Best Way To Stabilize A Travel Trailer: 4 Top Tips

If you own a travel trailer, then it's likely that at some point, you've pitched up on a campsite for a few restful days only to find that your trailer is rocking from side to side every time you climb into it or walk around inside.

Having an unlevel trailer is not just frustrating but can actually be quite dangerous and can cause damage to the trailer itself. So, it's vital that you know exactly how to get it level every time you park it up.

In this guide, we've taken a close look at the equipment you'll need, the downsides of having an unlevel trailer, and the steps it takes to get it nice and level every time.

Why Does My Travel Trailer Rock So Much?

Travel trailers have a suspension system fitted with springs so they glide smoothly along the road behind your tow vehicle when you're driving. Your travel trailer also has a set of bouncy wheels that help to evenly distribute the weight of the travel trailer and give it support.

Due to the bouncy nature of the suspension and tires, it shouldn't be too surprising that your travel trailer tends to move around a lot when people are climbing in and out of it, and it has people walking around inside.

Suppose you own a modern fifth wheel or motor home. In that case, it will most likely have electric stabilizing jacks and automatic leveling jacks fitted, so you won't need to worry about stabilizing it yourself.

However, most travel trailers still need to be stabilized manually, which can take a fair bit of work but isn't too difficult once you know how to do it.

The Equipment You Need For A Stable RV

Before you begin to stabilize your travel trailer, you need to make sure you have the right tools ready to use. It's always good to bear in mind that it's better to have too many different types of RV stabilizers with you rather than too few so that you can make your camping trip as comfortable as possible.

Wheel chocks

Wheel chocks are relatively simple pieces of equipment that are used to keep the travel trailer wheels in place. They're placed behind the wheels to stop them from rolling back and to aid in the stabilization process.

Although they're not the most glamourous piece of kit you'll ever encounter, they're absolutely essential to keeping your travel trailer nice and stable.

Leveling blocks

Leveling blocks, as the name suggests, keep your travel trailer level even when it's on uneven terrain and prevent it from bouncing around all over the place when people are walking around inside.

There are two types of these blocks: the ramp type and the block type. The ramp types double up as wheel chocks, which is pretty handy.

The block types can be adjusted in increments of 1 inch, and it may take a few attempts to get the level suitable for your trailer.

RV stabilizer jacks

Stabilizer jacks, or leveling jacks, are found on most travel trailers, and despite the two names, they are only used as RV stabilizers rather than as levelers.

Your stabilizer jacks will extend down to the ground from underneath your RV frame, and you will either have electric or manual jacks.

Stabilizer jacks are not built to support much weight. They are only supposed to be used as travel trailer stabilizers, so you should never use them to level your trailer as this could damage the stabilizer jacks, the trailer structure, the trailer frame, and your furniture.

How To Stabilize Travel Trailers

Here's a step-by-step guide on stabilizing a travel trailer.

1. The initial leveling process

be prepared

The most critical step when stabilizing your travel trailer is leveling. It would be best if you got this part right as you won't be able to carry out the other steps effectively. It's similar to laying down solid foundations when building a house, so you should take your time to make sure it's done correctly.

Many trailers will have leveling bubbles attached to the trailer front, but if not, you need to make sure you have a hand level that you carry with you.

Check the campsite

Before arriving at your pitch, look at the ground you'll be parking your trailer on and see how level it is. If it's really flat and even, you might not need to use leveling blocks to raise up one side of the trailer. However, the chances are that you will need to use them.

Move the trailer to the pitch

Move the trailer to the pitch and drive slightly past where you plan to park it so that you can pull the trailer back onto the leveling blocks. Tow the trailer onto the blocks and then check that it's almost level side to side.

Level front to back

Once your trailer is up on the leveling blocks and is level side to side, you need to disconnect it from the tow vehicle and lower or raise the trailer front using the tongue jack to get it level front to back.

2. Apply the wheel chocks

Even if you're using the ramp style of leveling blocks, which can act as wheel chocks, you should still apply chocks to all four wheels just to be on the safe side. If you're using the block type, then you will need to check all four wheels as standard.

3. Apply the RV stabilizer jacks

Now it's time to stabilize the travel trailer with the stabilizer jacks. Even if you're using scissor jacks, you'll need to place some leveling blocks or jack pads underneath them in all four corners before you lower them to stop them from sinking into the ground.

Then lower the four stabilizers until they're firmly set on the jack pads or leveling blocks. During the time that you're camping, you may need to adjust the stabilizer jacks to keep the trailer level as the ground settles beneath them.

