Travel Trailer Leveling Tips
While you may hope that you can just park your travel trailer at your campsite and start your vacation as soon as you arrive, the truth is that there is some set-up involved. Taking the time to level your travel trailer will ensure that your trailer is comfortable and that all its systems function properly. A travel trailer that is parked on uneven ground and allowed to remain unbalanced is going to feel unsteady beneath you. Water may even pool in your shower drain!
How do you level a travel trailer, then? McGovern's RV & Marine, located in Grande Prairie, is your Alberta travel trailer dealer. We’ve drawn up this quick guide to the process so that you can swiftly level your travel trailer and get down to relaxing as soon as possible.
1. Find a Good Spot
You may not have a lot of options when it comes to where exactly you park your travel trailer, especially at an RV park, but hopefully there you would have a concrete pad that’s reasonably even. If you’re boondocking or parking your trailer on dirt, try to find a spot that’s firm and as even as possible. Remove large rocks or pebbles that might be likely to knock your trailer off-balance. Avoid parking on gravel or sand, as these materials will sink under the weight of your trailer and make it impossible to level.
2. Level From Side to Side
Now it’s time to level your travel trailer from side to side. Keep the trailer attached to your towing vehicle and use a level (a handy, compact and low-tech tool that’s readily available at any hardware store) to ascertain how your trailer is unbalanced. Shift the entire unit forward a bit by driving a few inches, then place leveling blocks or boards where you want your trailer tires to sit.
Get back in your towing vehicle, reverse into position and park. Use your level to check the evenness of the trailer once again and keep adjusting. You’ll have to drive back and forth by small fractions many times to do this, but your trailer should be level from left to right by the end.
3. Secure & Disconnect Your Trailer
Once your trailer is leveled, place chocks or blocks in front of and behind each of its wheels. These blocks will keep the trailer from shifting and becoming unbalanced again. Disconnect your towing vehicle from your trailer and drive the vehicle out of the way so you can resume the leveling process.
4. Level From Front to Back
Take your level and check to see how unbalanced the front and back of your trailer currently are. Raise and lower the hitch using your jack until the trailer is level from front to back and then lock your hitch in place when you’re done.
5. Stabilize Your Travel Trailer
This last step is crucial to keeping your trailer level for the duration of your stay. Travel trailers have stabilizers at the corners which act as jacks to keep the trailer firmly in place. There may be a tool to raise and lower the travel trailer stabilizers or a means of automatically deploying them. Press each jack firmly into the ground without shoving it so hard that you break it.
It may be tempting to use the jacks to level the whole trailer, but they’re simply not strong enough to perform this job. They’ll also make it a lot more difficult if you try to use this “shortcut.” Only use your jacks to lock the trailer in place when you’re finished with the leveling process outlined above.
These tips should help to make the leveling process simple and reasonably quick, and you’ll have a much better and more comfortable vacation for having done this. When you’re ready to check out some models, visit our dealership in Grande Prairie, AB, to take a look at our wide stock of new and used travel trailers for sale. We even offer financing options to help you with your travel trailer purchase. McGovern’s RV & Marine proudly serves the greater Edmonton, AB, metropolitan area.