Author Topic: Levelling your camper  (Read 3740 times)

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Offline Rumpig

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Levelling your camper
« on: October 06, 2018, 01:10:34 PM »
Just thought I'd share something I did on our recent trip away that worked really well for me, and saved unhooking the camper trailer each night as we toured on the move most days. Previously I only had one levelling ramp that I'd use to level the trailer up on (gave other one i owned to a relative as i thought I didn't need it), and then I would usually need to unhook the trailer and wind it up to get it level from front to back. Doing this each night on our last 2 week touring trip away got pretty annoying, so I purchased another set of levelling ramps before this trip and used these under the rear wheels of my 4wd (so now i take away 3 ramps in total)....no more need to unhook the trailer now 8) 8)  I really enjoyed the ease of doing it this way each arvo, saved plenty of time not having to disconnect my Stone Stomper, activate the trailer brakes and drop the jockey wheel down, then wind the jockey wheel up. On 2 occasions I had to roll off the ramps and reposition them a touch to get both camper and vehicle level, but it was still much easier then what I previously used to do that's for sure.
Curious as to how others level thier set up each camp when on the move, maybe we can all learn a new trick or 2
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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2018, 02:22:23 PM »
Nice idea thanks Rummie, but how did you set things up so that you were able to level the trailer cross-ways & also the back of the car / trailer length-ways in one go ???

Surely you'd have to have several goes to work out the trailer needs to go to this step while the car is at this one ???
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Offline Rumpig

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2018, 02:41:10 PM »
Nice idea thanks Rummie, but how did you set things up so that you were able to level the trailer cross-ways & also the back of the car / trailer length-ways in one go ???

Surely you'd have to have several goes to work out the trailer needs to go to this step while the car is at this one ???
I usually try and pick a spot that is fairly level to start with, and being a carpenter all my life having done my fair share of concreting also etc, I have decent idea about levels.... so all I did was guesstimate if the front of the camper needed to come up more then the side of the camper did to get it level side to side.....which ever needed the most gets the ramp hard against it's tyre, and then just move the other ramp or ramps a touch away from those other wheels. The camper wasn't always perfect to the millimetre as far as a level bubble would be, but it was always close enough to being level to set the camper up properly. My wife and daughter stand outside the vehicle behind the trailer to start with and  tell me when it looks level to them by eye as I drive up the ramp, they've done it enough now to usually be pretty close...occasionally I'll move up or down the ramp to where I think is more level if I don't like where they stopped me on the ramp,  but for the most part they get it pretty close these days.
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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2018, 02:54:49 PM »
Thanks mate - all makes sense now :D
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Offline Hairs

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2018, 03:28:48 PM »


The camper wasn't always perfect to the millimetre as far as a level bubble would be
You're not trying

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Offline Craig Tomkinson

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2018, 05:05:57 PM »
Nice idea Mr RP, Just for overnight camps we do not bother leveling the van but for a couple days or more I use a bits of  6 x2 and 6x1 treated ply a foot long so it level on top,, Craig
« Last Edit: October 06, 2018, 05:12:00 PM by Craig Tomkinson »
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Offline Spada

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2018, 06:16:58 PM »
I just flick the switch on the airbags to level the trailer  ;D
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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2018, 06:40:45 PM »
I just flick the switch on the airbags to level the trailer  ;D

Show off  ;D

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Offline SEADOO

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2018, 07:07:32 PM »
We have been caught out, I just let the air out of the tyres and adjust the jockey wheel to suit.

When packing up, just deploy the air compressor and pump the tyres back up.

Offline austastar

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2018, 09:49:33 PM »
Hi,

https://www.campertrailers.org/leveling_your_camper.htm

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Offline GeoffA

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2018, 10:11:07 PM »
Hi,

https://www.campertrailers.org/leveling_your_camper.htm

Cheers

Yep. That was the recommended method when we bought our old TrakShak in '97.