Remember, stabilizer jacks are not meant to take the trailer's total weight, and they need to be more than halfway open by the time they're holding any weight, so make sure that you don't place them on blocks or pads that are too high off the ground.

4. Use X-Chocks if needed

If your trailer is still rocking once you've completed this process, you can try using some X-Chocks for extra support. X-Chocks keep the wheels from moving by putting pressure from tire to tire. However, these metal ratcheting devices can't be used on a single axle trailer.

Can I Start Leveling While The Slides Are Out?

It would be best never to extend your slide-outs until the trailer is leveled, as these systems need balance to work properly. If you extend them before the trailer is level, it can cause mechanical issues and will result in significant wear over time.

The slides may still work if you extend them before leveling, but it will damage them in the long run. Therefore, when un-leveling the trailer, you should also retract the slide-outs before you begin.

What Happens If I Don't Level My Travel Trailer?

You might not think that leveling your trailer is essential, but here are some reasons why it's a must.

Incorrect waste and water readings

Most RV owners use tank sensors to know when it's time to fill up the water tank or empty the waste tank.

These sensors are usually very accurate, but if your trailer isn't level on one side or another, the fluid in the tanks will be unlevel, which means the sensor will show that they're more or less full than they actually are.

If your trailer is unlevel, it can also be difficult to access fresh water from your tank once the tank is getting empty. This is because if the trailer is unlevel, it means the tank may have moved away from the water pump.

Slide-out damage

When your trailer is unlevel, it means that extra pressure is being placed onto the slide-outs to keep it in place. As they are not designed to take this much weight, it can cause a lot of damage if they have to sustain this pressure for more than an hour.

Refrigerator damage

On a camping trip, having a working refrigerator is one of the most valuable parts of owning a travel trailer. Unfortunately, if your trailer isn't level, it means that the coolant in the Freon cooling system of your refrigerator will most likely start to pool into one side.

If you don't level your trailer, then after a relatively short amount of time your refrigerator will likely wholly break down. As you know, replacing a refrigerator is an expensive business, so it's definitely best to avoid this.

Safety issues

Safety issues are one of the biggest concerns you'll have if your trailer isn't level. For example, cooking in the kitchen can become pretty dangerous if you're doing it inside an unlevel trailer as pans, dishes, and cutlery can slide off surfaces quickly.

It also means that opening cupboards and drawers becomes quite treacherous as items can easily fall out of them if they're at an angle.

As a rule, if the trailer is more than one inch away from being straight, this classifies as it being unlevel, so you need to take extra care to get it as level as possible to save yourself from dealing with any of these issues during your trip.

Additional Trailer Leveling Tips

  • Suppose most of the instability in the trailer seems to be happening in the rear of the trailer or near the entrance door. In that case, you can add extra stabilizer jacks underneath the rear bumper and the door to give the trailer extra stability.
  • If your slide-outs are jiggling or moving around a lot, you can use stabilizing jacks that are specifically designed to support the slide-outs.
  • If your trailer is rocking from side to side, even after you've leveled and stabilized it, then you can add some extra scissor jacks to the sides or in all four corners. These will simply reinforce the stabilizing jacks that are already in place.

FAQs

How do I stabilize a fifth wheel?

To stabilize a fifth wheel, you will need the same equipment as you would for a travel trailer, including stabilizer jacks and wheel chocks. You will need to level your trailer first and then follow the same steps used to stabilize any other type of trailer.

For extra stability, you can use a tripod or a kingpin stabilizer.

Do I have to place something underneath my stabilizer jacks?

Yes, it would help if you always placed blocks or pads underneath your stabilizer jacks to prevent them from getting damaged. However, the points of contact they make with the ground are small, and they can quickly sink into the ground, which will damage them and also cause your trailer to become unlevel.

Many campsites will also require you to place supports under your stabilizer jacks to prevent them from damaging the campsite.

Are slide-outs necessary?

Slide-outs can help stabilize your trailer, but they are not absolutely necessary. By using leveling blocks and stabilizer jacks, you will be able to level and stabilize your trailer without needing slide-outs.

Where are stabilizer jacks located on travel trailers?

The majority of travel trailers will have stabilizer jacks at the front and rear of the trailer in each corner. They're positioned to stabilize the trailer from front to back and side to side.

Final Thoughts

Having an unlevel trailer can be pretty annoying, and it can also put your trailer at risk of damage over time. Thankfully, getting it nice and level is reasonably straightforward as long as you take the time to do it properly when you first park it up.

Remember, you should always level your trailer before you stabilize it to avoid any damage to your stabilizer jacks, as they're not designed to take the total weight of the trailer. So, you should now be able to get that trailer level and stable every time!

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