Leveling side to side method from seasoned campers

[cchristanis]

Looking for a good/fast/east way to do this. Just looking for tips from all u expereienced folks. There isnt much on youtube. Those andersen levelers look like a great concept but they are pricey and I wonder about durability. The camcos werent appealing to me cuz they have a 3 step method and I wouldnt want my tire to be on a edge point (I know theyre not sharp). If you look at them youll see what i mean. the 2x8 or 2x10 method seems fine except you would need a bunch of different thicknesses to be perfect right? This means either planing to thickness or resawing a bunch of pieces. i have a 13 torque 301 TH fiver so.....

I just noticed these too:
http://www.etrailer.com/Wheel-Chocks/Blaylock-Industries/EZ-JACK.html

Thanks

[Roscopcoletrain]

ahh, I get what you're saying. As for the x chock getting loose, I know personally I always re-tighten it every 20min or so once I get set up until I feel the tires are cooled and it won't go tighter. I usually check again before bed and in the morning when I get up. Better safe then sorry.

[SoundGuy]

Roscopcoletrain wrote:
Why can't you chock with the anderson? They come with a part that helps chock the wheel no?

Read my post again - I said that when using the Andersen Leveler system one can't ground level chock the trailer, the most secure way of chocking any trailer including 18 wheelers. Instead, one must instead rely on in-between tire chocks, the downside to those being that tires shrink noticeably as they cool so an in-between tire chock such as a Camco or BAL X-Chock originally installed tight can end up being so loose it can fall out of position, which is why Norco insists the X-Chock not be used as a "parking brake".

Yes, each Andersen Leveler includes a matching chock but the combination doesn't actually grip the tire tightly but merely cradles it ... if the campsite slopes significantly fore or aft there's little to prevent the tires from rolling forward or backward out of that cradle, especially if the tires are elevated to the max and they're sitting on the thickest end of the leveler. One slight shift and the trailer's low side tires could easily slip off the leveler, dropping to the ground below. :E Interestingly, none of Andersen's merchandising information, including videos, addresses this issue. Lynx Levelers, or similar, eliminate this problem as they create their own surface on which ground level chocks can be used.

[APT]

I use Lynx Levelers. I have two sets of 10 each, and 2 pair matching/locking chocks. I have these levels on my TT. The markings make it easy to know how many Lynx blocks the low side needs.

My parking method is typically: park TT where I want it. Look at bubble levels and set up Lynx blocks right next to/outside the tires. Pull forward/backward enough to clear the blocks, shift blocks in tire path, roll tires over blocks. I typically have my TT parked and unhooked within 5 minutes of arriving at campsite.

[Roscopcoletrain]

I was wondering the same. Why can't you chock with the anderson? They come with a part that helps chock the wheel no?

[SilverEscape]

SoundGuy wrote:

Roscopcoletrain wrote:
just as one can't similarly ground level chock the low side of any trailer leveled with Andersen Levelers ... one of several reasons I still prefer using my Lynx / Wood system for leveling the trailer side to side as I can ground level chock the trailer and absolutely prevent it from shifting no matter how severe the campsite slope may be. 🙂

Why can't you chock the low side with Andersen levellers? The levellers make a chock on the one side of the wheel and add a chick under the other side of the levellers. The wheel has to roll up and over front or back to get off the leveller/chock just as it does with a standard chocking system.

[Bill1374]

Just home from a trip to a State Park in northern NY. In order to level on my site, I had to dig in the upside a bit over 4 inches and block the low side with 2 2x10s under each wheel. I also bring an 8 inch tall platform for the step. Since this place is on a steep sidehill, digging in is quite common. If you want a site near the water, then that's the price you pay.
I normally carry 6 pieces of 2x10 for the wheels and 4 pieces of 3x5 for the jacks and stabilizers no matter where I head. Doesn't take a lot of space and is the cheapest way to go. When they start to split, they become kindling wood and I hunt a home construction site and get permission to dumpster pick for new wood.

[Roscopcoletrain]

SoundGuy wrote:


No doubt you'd disagree but the downside to this system is you have to rely on those Camco in-between tire chocks which are no more suited to the task of actually preventing the trailer from inadvertently shifting than any similar "chocking" system, including the BAL X-Chock which the manufacturer Norco warns should not be used for this purpose. Ideally one would use ground level chocks for this purpose but obviously that's not possible on the low side when using air bags for leveling, just as one can't similarly ground level chock the low side of any trailer leveled with Andersen Levelers ... one of several reasons I still prefer using my Lynx / Wood system for leveling the trailer side to side as I can ground level chock the trailer and absolutely prevent it from shifting no matter how severe the campsite slope may be. 🙂

Been using them for almost 4 years without issue. I know what you're saying, but they work excellent. Most of the sites we camp at are pretty level and don't require a lot of adjustment.

