Parking Surface

[KENTUCKYNEWBIE]

Have a question concerning parking surface for motor home. Have a Class A, 36 Foot rig which I intend to keep at my house until next spring in order to do some work on the interior. After that, we will move to a storage lot. Issue is not a legal one of parking in the yard, but concerning the mechanics of doing so. Since it will only be here for 6-8 months, I do not want to pour a concrete pad or spend $$$$$ to have a gravel pad constructed.

My thought is to park it on grass, on concrete stepping stones and lay plastic underneath the unit to keep down moisture. Would wood be better than the concrete stones. Any input will be appreciated?

[DutchmenSport]

K Charles wrote:
What kind of soil makes a big difference. I drive and park on the lawn all the time and the tires don't sink in. Don't leave it in one place to long or it will kill the grass.

When you live in an area, when it rains, the ground gets so soggy, just walking through the grass, you sink to the top of your shoes, yes ... you need something under those tires or you'll find them in a short while sunk to the axles.

[suprz]

Been parking my Class c on 2x8 NON treated wood planks for the last 3 years, and before that my old pop up for 8 no problem at all with the tires or condensation. But it will kill the grass for sure PS... I always cover my tires with white colored RV tire covers. I have heard that the black ones can cause high heat

[ctilsie242]

I was about to ask a similar question when I get a "B" or a short "C", because I wanted a decent spot to park it while at a festival for about 5-6 months. I cannot do something permanent, which is a different case.

Here are the options I considered:

Gravel -- arguably the best, but couldn't really get permission to do so.
Cement blocks -- If one hits the search engines, there is a lot of discussion about cement and dry rot.
Treated Wood planks -- removable, and I could do 4x6 planks for the wheels.
Various pavers -- might break, and being able to remove them is nice.

What I settled on would be taking the 4x6 planks, (one pair for the front, two pairs joined together for the rear wheels), adding some eye-bolts on the side (so I can tie a lanyard to them for easy removal), having a Line-X shop coat them on all sides for protection against almost anything, and call it done. That way, they will last a while.

For a permanent install, I'd look at some plastic around the tires (but not so much plastic that it adds to condensation), to separate them from the ground, and also as an insect barrier. I have seen people use chair mats and cut them in pieces for each wheel.

[K_Charles]

What kind of soil makes a big difference. I drive and park on the lawn all the time and the tires don't sink in. Don't leave it in one place to long or it will kill the grass.

[TakingThe5th]

I would give some thought to critter protection. Maybe the vapor barrier plastic will help keep them away, or it might attract them.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Do they sell interlocking paving stones up there in the USA? For use under tires, landing gear etc. Maybe they are not at strong as the ones down here. Our paving "tabriques" do not break (harrumph).

Pea gravel under astro turf for the entry area.

[DutchmenSport]

Nothing wrong with using lumber. It's easy, cheap and keep the tires from sinking in the grass and/or mud. Whenever I park on grass, I always have lumber under the tires.

There's been lots of discussion in the past on these forums about parking surfaces, some got very technical, even debating the amount of pressure on the surface. So, who knows how others will respond???

Pavers run the risk of breaking under the load of the camper once the ground gets soft due to rain. Gravel is a more permanent solution, but then you'll have gravel to clean up once you move the camper away. Pouring concrete can get technical with zoning issues, building permits and such. (been there done that). So, lumber is cheap, easy, no fuss, won't hurt the tires, keep them from sinking in the ground, and when pulling the camper out, will just roll right off. When done, you have firewood for your next camp out too.