That statement created a chuckle. 🙂 Sounds like a bit of flexing to me too.

[DrewE]

I'd think it's pretty much a given that things in the RV will shift and squeak and settle and move with respect to each other a little. RVs are somewhat flexible, at least ones affordable to mere mortals. (For what it's worth, the living room floor, among others, in my sticks-and-bricks house also moves and squeaks a bit when walking over it, and it's not in a moving trailer of any sort.)

I'd be surprised if your counter shifted enough to be out of level in comparison to the fridge sufficiently to cause fridge damage. A couple of degrees out of kilter is actually quite a bit—if you use 2x8's or 2x10's for leveling, each thickness side-to-side is very roughly around one degree. If you're easily able to make a round omelette rather than a moon-shaped one on your stove top, your fridge should also be happy.

[Terryallan]

Think about it. You are towing down the road at more than 60 MPH, Hitting bumps, and running on rough roads. Your RV is in an earthquake for hours at a time every time it leaves the yard. WHY would you think nothing would move a little?