shhhhh, don't tell DH.....

[wiininkwe]

For his Father's Day present, DH is gonna get a new BAL leveler.  In fact, he will probably get it for a Memorial Day gift, since that will most likely be our first trip out.   I finally got tired of listening to the colorful and inventive language that he always uses while he's trying to level the camper.   It seems to usually follow the same theme, something about the camper's Mother, and that it doesn't have a Father, well, you get the picture.   Even the dog runs and hides til he gets this chore done. This should make the camping experience so much nicer for all of us.
T

[4campinfoxes]

If he is anything like my DH the agitation level will decrease dramatically!!!  

We love ours, it may be one thing that will help keep our marriage together!!!     Leveling & positioning the trailer was just not a good job for us to handle together.

Sharon

[angelsmom10]

Out of our rotten weekend, that was the best thing.  Backed PU into spot, just had to raise the tongue a little to balance all the way around.
 
That won't happen again, I'm sure

[birol]

I have watched John level his 25' Kiwi and it wasn't fun  at all ! I think a bal leveler will be the first thing after I get my PU !

[David Roder]

So being new to this be patient with me.  Is a BAL leveler the thing that looks like a jack you use when you get a flat tire?  They cost like $70.?  If so, why can't you just use your car jack?  Another question I have on this, how many levels do you use, one on each straight edge of the pu or one in the center or what?

[wiininkwe]

Yes, the BAL is the thing that you put under the tire on the low side.  It raises the camper so that you can level it from side to side, without having to use all kinds of little pieces of wood or lynx levelers or bricks and rocks.   We always used a hydraulic jack to raise the camper, but if the ground isn't level you wouldn't want to keep it there, too unstable.  The BAL stays right in place til you crank it down to leave.
T

[tlhdoc]

So being new to this be patient with me.  Is a BAL leveler the thing that looks like a jack you use when you get a flat tire?  They cost like $70.?  If so, why can't you just use your car jack?  Another question I have on this, how many levels do you use, one on each straight edge of the pu or one in the center or what?

It is a tire lift.  It lifts one tire (the one on the low side of the PU) off the ground to level the PU.  Your car jack would be unstable to support the PU, with people walking around inside of the PU.

I have one and love it.

[Camping Coxes]

without having to use all kinds of little pieces of wood or lynx levelers or bricks and rocks.

Which when the tires slip off the rock you've strategically placed under the low side of the trailer at the very unlevel and silty dirt campsite, allows the tongue of the trailer to put a nice gash in DH's new-to-him Suburban.  OOPSY!
 
We got a BAL for Christmas, and we're going to try it out this weekend, though we've been told the sites are pretty level.  But even if it's perfectly level, that thing's coming out of the box!  Very few things that I've shown DH for the trailer has he oohed and aahed over, but the BAL was one of those things he definitely was impressed with.

[topcat7736]

For a big free meal, I might not tell Rick!  

Well, for leveling I use the tried & true Lynx Levelers and the neat chock that attaches to it (both available in the PUT store). A long time ago, on one of the prior PUT boards, someone came up with an easy way to use the levelers. Put a long sticky level on the tongue when you're on level ground and mark the edges of the bubble. Back up one side onto a leveler & mark where the bubble moves too. The distance raised for each additional level will be the same, so just put marks evenly spaced on each side of the original bubble. When you get to a site, back in, look to see how many levels are needed & just put that many under the low side wheel. (Besides, my wheels are too small for the BAL & it wasn't known about when I bought the Lynx).

[Steve-o-bud]

My wife got me a BAL leveler as a gift, and it was one of the best gifts she has given me. Cranking the thing up can be some work, but it is much better then trying to somehow chock the wheel when it is on blocks!

One of my amigos also bought one, and he uses a cordless impact wrench to crank the thing up. That is way cool. He also uses his impact wrench to crank down his stabilizers. He's trying to figure out how to use the wrench to crank up the roof.