Leveling your Travel Trailer
Leveling is the process of making sure your travel trailer lies flatly on the ground. While some campers come with an automatic leveling feature, others require you to perform the task yourself. For RVers that own the latter type, The Outpost RV has created this guide to help make leveling your RV as easy and stress-free as possible so you can get to enjoying your destination quicker.
Find a Suitable Location
As with real estate, location is key. While you might not be able to pick as freely if you are at an RV park or similar location, find the flattest land available so the process is that much easier. Firm ground is also best, as your travel trailer will likely sink into sand or silt.
Level from Side to Side
Before disconnecting your trailer from your tow vehicle, use a level to determine how much you’ll need to raise one side of the trailer to make it level with the other. Move the entire unit slightly forward and place leveling blocks or boards at the place where the tires are going to rest so that the rig is lifted. Finally, use the tow vehicle to reverse into the final position. If the rig is still uneven, adjust as needed. This process may have to be repeated many times before you achieve your goal, so be patient!
Secure your Trailer and Disconnect
When you are satisfied that your trailer is level, put chocks or blocks on the wheels to keep it steady. You can now disconnect your trailer.
Level from Front to Back
The next step is to level from front to back. Luckily, this is much simpler, as you can simply adjust your hitch using the jack until the level tells you that you have achieved the right angle. Lock your hitch, and move on to the final step.
Stabilize
Now that you’ve gone through all that trouble making your travel trailer level, it’s time to stabilize it so that it stays that way. Your trailer should have stabilizers at each of its corners. Your model may possess automatic stabilizers that raise and lower by themselves, although sometimes this is done manually using a special tool. Make sure that the jack is pressed firmly into the ground, while not shoving it in and risking damage.
You might feel tempted to use the jacks to simplify the leveling process, but we strongly advise against this idea. Your travel trailer’s stabilizers were built to support weight, not adjust to it. They will break if used for something other than their intended purpose. It’s also not a particularly effective strategy, as adjusting one will throw off the other three, requiring further adjustment.
We hope this guide makes leveling your travel trailer as quick and easy as possible. If you need clarification or want to view travel trailer models, visit The Outpost RV at our dealership in Middlebury, Indiana. We are proud to serve northern Indiana, and we welcome guests from local communities like Fort Wayne and Elkhart.