RE: BAL Leveler: First Impressions

[Ab Diver]

 
Let s face it, pop-up trailers are fun. Part of the fun is sleeping off the ground on a comfortable, level surface. If the camp site you ve selected isn t level, one of the steps in setting up your trailer is leveling it side to side across the axle. Many people use wood boards as a readily available, inexpensive way to raise the low-side tire off the ground. This is the method we started off using. After a season of camping, the problems of storing different length boards, cracked and broken boards, and boards sliding off one another while trying to pull/back the trailer over them lead us to another product: stackable leveling blocks. These blocks worked fine, but cracked if not used on a firm surface free of rocky bumps. They were also hard to keep in position when backing the trailer onto them in campsites with a more than average slope. Having someone hold them in place while you backed a 3000 lbs. trailer next to their toe didn t sit too well with the " holdee" . As our collection of " un-cracked"  blocks was dwindling, we considered our options for the coming season.
 
 The BAL leveler (model # 28050) is a product touted as the quickest, easiest way to level a lightweight, single axle trailer. It seems tailor-made for camping trailers. You simply park the trailer where you want it, block the high side tire, slide the BAL Leveler around the low side tire, and crank up the tire until the trailer is level. After reading the praises for this product from other pop-up owners for some time now, we decided to purchase one.  A parcel containing my new BAL Leveler arrived from Camping World yesterday. The box was actually heavier than I expected. That s good, this thing has some metal in it. I open the box to find the BAL leveler has a black coating that appears tough enough to stand up to it s intended task. Rubbing a piece of metal against one of the tire pads requires some pressure to scratch the paint. That s also good. We ll see how it stands up to time, water, sunlight, and dirt as the season progresses.
 
 The leveler consists of three separate components: a lower U-shaped portion made from 1"  OD  tube, equipped with an 1/8"  thick, 2.5"  wide X 15"  long " pad"  in the center of the " U" . This pad bears the majority of the weight when the trailer is lifted, and seems strong enough to do so without bending. The upper portion of the Leveler is another " U" , made from two of these metal tubes doubled up and welded together, and two 5"  x 7"  pads made 1/8"  thick metal sheet stock welded to these tubes. These pads are where the Leveler contacts the tire as it lifts the trailer. The third major component is a heavy-duty cross-bolt that fits into a bracket welded to the upper tubes, and spins in a " pocket"  created in the lower pad by welding a short section of 1.25"  pipe to the pad. This keeps the bolt in place as it rotates against the lower pad.
 
 A forth component is needed to operate the BAL Leveler: a wrench to turn the bolt. Our BAL Leveler came with a reversible ratcheting wrench (3/4"  x 7/8" ). Other campers use a cordless drill to quickly turn the bolt.
 
 One thing was immediately apparent: the potential for the bolt lubrication, a type of grease, to collect dirt. Care is also required when handling the Leveler to keep from grabbing the wrong portion of the bolt and spreading a protective  layer of lubricating grease across your hand. Cleaning off the grease and lubricating the bolt with graphite seems appropriate. I will explore this option before we make our next trip with the trailer.
 
 The cardboard box the Leveler arrived in won t stand up to a lot of abuse. In fact, if left out in the rain, it would be history. I ll look for something to coat the box with to make it more durable (polyurethane, lacquer, shellac...), but may make a stronger container from 1/4"  plywood. Something that can take the bouncing, scraping, tossing, stacking, and burying of " real world"  packing procedure. []
 
 One thing that surprised me was the lack of a stated " maximum"  load the Leveler is capable of carrying. Since it is designed to be used with single axle, " lightweight"  trailers, I m assuming this means trailers equipped with *up to* a 3500 lbs. axle. If this is true, the maximum load the Leveler should be capable of lifting is 1750 lbs. But that s a guess. I m just surprised that some lawyer hasn t advised the manufacturer to stipulate what " lightweight"  means.
 
 Ok, there are my first impressions of the BAL leveler. I ll update this post when we actually use it in the wild. But for people who don t know what a BAL Leveler is, hopefully this post will now turn up in a search of PUT s database.

[kathybrj]

 Ab Diver
After our BAL Leveler arrived two weeks ago, I emailed the company to ask about weight limits. I told them we owned a Utah and the response I got was basically, yes, it ll handle our trailer weight, but they refused to give me any kind of actual number.

[NightOwl]

 Ab Diver

 Dave, my TrailManor weighs right around 3,400 pounds loaded and the BAL has no problem in supporting it.  For storage, I simply stowed mine in a couple heavy duty trash bags when on the road.  Then someone mentioned trying a heavy vinyl zipper-bag  like big comforters come in,  so I did that and it works great to protect the BAL from getting dirt and bits of junk  on the grease as well as protecting the trailer floor (where the BAL travels) from getting grease on it.  
 
 This is my second  season for the heavy vinyl bag and it shows no signs of wear.
 
 I hope you enjoy your BAL as much as we do ours.  It is really a wise investment in quick and  accurate and EASY leveling!

[tlhdoc]

 Ab Diver
You did a great job describing the BAL.  I just go mine last week from camping world.  I think it looks good to.

[jdr]

 Ab Diver
We couldn t live without ours.  We also purchased the BAL wheel chock:
 
 http://www.jcwhitney.com/SearchCatContainer.jhtml?_requestid=118148
 
 And an 18v Dewalt drill for the stabilizers, roof and leveler.  They all work very well together.

