A few entries ago, I shared a tip for leveling your RV side to side when camping in the boondocks. Given the amount of interest in that entry, I will share another leveling tip for fifth wheel and travel trailer owners that involves front to rear leveling.
When you’re logging long miles and pull off the road just to catch a few Z’s for the night, the last thing you want to do is take the time to unhitch, just to hitch back up to leave the next morning.
If you have a level campsite you can just stay hooked up, but what do you do when the campsite slopes to the front or rear so much that you are unable to level your towable RV without unhitching? (Keep in mind, if your choice of overnight accommodations is a Walmart or other box store, many consider it poor etiquette to unhitch the RV during your stay.)
One option is to raise the back end of the tow vehicle, which in turn may raise the front of your towable RV enough to obtain level. As a frugal RVer, I encounter this scenario quite often, as you take what you can get at free or low-cost campsites, like the boondocks, primitive campgrounds, or Walmart.
Since you can orient your RV however you want in most instances, if faced with no level options, I will choose a campsite that leaves the nose of the RV low.
I then take the leveling blocks I would normally use to level my trailer side to side and place them under the rear tires of my tow vehicle. Typically this raises the front of the trailer high enough that I can gain the additional lift I need to level the RV with the trailer’s tongue jack, and front stabilizing jacks foregoing the need to unhitch.
Make sure to use blocks under your tongue jack and stabilizing jacks to avoid damaging the asphalt when camping at Walmart or other establishments that allow free overnight parking.
Another advantage of staying hooked up is that the trailer has little front to rear rocking motion while hitched to the tow vehicle, eliminating the need to chock the wheels or install wheel locks, making your morning departure that much easier.
Creative leveling, just another adventure in RVing!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
I did not see any suggestions on how to apply this technique to a fifth wheel trailer. I suppose you could use the fifth wheel jacks to lift the tow vehicle, but I have concerns about the load placed on the fifth wheel jacks.
“Learn how to level your fifth wheel or travel trailer easily without having to unhitch your tow vehicle. “
Same principle – raise the back of the truck via blocks get the fifth wheel level or “close” to level, then use the front jacks on the fifth wheel to stabilize or to finish the leveling job. Remember using your jacks to raise the back of the truck is not lifting the truck, but rather unloading the weight of your fifth wheel from the truck’s suspension.
I generally unhitch the trailer but leave my truck in place to adhere (mostly) to etiquette, then level as needed in any direction. Hitch back up in the morning and I’m on my way.
I know, as with most things, these decisions are somewhat subjective, but the opinions of the experienced members help all of us. Thanks in advance!
This is a great way to solve a problem for a tow vehicle which is lower than the RV. But due to a 3″ lift kit on my truck (before I bought it) I have the opposite problem. Seems I need to look for a campsite that raises (instead of lowers) the front of the RV. Thanks for the tips.
in that case wouldn’t it be effective to put those blocks under the trailer wheels?
We have a 5th wheel trailer and I guess I am lucky that mine travels very level between truck and trailer.
The few times I have not unhitched I just put down the front jacks for stability and let it go at that.
Stabilizing jacks are meant to stabilize, not lift the trailer. Damage could occur and may not be covered under a warrantee.
Sounds like a good idea, but I would like to include using the tow vehicles (truck, suv etc…) emergency brake to keep everything steady.
This is pretty simple and it applies to lifted trucks or stock height vehicles. Also the principal is the same regardless if it is a travel trailer or a fifth wheel. If you raise the rear of the tow vehicle it raises the front of the trailer, if you raise the front of the tow vehicle it lowers the front of the trailer. It is based on a fulcrum, lift one end the other hoes down. If the trailer is low you put it on blocks, sometimes it takes a combination of blocks depending on the level of the trailer.
Your article suggests using the front stabilizer jacks for leveling the trailer. Only tire blocks and the tongue jack should be used for leveling. Attempting to change the level using the stabilizers may result in bending the trailer frame.
Thanks for the info! Wondering if you could confirm something for me. It would seem to me that when trailer is attached to the tow vehicle with front stabilizer jacks down, the rear stabilizers are not needed. Would you agree?
I’m not a master internet searching, but I can’t find anything on this.
Two less steps in the evening and morning!