Keeping your RV level is pretty important. Without a level RV, your gauges won’t work as fluid will flow to the sides of tanks. Your slideouts will be more stressed out, and being seriously unlevel can even hurt your frame.
Making your RV level is also easy. There are a few steps to make sure it’s easy to level, and we’ll introduce you to those.
Leveling your RV side to side is a matter of preparation and equipment. You’ll want a bubble level, some blocks, and space. Put the blocks under your tires until the RV is level.
How do I best prepare to level my RV side to side?
Getting your RV ready for every day use at a campsite involves a bit of a routine, and leveing your RV can be part of that.
First, park your RV at the campsite or your driveway in the place you intend to park. If this is next to a shore power post, get as close to the post as you need to. Parking where you want to end up is important to saving a bit of time and energy so you don’t redo your leveling somewhere else.
You will want a couple of pieces of equipment to get started:
- A couple of levels, preferably one inside the RV and one mounted outside. The bumper generally works well for outside.
- Either solid wood blocks or parking blocks.
Levels are often magnetized and might stick to the bumper themselves. The wood blocks or parking blocks will help go under our wheels to create a good level.
One important note here: You shouldn’t need to use blocks or anything on every wheel. We’ll introduce why a bit later. You should have one wheel that doesn’t need blocks.
Using parking blocks while leveling the RV side to side
While we don’t have a specific name brand, there are plastic or metal leveling blocks that do a great job leveling.
When you exit your RV, you’ll want to “make” a block. These blocks look and stack like legos with a grid pattern that allows them to snap together.
These kinds of blocks are placed right in front of your wheel when you park in your designated spot. You can then drive the RV directly onto the block.
One of the purposes of blocks is to provide the RV a solid platform, especially on grass, dirt, or gravel. These surfaces are often not overly level and can produce minor annoyances in attempts to move around the RV or read tanks.
The best part about blocks is that you can add more. If adding a block doesn’t fully level your RV, you can add or remove where needed. Add blocks, especially the plastic blocks, until you get as close to level as possible.
Using wood blocks to level your RV side to side
Depending on how you are setup, wood blocks can be a little different.
Wood blocks tend to be used more with a jack or stabilizer. One can also drive an RV onto a wooden block, though there is a potential for a wooden block to break.
Wood blocks are generally cheaper, in part because they are made of wood. It’s also readily possible to find and shape a wooden block for use with an RV.
Adjusting your level
Once you get the hang of adjusting your RV level, you’ll be able to do it quickly. For now, it might take a couple of tries to get your RV nice and level.
Using the levels on the outside and inside, you’ll be able to see how far off your RV is from good level. Add or subtracts or make small movements to get the RV as level as possible.
Leveling and your stabilizer.
Many RVs come with a stabilizing jack to help your RV stay solidly on the ground while also providing some level support. These are often built in and on a rear side of the RV.
The stabilizier itself should also have a block underneath. The ground it will be touching might have a divet and make the stabilizer itself unlevel. To ensure a flat level, place a block under the stabilizer as you rotate the stabilizer jack down and let the jack push the block into the ground.
What to do after leveling your RV
For safety’s sake, we’ll also fill you in on what happens after your RV is level.
Do you have chocks? If not, you should have them. Use a chock to surround the wheel that’s still on the ground – as previously suggested, don’t level all your wheels.
A chock will keep the wheel in place and prevent your RV from potentially rolling away, especially if you have to park in some way downhill.
Unhitch your RV
With your RV level side to side and chocks in place, it’s now safe to unhitch your RV, assuming you trailered it or are trailering anything.
You did it!
Just like pulling your RV into a regular parking spot, you’ll develop an eye for leveling. You’ll see the ground and where your RV should not land, and be able to avoid it.
Parking your RV on the most level ground possible is a good start to taking less time to level it. Most new RV owners will take a bit of time to get used to the process. Checking the levels will be really important the first couple of times.
Conclusion
Leveling your RV is crucial to having a nice, even walking surface and accurate measurements. A good, level RV also keeps the moving parts of your trailer from working too hard for no reason.
You’ll want either wood, plastic, or metal blocks, as well as a couple of levels. It’s not a bad idea to practice leveling when you have plenty of time to understand how your blocks work. You can then have a stress free moment the first time you park your RV to get a vacation underway.