[MtnCamper]

 jdr
Joe, I couldn t get your link to work so I added another.
 [link=http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=194178&BQ=rv]BAL Wheel Chock[/link].
 
 How does this work, Do you just turn the hex (or is it square) in the middle by hand? Can you get it fairly tight around the tire?

[mike4947]

 Ab Diver
Thank you guys for the BAL single wheel chock. Expensive but after chasing chocks and replacing them under the tires for years between the leveler and the chock that s a thing of the past.
 As for the weight limit IMHO it s because depending on the heft of your family that 1750 (3500/2) could easily be overcome by a " large family"  with lots of heavy gear. I ll bet the leveler has about a 5000 pound tested rating. I know if I produced it I want it to be at least that high just for lawsuit protection.

[wiininkwe]

 Ab Diver
I appreciate the review of the BAL leveler.  I have ben trying to tell DH how great it works after camping with NightOwl last summer at Little River, and seeing hers in action.  This thread is just perfect, all I have to do is print it out, and I bet we ll get one soon.  Thanks.
 T
 []

[jawilson]

 MtnCamper

ORIGINAL:  MtnCamper
 How does this work, Do you just turn the hex (or is it square) in the middle by hand? Can you get it fairly tight around the tire?
 

If that s the case -- and it looks like it might be -- it seems to be a poor design. That hex " nut"  in the middle is probably going to be right on the ground, so when you turn it you re gonna lose a lot of skin off your knuckles.

[jdr]

 jawilson

 

ORIGINAL:  jawilson
 
 

ORIGINAL:  MtnCamper
 How does this work, Do you just turn the hex (or is it square) in the middle by hand? Can you get it fairly tight around the tire?
 

If that s the case -- and it looks like it might be -- it seems to be a poor design. That hex " nut"  in the middle is probably going to be right on the ground, so when you turn it you re gonna lose a lot of skin off your knuckles.
 

 No, it s not a problem - there is plenty of room to get at the connecting nut.  It s a few inches off the ground plus offset in front of the tire.  The nut can easily be turned by hand but for the most part it doesn t need much adjustment.  Just gently kick it on the tire and wiggle it off.  
 
 The only time I needed a wrench was a few nights ago.  I either put it on on a warm day and tried to take it off on a very cold one or vise versa.  Nevertheless, the change in  temperature fiddled with the tire pressure and it wouldn t budge by hand..

[MtnCamper]

 jdr

 

ORIGINAL:  jdr
  it wouldn t budge by hand..
 

That is why I think I want one. The yellow plastic ones from Wally world, seem like just a little better than nothing.

[jdr]

 MtnCamper
In all fairness, you probably do want one.
 
 Before it, I used to bungee two wheel chocks together to make a solid wheel lock.  But I quickly got tired of crawling on the ground while reaching under the camper, behind the wheels fiddling with bungee cords..  
 
 With this chock it s a no-brainer.  Just push it in place and forget about it.

[RamblingWreck]

 Ab Diver

The cardboard box the Leveler arrived in won t stand up to a lot of abuse. In fact, if left out in the rain, it would be history. I ll look for something to coat the box with to make it more durable (polyurethane, lacquer, shellac...), but may make a stronger container from 1/4"  plywood. Something that can take the bouncing, scraping, tossing, stacking, and burying of " real world"  packing procedure

 Dave,
 
 I have one on order.  What are the dimensions or the original box?  I was thinking about getting a plastic storage box about the same size to put it in as that would be lighter than a plywood box.
 

[Surfcal]

 Ab Diver
Hello Dr. Dave:
 
 Longtime listener, first time caller here.
 
 I also purchased the BAL Leveler when you mentioned the sale via the Internet.  I also received it about a week ago and just broke it open yesterday.  I ve yet to try it out on a real camping trip.
 
 I have a small/one-sided Starcraft trailer and I am sure that the BAL will handle it just fine.  I can tell you right now that I am already a convert.  I ve seen it in action at a NNC Rally and it was sweet.
 
 Thought I d thank you for the sale tip.  I got the whole thing purchased and delivered for $52 plus tax.  That s a great deal considering the item was pretty heavy and it only cost $1 to ship.
 
 I like the fact that you actually accomplish a couple of things at once.  It lifts and levels the rig and chalks it.
 
 Have a good day Dr. Dave.
 
 Surfcal

[Ab Diver]

 Ab Diver
Robert, the box dimensions are 3.5"  thick x 21"  *wide* x 20."  *tall*. (kinda like a flat cake box from a bakery.)
 
 One thing I forgot to mention in my first post: The label on the box says the leveler <<Fits most trailers with 13" , 14" , or 15"  tires>>. I guess they are covering their rear bumpers if you have 12"  tires and it doesn t fit. But since it s simply a matter of tire diameter, a piece of plywood placed on each of the tire support pads should give a better fit. For a permanent fix, the plywood could be bolted/screwed to the pads.
 
 Surfcough- glad you were able to take advantage of the sale price. Nice to shave over 30% off some other catalog " sale"  prices, eh? I m still bummed I missed you guys at Olema. I m back to work, but the leg is still kinda stiff. But we ll be there at the Gold Rush Rally, come h*ll or high water!
 
 Oh, and Mike: good point about the load bearing requirements with a " large"  family. I don t think it s quite that much (5000 lbs.), as the stabilizers would also carry part of the load. But I gotta admit, if Eddy Murphy s " Clump"  family ever bought a popup, the BAL might be the only thing on the trailer that doesn t break.[]