Levelling your camper

[ronerjones]

This has not been much of an issue for me so far but I have a very important question about leveling. Up until now I have only camped at specified camp grounds that provide a nice level pad to park on. I have only had to wory about leveling front to back and up we go.

I am planning to camp in November in an area that is just ground by the side of a lake. I could find an area that is pretty level but most likely it will be on a slight slant. I have seen the things you clamp to the wheel of the trailer to jack it up. Is this actuall going to be necessary, and/or is there another solution for levelling? Other than having a trailer on a slant do I risk any damage to the PUP if I am not level?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks.

[haroldPE]

Wood!

The clamp on device you mention is a Bal single tire light trailer leveler.  No, you do not need this. You can use 2x6 boards.  I have not used them - I used Lynx levelers (like legos), but I would surmise you can get by very well with 2x6's 1 each of the following lengths:  12", 18", 24".  This will get you  up to a total of 4-1/2".  

Like I said, I haven't used wood, but it is used by many, and some others should chime in to help.

[austinado16]

I'm a huge fan of the "BAL Leveler."  Best $52 I've spent on the PUP.

Here's why I like it.
1) I can park my PUP anywhere I want.....in other words, unhitch from the truck and wheel it to where I want.

2) Leveling side to side then takes about a minute.  

3) Then level front to back using the tongue jack and it's time to pop up.

If you use wood or lynx levelers, you really need to have your TV push the PUP up onto them, and you need to be watching the level....well, have someone watching the level while you do so, so you know when to stop raising by backing up or pulling forward.

To me, it's worth the $52 to by high speed, low drag.  Amertized over the number of times I'll use it, both here at home, and at the campsite, it's cheap.

And to your question about being level and doing damage.

Yes, there is potential to damage your lift system if you pop up and aren't level.  Also, unless you are level, you will damage your ammonia absorbtion fridge permanently.

[AustinBoston]

The easiest-to-use system is the BAL leveler.  The cheapest is the scrap wood system.  I use Lynx levelers, which come somewhere in between, both on price and functionality.

Austin

[bud121156]

BAL leveler

[flyfisherman]

I'm a woody myself. Use either a 2X6 or a 1X6 (both are about a foot long). I scrounged both pieces from a building site in my neighborhood, meaning the cost was zero. Someone mentioned the BAL leveler only set them back $52.00 ~ hey! ... that's 52 dollars worth of valuable fishing tackle money!  Can't be swandering fishing tackle money on non-essentials!



Fly

[brainpause]

Just don't use your stabilizers to level the camper.

Larry, member of the orange Lynx club

[fallsrider]

I use this leveling board. I made it with a 5/4x6 pressure treated decking board. Each section is glued and screwed together. It gives 1" lift per board, and I can lift up to 4". I also had enough left over to make 5 sand pads, each about 8" long.

I strap this board to my trailer tongue with bungees between the propane tank and camper body. This was a good cheap solution to me, and I don't have to deal with grease. It doesn't take much time to decide where the board goes, and my levels show how many inches of lift I need, so I usually get the right amount of lift the first time. If I know I need 2", I just drive up onto the 2nd level.

Labor Day weekend, though, I fooled myself. The campsite area was very sloped, but the parking pad was gravel and just slightly off-level. I saw on the level that I needed about 1" of lift, so I put the board down and drove up on it. Wrong side! My FIL hollers out that the bubble went the wrong way. So, we did it again on the other side. I would have made that same mistake with the BAL, though. The slope around the site gave me the false illusion of the slope going the other way. All weekend long while walking back from the bath house approaching the site, my camper looked out of level. But the levels read level, and once inside, it felt perfectly level.

My observation has been that if you use 2x6's, also take some 1x6's. My experience so far is that I don't want more than 1" increments in lift. Usually, 1" is slightly too much, so if I only had 2x6's, that problem would be even worse.

[SherryandFamily]

We pull up on a hard plastic thingy with two levels, sorta steps.  That way you can pull up a little, then more if not enough.

we have camped a few places where the "slant" was so severe we dug a hole for the high side tire.  Just a thought if you have a serious leveling problem.

Sherry

[austinado16]

...Someone mentioned the BAL leveler only set them back $52.00 ~ hey! ... that's 52 dollars worth of valuable fishing tackle money!  Can't be swandering fishing tackle money on non-essentials!  Fly

Hey, I'm no idiot.....I took that money out of my daughter's smore fund.  Daddy's not going without his gadgets and mods, and let's face it, she can only cry so long before either passing out or falling asleep.  Either way, it's silent again!

[wavery]

YA!!! Wood's a good idea

[haroldPE]

Bal is definately NOT the easiest to use, unless you have a drill to crank it.  It adds time to both setup (cranking the little wrench for several minutes) and tear-down (again wrench turning, when you simply pull of the lynx or boards).

Don't get me wrong - I now use the Bal and love it, but only with a drill, 'u'-joint adapter and 3/4" socket.  The little wrench is a PITA.

Bal is a luxury item, not a 'need'.

The easiest-to-use system is the BAL leveler.  The cheapest is the scrap wood system.  I use Lynx levelers, which come somewhere in between, both on price and functionality.
 
 Austin

[ronerjones]

Great info to go on. I think I will try out the wood version since I only need it for November. I do not plan to camp off the beat and path because mama doesn't do that. I do take my girls camping every November (thats strictly Dad and My 2 daughters) till now we have tented but now that we have the PUP I don't think they want to tent.

I am interested in the level that shows how many inches off you are. Can you tell me where you found that.

[flyfisherman]

I am interested in the level that shows how many inches off you are. Can you tell me where you found that.

There are all kinds of levels, certainly the RV stores have all kinds and even seen a set at Wal-Mart. Usually these types adhere to the camper (after it has been leveled) so that when setting up in the future you can just take a glance and see where your at. I've got a set of these (a birthday or holiday gift) but have never installed them. Instead, I have a "torpedo" level which is about 10" long (sort of a short version of a carpenter's level) and centering the bubble means whatever is being checked is level. I like this "shorty" level as there are three or four places I like to check to make sure the camper is level. And, if need be, the little leveler can be used in other applications whereas the one attached to the camper are there and there only! Don't remember the cost, but was not very mcuh ... maybe ten bucks.

When I first pull into/back into a camping site, while the camper is still hitched, I check the side to side level. If off, I correct with a wood block (or dig the opposite side down with my trusty entrecnching tool), anyway, when the side to side is straight, I then unhitch and then level fore and aft (front to back) using the tounge jack. Then it's popup time and after that's completed, drop the stabilizers and re-check the front to rear level again. Very quickly finish any other immediate set-up camp task, then get out the fly rod and head for the river.




Fly

[fallsrider]

I am interested in the level that shows how many inches off you are. Can you tell me where you found that.

I got mine from Camping World and they work great. I later saw them at WalMart.

What I did was get my PUP perfectly level with a 2' level in the center of the floor inside. I then added clear 100% silicone on the back of the levels around the edges (not over the adhesive). I pressed the levels on (reading level of course) and spread the silicone smooth with my finger where it had squeezed out around the edges. Check again that they are reading level and adjust if necessary before the caulk cures. The silicone helps the levels stay put even better than just the factory installed double-sided tape.