Camping off the truck

[SoonDockin]

I'll be having work done on my truck soon and plan to set the camper off in a campground and staying there for a week or two. My biggest concern is its gravel and there has been a lot of rain. I am looking for ideas on how to best keep any jacks from sinking in potential soft areas.

I considered 2x12's but my luck is one would split and sink. I am a chronic overthinker. Any clever ideas?

[brholt]

If you remove your camper a lot one option is these:

Snap pads

The disadvantage is you will be a bit more likely to drag a jack going through ditches and stuff. ( Don’t ask me how I know about doing that in an AF1150)

One thing we use is the orange “caps” for the “Lego”levelers. Little story. We had the camper sitting on the pads on a concrete driveway. It was backing up to line up the truck with the camper before raising up the camper. We have a flat cargo carrier in the back hitch (carry a screen room and an outdoor mat in it). My wife was watching but “zoned out” for a moment and I went to far. The carrier hit the rubber stops on the camper. The camper just slid an inch back on the Orange caps. No damage, nothing bent, and we raised it up and loaded it.

[markowwes]

Quite often we leave our camper sitting at a site for long periods, I have made some pads made of 12” X 12” X ¾” plywood to put under and on top of a scissor jack. The system works perfect, good support under the floor and the jacks only have to stabilize the camper not support it.








Happy Camping

[Grit_dog]

SoonDockin wrote:
Well I happen to have part of a sheet of 3/4" plywood. I can cut 8 12x12 pieces and use two under each foot. Thanks for all the help. Never having set it on anything but concrete and seeing all the rain they have been getting I just wanted to be sure it was not going to sink.

Understandable and my first reply tripped the sarcasm meter too much.
But unless you’re trying to crib it up in a pile of duck sht or a peat bog it’ll be fine. Even a single layer of 3/4plywood as long as it’s not osb.
And if it’s really soft it may settle a bit and you can level it back up in like 2 minutes.

Not to be a nancy, but we used our AF campers off the truck a lot. No issue except once with the older one, the fw tank supports cut loose. They were a little cheezier than I’d given them credit for. I did have to repair that.
But unless your camper belly is looking very pregnant that is not a concern either.

[Grit_dog]

mellow wrote:
I can for a fact say don't use the yellow jack pads, the jacks slide on the plastic. Never had an issue with 2x12's cut at 1ft length under each jack.

Good advice.
Any sort of stout scrap lumber will suffice.
Dimensional lumber usually becomes kindling wood after a while when it splits. But I use what’s on hand.

[mellow]

I can for a fact say don't use the yellow jack pads, the jacks slide on the plastic. Never had an issue with 2x12's cut at 1ft length under each jack.

[SoonDockin]

Well I happen to have part of a sheet of 3/4" plywood. I can cut 8 12x12 pieces and use two under each foot. Thanks for all the help. Never having set it on anything but concrete and seeing all the rain they have been getting I just wanted to be sure it was not going to sink.

[Grit_dog]

JimK-NY wrote:
I routinely use wood blocks even when storing my camper on an asphalt driveway. Also check to be sure your camper is rated for use off the truck bed. Even if it is I would consider some additional support. A few stacked pallets work well. This will support the floor, reduce sway and take some of the weight off the jacks.

It is.

[Grit_dog]

SoonDockin wrote:
Now I am thinking about using 1/4 x 12 x 12" steel plate. That should spread the load enough. My camper has a basement and we often have it sitting in our shop and use it. Pretty sure its not going to have issues with sagging floors.

Oh Jesus….here we go again.
You’re an experienced camper. This is about as basic as it gets.
None of us know the bearing capacity of the soil you’re setting it on.
But even ifn it does settle a bit, you have these nifty things on each corner that work with the push of a button called leveling jacks….

Or go visit the thread started by the guy in Cananada a couple weeks ago. There’s like 6 pages of nothing but supporting the jacks of a truck camper 101 there.

Or I'll save the need for any other replies or speculation. Cut 4 2xsomething boards or 12"x12" pieces of plywood 1/2" or greater. Basically anything that's about 1sq ft of area. Use that. If that's not enough, you will likely get your shoes sucked off your feet from the mud before you actually make it to the camper steps.

[JRscooby]

Plywood will not split. Stacked up couple inches high, much stronger than 2X. Larger footprint. If lot of rain, or long time, think the glue might let go? Cut a plastic tote to cover them.

[SoonDockin]

Now I am thinking about using 1/4 x 12 x 12" steel plate. That should spread the load enough. My camper has a basement and we often have it sitting in our shop and use it. Pretty sure its not going to have issues with sagging floors.

[Reality_Check]

I'll go with the over thinking thought. Doesn't take much, and good gravel should be enough regardless. But use a small chunk of wood, like a 2x6, if your slightly concerned. Just going from a stock 5" diameter leg pad to a 10" piece of 2x6 cuts 1500 lb load from about 115psi to 27psi.

[srschang]

I have a couple 4x6 pressure treated blocks I cut 12" long. But in 20 years of truck camping, I've never used them under the jacks, just use them to drive the truck tires onto to level the camper if I leave it on the truck. Don't think I've ever put anything under the jacks?

Oh, I guess I did, because the jack was too short to reach the ground.

[JimK-NY]

I routinely use wood blocks even when storing my camper on an asphalt driveway. Also check to be sure your camper is rated for use off the truck bed. Even if it is I would consider some additional support. A few stacked pallets work well. This will support the floor, reduce sway and take some of the weight off the jacks.