Driveway and setup leveling...

Jay_and_Kat · June 2023

Our driveway has a fairly decent front to back slope away from the house and after reading the "Scary newbie unhitching mistake" topic got me to thinking. Would it be both safe (first and foremost) and worth the effort (relatively minimal) to knock together a couple of "wheel lifts" out of some 2x12s I've got laying around? Basically, when I've got the camper in the drive, side-to-side is just about dead level, but front-to-back I end up with the tongue nearly on the pavement. The tongue jack is cranked almost as high as it will go and I don't have any blocks under it.

I use a "foot pad" rather than the wheel in the drive, partly because I don't want to have to worry about the front end turning or rolling (I do put a pair of rubber chocks from Harbor Freight behind both tires.)

What I'm thinking the 2x12s will do is lift the back end up so I don't have to crank down as much in front. I'm thinking each lift would be two, maybe three high (ends cut on an angle,) with enough flat on the top block to sit my chocks entirely on the block. Worth it?

Needless to say, these would end up being rather heavy and wouldn't be going to campsites with us (that's what the lego block levelers and an Anderson wedge level are for)

Marceline · June 2023

Do you always park the T@B in the same place? If so, here's my suggestion. Rather than making two separate lifts (one for each tire), just put your 1X12 across the entire parking spot. You will need to pin it somehow so it can't slip (use rebar to make a pin that goes through the board into the driveway?) If you often park the camper by yourself it would be nice to have some kind of stop at the back edge of the board so you could feel when it was time to stop backing up. I'm not sure I'd try to make a stack that was taller than two boards.

Or you could try something like this

Jay_and_Kat · June 2023

@Marceline I wish we could store it in the driveway, but we can't, it only gets to the driveway when we're prepping for a trip or the winter, so pinning the blocks to the driveway is a no-go. Plus, and OK, I didn't point this out, the only way to get the camper in the drive to work on it, I have to pull the tow vehicle in first, get everything in the drive, then un-hitch and pull the rest of the way into the garage.

So if I make these, the typical method of using them would be:

Get tow vehicle in the drive with the camper behind me
Once at the right point, stop, and either have the wife put the blocks in front of the wheels, or put it in park and parking brake and put them in place myself
Pull forward, pulling the camper up on the blocks. Likely, I'd put a "stopper" strip to keep from pulling too far forward and going off the end
Chock the wheels, lower the tongue jack to get it off the hitch, pull forward, level front-to-back

Marceline · June 2023

Jay_and_Kat said:

@Marceline I wish we could store it in the driveway, but we can't, it only gets to the driveway when we're prepping for a trip or the winter, so pinning the blocks to the driveway is a no-go. Plus, and OK, I didn't point this out, the only way to get the camper in the drive to work on it, I have to pull the tow vehicle in first, get everything in the drive, then un-hitch and pull the rest of the way into the garage.

If that's the case, I'd think about getting the ramps in the link I posted above. Unless you're really keen to make something yourself.

Jay_and_Kat · June 2023

Marceline said:
If that's the case, I'd think about getting the ramps in the link I posted above. Unless you're really keen to make something yourself.

OK, my fault, the link didn't open on my phone when I clicked it and I forgot all about going to check it from a PC (which I just did.) Those look tempting, the main advantage to taking a saw to some 2x12s is, well, I've got the 2x12s and screws to hold it all together, rather than spending $70-90...

Granted, my 2x12s are cupped a fair bit and that might cause some problems...

Slackers · June 2023

If this were my project, I'd assemble 2x12s with cupping toward the ground.

Denny16 · June 2023

I use a concrete foundation pier to level the trailer front to back at home in the drive. You can also get small purpose made pedestals, Camco has one, that can pe p,aced under the tongue Jack )with the wheel removed) to help level the trailer on a large incline.
cheers

Driveway and setup leveling...

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