Question Jack pads to level RV

[Joe Hogan]

We are at Big Oak RV park in Tallahassee Fl, nice place. Clean quiet and close enough to I 10 to be quick Off/On.
Question the pull through has a slight downhill to it, just enough to Error out the leveling jacks.
We put a couple of jack pads under the front jacks and all is well, system is happy, coach is level.
Thoughts on this procedure? The rear wheels are firmly planted, front less so but not too elevated.

 

[John&Andrea]

I use pads when it looks like the jacks will extend too far. I have them on one side now.

 

[RandyB]

My preference for unlevel sites is to put pads under the low tires, get it roughly close to level, then use the jacks for the final level.

 

[team bradfield]

I use pads when needed, I carry 4, as i use them at the home base to spread the load on my concrete

 

[Rollin Ollen]

We are at Big Oak RV park in Tallahassee Fl, nice place. Clean quiet and close enough to I 10 to be quick Off/On.
Question the pull through has a slight downhill to it, just enough to Error out the leveling jacks.
We put a couple of jack pads under the front jacks and all is well, system is happy, coach is level.
Thoughts on this procedure? The rear wheels are firmly planted, front less so but not too elevated.

I have, on occasion, the need to have the front wheel(s) off the ground. My manuals do not state that they can't be off of the ground (I have heard some do) but it's not something I like to do. First, and mostly, I hate the big step getting in and out of the coach. I would never consider any rear wheels off the ground as the park brake would not be as secure as it should be. I carry 8 pads. 4 three inch and four one inch. I almost always use them just to try and keep the landing gear mud and debris clear and, since we live in
Canada, to keep the landing gear from freezing to the ground during shoulder seasons.

Darrell

 

[AbdRahim]

I carry wood for this purpose (2ft pieces of 2x12 - pressure treated, of course). Frequently necessary to do this.

Sometimes under the front tires and jacks, if it is extreme. Try not to go back to such places.

 

[BGMAC]

I see no problem with the jacks holding up the weight, but side to side motion could bend shafts or break cylinder brackets. Putting blocks under the tires helps stop the side to side motion.

 

[whereRVapp]

We are a gasser so only 24k lbs for reference. We put our “LEGO” blocks under the front wheels to get the coach closer to level. We also put the same under the jacks to keep from extending them further then necessary since the starting point is higher

 

[JBright11]

I use a level mate pro to get as close to level within the site as I can first.
Then I use blocks made from 2X12's, 1 FT square by 3 pieces high under each jack.
So far this has worked at every site. I don't use auto level at all.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

We ALWAYS keep back wheels on the ground. We want front wheels to stay on the ground too.
We carry 2x12s: 10 sections that are 2’ long and 4 sections that are 6’ long (length sized so tandem rear axles can be on a single board, helping to distribute weight more to prevent sinking too much when surfaces are not rock solid).
We try to get coach as level as possible before jacks, using the boards to get close. Then we ALWAYS put a board under each jack when leveling. This provides a more stable surface, prevents the jack from sinking into the surface (which results is motion after a few hours) and keeps the jack extension shorter.
We have found autolevel will tend to lift the coach a bit more than a manual leveling. So if we are concerned about an unlevel surface we will usually level manually to ensure tires stay on the ground.
Our coach is right around 48,000 pounds so it does put a bunch of pressure on the wood. We had some shorter pieces of 2x12, but with this weight and changes in wood moisture, those smaller pieces tend to split after just a year or two.