Level a Caravan in 7 Easy Steps

Levelling a caravan in 7 easy steps

So you have just found an amazing caravan site (also called a pitch) in the great out doors with an incredible view. The only problem is that it leaves your caravan on an angle and your glass of wine on the bench looking uncomfortably tilted.

To level a caravan:

1. Drive the van into position and place a level across the draw bar.
2. Place levelling blocks in front of the wheels on the lower side.
3. Drive the vehicle forward until the van is level from left to right.
4. Place a chock behind the wheels and apply the hand brake.
5. Fit the jockey wheel and disconnect the caravan.
6. Turn the level so it measures front-to-back and level the caravan using the jockey wheel.
7. Lower and engage the corner steadys.

In a perfect world that’s it … but what if the above doesn’t work (for whatever reason). Now you have a beautiful site but your caravan is on an angle just enough to ruin your night’s sleeps and maybe even cause some issues with your plumbing or gas fridge.

So, below are a list of potential problems and how to fix them.. But first, why would you even need to get your caravan to level in the first place?

The most obvious reason here is comfort! No one wants to sleep feeling like they are going to slide out of bed.  What’s worse, sleeping with your feet above your head can give you heartburn and headaches. Not exactly what you had planned for your relaxing trip away.

The less obvious reason to have your caravan level is that things tend not to stay on the counter tops when set down if the caravan and cabinetry is not level. Nothing worse than cleaning broken glass because your beautifully polished counter tops acted like a first-class ski slope.

The least obvious reason is that appliances may not work correctly if the angle is too severe. Three-way fridges need to be level (within a few degrees if possible) to work efficiently. If the angle is too far out of level, the fridge may not work at all. The other troublesome equipment is usually plumbing. Waste plumbing only relies on gravity to drain the waste from showers and sinks. If the van is on to much of a slope, this water can pool on the floor of the shower or in the piping and causes odours, drainage problems and leave unwanted water hanging around.

You left your level at home

Don’t panic try the following:

• Use an app on your smartphone – (use Measure on iPhones and Bubble Level on Android)
• Fill a glass of water and use it to check progressively (don’t leave it on the draw bar)
• Fill the sink ¼ full and use it to gauge the level (use this water for washing dishes later!)
• Use a bottle/glass/jar/can and see if it rolls left to right, then front to back on the floor. This is by far the least desired method as caravan floors are not always flat and round objects are not always symmetrically balanced but its resourceful if nothing else.

Hot Tip: Remember the bubble of a spirit level always goes to the higher side!

You left your levelling ramps at home

• Find some blocks of wood/bricks to raise the low side though this may mean you have to jack the caravan up on the low side to get the blocks under the wheels.
• Build a ramp out of rocks and compacted earth – be prepared for some hard work though.
• Mark the high side wheels and approximate the height difference then move the caravan and dig out the high side down to level.
• If all else fails, change the orientation or location of the caravan so that you have the caravan level from left to right. Remember you can always use the jockey wheel to level the caravan front to back.

Do you need to purchase levelling blocks?

The answer to this question is almost always yes but here is a good test to see if it is worth it:

1. Ask your self how much an hour of your time is worth? $25 per hour? $50 per hour?
2. Next ask yourself how many times over the life of your caravan ownership you will likely have to set up the caravan level? (hint how many times a year do you set up your caravan multiplied by how many years you intend on keeping it)
3. Multiply the number from 2 by 0.2
4. Multiply the result from 3 by your answer from 1.
5. If the result from 4 is more than $50 … you are literally wasting money by not buying ramps as they will save you time in the long run.. How much time? The result from 3 is the number of hours it will take setting up your caravan over the life of your ownership
   (based on 12 minutes set up each time).

The ramps we use and love are Split ramps for tandem axle caravans. These are great for levelling a dual axle (AKA tandem axle) caravan. They are light weight, strong, and the positive engagement of the wheel chock to the ramp gives us piece of mind.

Why is driving forward up the ramps preferable?

The main reason here is that caravan brakes in most cases are the electric drum variety. This means the handbrake operates by acting on a cam and wedging the brake shoes against the drum. The important bit of this is that the handbrake is far more effective if the brake shoes last acted while the vehicle was moving forward. If the handbrake is applied after braking in reverse, the shoes are left in a slightly different position and this reduces the effectiveness of the hand brake.

The other reason is that it is easier to judge how far you have driven and the speed you are going when creeping forward rather than in reverse.

What if you cannot level your caravan front to back?

This may happen if you are parked on a hill with vehicle facing up the hill. The problem with this is that to get the caravan level front to back, the jockey wheel does not fit in to position as the ground is tto close to the draw bar.

Firstly, before you unhitch the caravan from the vehicle, try to set the jockey wheel in its minimum position. After unhitching if the caravan’s nose is still too low, you may either move the van up the levelling ramps to gain some height, add some packers under the levelling blocks, or dig the ground away under the hitch. In most cases reorienting the caravan is the most sensible solution. This can be done by turning the caravan so it traverses the hill rather than climbing straight up it. You do not necessarily need to rotate it a full 90 degrees, 30 or 40 degrees may be sufficient but this may then require you to level the caravan side to side.

The converse to this is also true if you parked your caravan with the nose pointing down the hill. In this case you will need to use packers under the jockey wheel to gain the height required. Reorienting the caravan may also be required to reduce the difference in height depending on the slope.

If all else fails – use a jack!

If you have got almost everything right but you can’t quite get enough height, use your caravan’s jack to raise the low side and then place packers under the wheels or levelling ramps. Jacking a 3 tonne caravan can be a dangerous endeavour so be sure to take the following precautions:

• Leave the safety chains connected to the vehicle – this will prevent a roll away in the worst case.
• Check the hand brake is applied adequately to both the vehicle and caravan.
• If you have a break away system, pulling the pin will engage the brakes on all braked axles but don’t leave it out for too long as this will drain the battery.
• Use wheel chocks on the opposite side
• Use only designated jacking points.
• If these designated jacking points are unknown, the tubular chassis or beneath the suspension spring mounts are a good option.
• Use the correct jack and if you have an option avoid the use of the unstable scissor type jacks. These have a tendency to be very unstable if not used on flat, level ground.
• Try to place the jack on firm solid ground. This may mean using some boards and packers to build a level platform from which to jack.
• Never place any part of your body beneath a suspended load – it only takes a second for things to go pear shaped and this could change the rest of your life.

If you don’t have a decent caravan jack as part of your current equipment, check out the Kojack. This is designed specifically for caravans and RVs. It makes the experience of jacking safe and easy. In fact this jack is so good, many manufacturers are starting to put these into their new build caravans as a standard feature.

That about wraps it up for this article. As always we would love to hear your thoughts so either leave us a comment of send us a Pinterest Pin of your favourite caravan levelling solutions. And remember as my father always says

“Take the time it takes, so it takes less time”

As always, we hope to see you somewhere in this amazing world of ours.