Are you looking for an easy-to-follow guide on leveling your travel trailer?
You’re in the right place!
In this LearningRV.com guide, you’ll learn:
- Picking the right spot
- What you’ll need to get it level
- Step by step to leveling your travel trailer
- And much more!
Picture this: you have bought a new trailer, and you’re excited to try it out. So, you play about six or seven different scenarios in your head of how you will park it and unhitch your truck.
Then, a thought crosses your mind:
“What if I unhitch my vehicle, and one side of the trailer ends up higher than the other?”
Fortunately, while leveling your camper can seem like a daunting task, it is not impossible. With the right tools, some elbow grease, and patience, you will have a level travel trailer in no time.
Keep reading to learn more about how to level a travel trailer!
Table of Contents
First Things First: Picking Your Parking Spot
Leveling your trailer is all about establishing equilibrium. The first step to preventing a lopsided trailer is choosing the right parking spot.
Now, granted, no patch of grass or dirt will be perfectly flat.
There will be obstacles like roots and rocks — everything you will likely come across in the great outdoors. To make life easier, you need to clear whatever debris you can.
Besides a debris-free parking spot, you also need to think about the ground’s stability. Your camper or trailer will be heavy, weighing at least a ton.
For this reason, you need to do your best to avoid soft patches of land.
Even if you use many leveling blocks, your camper will sink into soft ground, so pick a campsite where the ground is stable and hard.
Lastly, no campsite will be completely flat. This is a reality you will need to accept and learn to work with.
However, you should still try to pick a campsite that is as level as possible.
Related >> Make Sure You Know The Height and Width of Your Travel Trailer
What You Will Need for a Level Camper or Trailer
Besides your towing vehicle and your trailer, you will need a few things to keep your trailer balanced. The tools and equipment will determine how you will level your camper or trailer.
Here are some of the things you might need for your trailer leveling efforts. To be clear, you do not need to have all of these on hand:
- A set of leveling blocks or wedge levelers
- A tongue jack-based leveling system (which most likely comes with your trailer)
- A bubble level
For added stability, a set of wheel stabilizers can come in handy. Some campers have also used x-chocks, but these require a bit of expertise — not good for first-time campers.
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How To Level a Trailer Using Leveling Blocks (5 Easy Steps)
Leveling blocks enable you to equally balance loads of your trailer from side to side.
To use leveling blocks, you need to drive your trailer on top of them. You may have to keep doing this as you add or subtract more blocks.
Once you reach the level you desire, you can stabilize the wheels and unhitch your vehicle.
The steps to leveling your camper with leveling blocks are:
- Estimating how many blocks to use
- Driving your trailer over the blocks
- Adjusting as needed
- Stabilizing the wheels of your camper
- Using your tongue jack to lower your trailer’s landing gear
Step 1: Estimate the Number of Blocks You Will Need
Leveling blocks usually come in sets. Each block has certain dimensions. To minimize the number of times you need to drive, estimate how many blocks you will use.
Once you have, set your leveling blocks in front of your trailer’s tires.
Step 2: Drive Your Trailer Over the Blocks
You might need to drive your wheels over leveling blocks a few times to get to the right level. Of course, drive your towing vehicle slowly.
Step 3: Adjust as Needed
Depending on your desired level, you might have to add or subtract blocks.
Continue adjusting and driving over your blocks until you are happy with your camper’s level of balance.
To check whether or not your trailer is level, use bubble level indicators. For the best results, have three: two for the sides and one for either the front or rear.
Step 4: Stabilize the Wheels of Your Camper or Trailer
Using wheel stabilizers will ensure that your camper or trailer does not roll off the blocks.
Step 5: Lower (or Raise) Your Trailer’s Landing Gear
Use the tongue jack mechanism to adjust the height of your trailer in the front. Many trailers have landing gear with a solid base plate.
If yours does not have one, use one of your leveling blocks to prevent the landing gear from sinking.
Once you have adjusted your trailer’s height in the front, you can now unhitch your towing vehicle.
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How To Level a Trailer Using Wedge Levelers (6 Quick Steps)
Wedge levelers like Anderson levelers act in a similar way to leveling blocks.
More efficient, wedge leveling systems do not need you to estimate how many you need to use. Instead, all you need to do is adjust using a second wedge.
Just like when using leveling blocks, you still need to drive. To safely use wedge levelers, follow these steps:
- Place the wedges either in front of your tires or behind them
- Drive in the direction you have placed your wedges
- Secure the wedges with chocks
- Stabilize the wheels
- Unhitch your towing vehicle
Step 1: Place the Wedges Either in Front of Your Tires or Behind Them
You can only drive in one direction. So, depending on where you want to go, place all your wedges in the same direction so you can drive over them.
Step 2: Drive in the Direction You Have Placed Your Wedges
Back up or advance in the direction you have placed your wedges. Drive slowly to keep the wedge levelers from flying off.
Step 3: Secure The Wedges
Wedge levelers usually come with chocks.
These chocks keep the levelers from falling, thereby allowing the trailer to roll off or become unleveled.
As you push the chocks under the wedges, push them in as tight as you can. Using a rubber mallet can be a great idea.
Step 4: Stabilize the Wheels
Use the wheel stabilizers to keep the wheels from accidentally rolling off the levelers.
Step 5: Lower (or Raise) Your Trailer’s Landing Gear
Use the tongue jack mechanism to adjust the height of your trailer in the front. If the landing gear lacks a base, use a rock or leveling block.
You can even use an extra wedge leveler.
Step 6: Unhitch Your Vehicle
Once you have performed all five steps, you are now ready to unhitch your towing vehicle.
Read More >> How To Use Stabilizer Jacks (5 Easy Steps)
Leveling A Travel Trailer FAQs
One of the most commonly asked questions is about determining the level of the camper.
We also receive questions involving problems encountered when using wedge levelers.
Let’s have a look into these questions in more detail. Hopefully, our answers help you out too.
Bubble levelers can help you determine if your trailer is slanted somewhere. A good idea is to attach two on either side and one close to where the tongue jack is.
The bubble in the vial will stay in the middle when the trailer is level.
It is actually quite easy to remove the chocks. All you need to do is move your trailer in the direction of the wedge leveler. This will ease some of the pressure off the chocks, allowing you to dislodge them.
This is a nightmare situation for anyone trying to dislodge the wedge levelers. If this happens to you, don’t panic.
All you need to do is nudge your vehicle in one direction slightly. After that, you will find that you will be able to remove some of the chocks and levelers.
Then, move your vehicle in the opposite direction. Do this enough times until you can remove all the levelers and chocks.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are using leveling blocks or wedge levelers, learning how to level a travel trailer takes just a bit of patience and effort.
Establishing a level camper or trailer might seem like a lot of work. In reality, doing it is a pretty straightforward process.
Make sure to keep your leveling systems clean and maintained for maximum safety.
If you happen to smash your finger during this process, remember RICE:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevate
Most of the time, though, things will go according to plan without hiccups!
Go out into the outdoors and start camping in your RV!
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