 :cheers:
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Offline Jeepers Creepers

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2018, 06:34:16 AM »
I just flick the switch on the airbags to level the trailer  ;D

You wanna hope you never have a bag failure at a swag meet up.  >:D
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Offline Rumpig

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2018, 07:59:26 AM »
Hi,

https://www.campertrailers.org/leveling_your_camper.htm

Cheers

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as "simple and effortless" as they make that sound, that involves unhooking the camper.... the main time consuming thing for me I was avoiding whilst on the move each day. In order to detach my trailer I need to unhook the Stone Stomper completely from the tow vehicle to then fold the jockey wheel down, not only time consuming, but the easiest way to get dirty / covered in red dirt also....lol.
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Offline GeoffA

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2018, 08:24:08 AM »
as "simple and effortless" as they make that sound, that involves unhooking the camper.... the main time consuming thing for me I was avoiding whilst on the move each day. In order to detach my trailer I need to unhook the Stone Stomper completely from the tow vehicle to then fold the jockey wheel down, not only time consuming, but the easiest way to get dirty / covered in red dirt also....lol.

I had no need to unhitch....
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Offline Rumpig

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2018, 09:21:58 AM »
I had no need to unhitch....
plenty of people do though...saw numerous others doing it on our recent trip away, hence why I posted the thread. Our trailer doesn’t have any stabiliser legs on it, so we have nothing to wind down other then a jockey wheel, which I no longer need to do.
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Offline GeoffA

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #15 on: October 07, 2018, 09:29:30 AM »
plenty of people do though...saw numerous others doing it on our recent trip away, hence why I posted the thread. Our trailer doesn’t have any stabiliser legs on it, so we have nothing to wind down other then a jockey wheel, which I no longer need to do.
Fair enough. Doesn't work without stabilisers.....
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Offline mumbls

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #16 on: October 07, 2018, 11:25:24 AM »
Just thought i'd add the leveller's we use to this thread. Been using them for a few years now and rate them over the ramp style. Easy to use and don't level in steps.

https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3604--camper-leveler.aspx
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Offline rags

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #17 on: October 07, 2018, 11:39:15 AM »
Just thought i'd add the leveller's we use to this thread. Been using them for a few years now and rate them over the ramp style. Easy to use and don't level in steps.

https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3604--camper-leveler.aspx

They look a good alternative to the usual blocks, chocks and ramps

Offline leachy_9

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #18 on: October 07, 2018, 05:22:17 PM »
I must of been doing wrong all these years, I've never found the need to unhitch. Our camper sits fairly level when hitchet and we have never been too bothered with getting it millimeter perfect level. Certainly not for an overnighter. Even If we are somewhere for a couple of days, I will only unhitch if we want to take the tug somewhere.

Offline Annieandandy

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #19 on: October 07, 2018, 06:03:54 PM »
I've got about 10 square cuts of 12mm ply that live behind the back seats. They come in handy to level the trailer, tables or to give some extra height to my car jack which isn't high enough to jack up trailer. (Found that out the hard way on the edge of the Bruce highway with a flat on the camper)

Offline BaseCamp

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #20 on: October 07, 2018, 10:33:34 PM »
They look a good alternative to the usual blocks, chocks and ramps
I use these...
Very quick and easy..

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Offline GeoffA

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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #21 on: October 08, 2018, 06:09:52 AM »
I must of been doing wrong all these years, I've never found the need to unhitch. Our camper sits fairly level when hitchet and we have never been too bothered with getting it millimeter perfect level. Certainly not for an overnighter. Even If we are somewhere for a couple of days, I will only unhitch if we want to take the tug somewhere.

Same here...
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Re: Levelling your camper
« Reply #22 on: October 08, 2018, 10:54:24 AM »
I must of been doing wrong all these years, I've never found the need to unhitch. Our camper sits fairly level when hitchet and we have never been too bothered with getting it millimeter perfect level. Certainly not for an overnighter. Even If we are somewhere for a couple of days, I will only unhitch if we want to take the tug somewhere.

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