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how to level a trailer

campingman55
Explorer
Explorer
i cant remember the best place to put a level when leveling a trailer is it the floor right by the door or on the a frame of the hitch or where
2005 vectra 40fd motor home and wife and our 2 pita malties and a mini poodle
33 REPLIES 33

thomasmnile
Explorer
Explorer
CFerguson wrote:
campigloo wrote:
The reason for leveling at all is to protect the fridge. Use the stick ons like said above and get it close. Rule of thumb is if you’re comfortable inside you’re close enough.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.


Keep this in mind regardless of which of the good methods folks in this thread are describing.


Haven't seen it mentioned, but a reasonably level trailer is probably good for the slideouts as well.

CFerguson
Explorer
Explorer
campigloo wrote:
The reason for leveling at all is to protect the fridge. Use the stick ons like said above and get it close. Rule of thumb is if you’re comfortable inside you’re close enough.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.


Keep this in mind regardless of which of the good methods folks in this thread are describing.

GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Explorer II
I leveled using the fridge as a base. Then put on 2 small bubble levels: 1 on front driver’s side, the other just around the corner. I can see the front level in my mirror which helps when setting up with Andersen type levelers.
Kip
2015 Skyline Dart 214RB
2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch

MitchF150
Explorer III
Explorer III
Got a round stick on bubble level with the new trailer pack. Stuck it on the A frame part of the tongue.

Tells me the side to side level before I unhitch. If it's more than a full bubble off, I'll put some boards under the low side tires.

Once side to side is determined, unhitch and then deal with the front to back.

I like to give the trailer a slight nose high attitude of about half a bubble.

This allows any rain drainage to go off the back of the rig and if the AC is running, it also drains off the rear.

Never any issue with the fridge. Been leveling this way for over 17 years.

But, in the end, it's whatever works for you and if it's level enough for you, that's all that matters.

Good luck!

Mitch
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
I had one TT in the past, that no matter where I put a carpenter's level, it was always something different. Even the floor.

I finally figured it out the floor was actually arched, low on both ends, high in the middle. No matter where you walked, we always felt like we were walking on a hill.

Trying to find a spot that was true left-right, and end-to-end level was a real challenge, until I realized one day that a few things in the camper (and ever camper) are always "straight". Notice I said "straight", not necessarily "level". The walls and the door frame is always "straight" and parallel or perpendicular to the trailer frame.

I also realized when the trailer was "straight" the outside door, and the bathroom door, and the cabinet doors, and the refrigerator doors did not swing open or closed. If the trailer is "straight" the doors should not swing open or closed, but stay wherever you put them.

At that point, I realized the outside door frame was "straight" to the frame also, straight to the roof, and straight to everything else. So I used the carpenter's square on the door frame, up and down to so the side-to-side direction was "perfect". And it worked! Then with the tongue jack, turned the carpenter's level the other direction (up and down) until the small perpendicular bubble was centered. Worked every time after that. No doors ever swung again. No cabinet doors swung open or closed. And the refrigerator door did not swing. It stayed where I put it.

After that, I was able to attach a small bubble on the electric tongue jack.

Next trailer I tried something different. The outside door method worked just as well, but I wanted something that I could use while backing into a site. Being a non-professional (paid) carpenter, I used my carpentry skills and came up with a rather ingenious way to indicate if the trailer was level, or at least close enough, the stablizer jacks would let me make minor adjustments.

Here is what I did.

I used the principle of gravity and the plumb bob. I put a piece of tape on the front cap of the trailer, a piece of tape on the inside of the rear truck window, and hung a hanging stick near the rear of the truck (since I had shell).

When the stick, which swung by gravity, was parallel to the vertical tape on the trailer, the trailer was level side-to-side. And this worked very, very well. The only draw back, I had to give the stick a bit of time to quit swinging. I always followed up using the carpenter's square at the door, and I was always dead on!











1320Fastback
Explorer
Explorer
goducks10 wrote:
I guaranty that if you stick a level in more than one place on your RV that you'll have more than one different readings.
When I set mine up for the Levelmate Pro that I installed I just used the floor in front of the sink. No matter where I stick the level I get a different reading.


This and also why I level to the counter that is above the fridge. If it's level so is the fridge and everything else doesn't matter.

Yes I checked to make sure the counter is square to the refrigerator.
1992 D250 Cummins 5psd
2005 Forest River T26 Toy Hauler

campigloo
Explorer
Explorer
The reason for leveling at all is to protect the fridge. Use the stick ons like said above and get it close. Rule of thumb is if you’re comfortable inside you’re close enough.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.

campingman55
Explorer
Explorer
No I sold my coach? a couple yrs ago and now have to remember all the little things again
2005 vectra 40fd motor home and wife and our 2 pita malties and a mini poodle

mobeewan
Explorer
Explorer
I always place a torpedo level in the floor at the center of the trailer and check front to rear and side to side. Then I place my stick on levels on the outside to match the bubble readings of the inside floor.

I also check the tongue for front to rear level. If the same as inside I add a front to rear stick on, on the tongue where I can see it when operating the tongue jack.

Lynnmor
Explorer
Explorer
Level the trailer front to rear and side to side as perfectly as you can by using a long level on the frame, then install a pair of levels on opposite corners. Now you can put the long level away and use the installed levels in the future knowing that they are correct.

profdant139
Explorer II
Explorer II
I'm a lucky guy -- I am married to The Bubble. She just steps into the trailer and consults Her inner level.

It's only level enough when She says it is. 😉

Seriously, though, there is a lot of variation from place to place in the trailer. We finally decided that the middle of the floor was the best place. We then mounted these things to the outside of the trailer, calibrated to correspond to that spot on the floor.

So that way, we can level up without ever having to check inside the trailer.

Until and unless, of course, She enters the trailer and decides that it is not quite right. 😉
2012 Fun Finder X-139 "Boondock Style" (axle-flipped and extra insulation)
2013 Toyota Tacoma Off-Road (semi-beefy tires and components)
Our trips -- pix and text
About our trailer
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single list."

goducks10
Explorer
Explorer
I guaranty that if you stick a level in more than one place on your RV that you'll have more than one different readings.
When I set mine up for the Levelmate Pro that I installed I just used the floor in front of the sink. No matter where I stick the level I get a different reading.

thomasmnile
Explorer
Explorer
Two stick on bubble levels at the right front corner of the trailer, one North/South, one East/West. Worked fine, no muss no fuss.

1320Fastback
Explorer
Explorer
I just use a bubble level app on my cell phone and set it on the counter right above the mini fridge.
1992 D250 Cummins 5psd
2005 Forest River T26 Toy Hauler

BarabooBob
Explorer III
Explorer III
When I bought my TT , checked the fridge and compared it to the tongue by the jack. I checked both for/aft and left/right. They were very close so I check at the tongue. It beats running inside or having one of us inside and the other one using the electric jack.
Bob & Dawn Married 34 years
2017 Viking 17RD
2011 Ford F150 3.5L Ecoboost 420 lb/ft
Retired