As for bounce, there is really very minimal if any. And I use a set of spin up jacks to kinda secure everything in place and take any bounce out.

[SoundGuy]

Roscopcoletrain wrote:
I built a set of airbags for mine TT. I've never had to put more then 8psi in them. Just back onto them, inflate until level and you're gold. I build a small duel inflator adapter so I can inflate both at once.

No doubt you'd disagree but the downside to this system is you have to rely on those Camco in-between tire chocks which are no more suited to the task of actually preventing the trailer from inadvertently shifting than any similar "chocking" system, including the BAL X-Chock which the manufacturer Norco warns should not be used for this purpose. Ideally one would use ground level chocks for this purpose but obviously that's not possible on the low side when using air bags for leveling, just as one can't similarly ground level chock the low side of any trailer leveled with Andersen Levelers ... one of several reasons I still prefer using my Lynx / Wood system for leveling the trailer side to side as I can ground level chock the trailer and absolutely prevent it from shifting no matter how severe the campsite slope may be. 🙂

[wbwood]

Roscopcoletrain wrote:
I built a set of airbags for mine TT. I've never had to put more then 8psi in them. Just back onto them, inflate until level and you're gold. I build a small duel inflator adapter so I can inflate both at once.

Doesn't it give some when weight it put down on it when walking in the trailer?

[Roscopcoletrain]

I built a set of airbags for mine TT. I've never had to put more then 8psi in them. Just back onto them, inflate until level and you're gold. I build a small duel inflator adapter so I can inflate both at once.

[Bighorns]

I just got the andersens a few weeks ago and have used them 3 times. Love them.. I don't think I will ever go back to the wood blocks or Lynx blocks.

[wbwood]

Ron3rd wrote:
The Andersons look great and get rave reviews form the members on this forum. I picked up 2 sets of Lynx leveler blocks from Wang Mart about 10 years ago and they work fine. They did not make the Andersons at that time.

I started out with the wooden planks but got away from them due to the weight and limited space in the bed of my truck. The wood planks are fine if you've got the room.

One bit of advice I can give is if you go with the Lynx Levelers, get 2 sets. 1 set of 10 can get used up very fast on uneven ground and they work great for the stabilizers too in soft sand/dirt.

We have 3 sets of lynx levelers and have used all of them. That's my breaking point. Need to go any higher, then I'm moving or leaving.

[BubbaChris]

SoundGuy wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:
We tried the 3-level ramps and are now looking to sell them. I felt they were leaving my TT with a desire to roll back down them, creating a side-to-side force at the tongue. Made for a very exciting unhooking once last summer.

This is yet another concern I have about the Andersen Leveler system - what happens when the campsite is not just sloped side to side but also significantly sloped front to back, meaning the trailer wants to roll either further back into the site or alternately toward the front of the site as soon as it's unhitched from the TV. :E Yeah, I know - the Andersen Leveler system consists of two parts, a leveler and a chock, but frankly on some of the sites we camp on I'm not at all convinced the Andersens, once chocked, would hold the trailer in place. Secondly, because the Andersen occupies that space between the low side tires there's no way to add a ground level chock on that side of the trailer to absolutely prevent the trailer from inadvertently shifting. Look at any of the Andersen Leveler demo videos and you'll notice they're always leveling on sites that are relatively level front to back, nor do they address how one might additionally chock those low side tires. I think I'll stick with my Lynx Leveling and chocking system that absolutely prevents the trailer from shifting regardless of campsite slope.

I think the Andersen leveler is superior in avoiding this, as you can pick which way to roll up the leveler and then chock. That's better than anything I can do on my lifted side today.

My opposite side gets a single traditional plastic chock, plus a Fastway between the tires. My TT is not going to roll forward or backward off any site that I'm comfortable setting up on.

[Dave_H_M]

Common guys I am older than dirt but not completely brain dead in my opinion. :h

I have only dug down the high/step side at the daughters. it is solid gravel (2 inch rock without the fines) and fills in nicely before i depart. :R