Seeking advice on leveling on a sloped RV pad

[JuryDuty]

We were so excited to find a house with an RV pad so we don't have to pay storage fees...only to discover it's a bit steep when actually using it!

I have X-chocks between the wheels, but the ground is a fine gravel that does allow some movement overall, which makes me nervous. Maybe it's heavy enough that I don't need to be, but I'd rather be cautious than sorry.

My first thought is to get some concrete blocks to put under the tongue jack and maybe dig down a little bit to stabilize them. And I could add rubber chocks to the wheels too. Then put up the stabilizers?

Anyway, I'm not too handy when it comes to building, so would love to hear some solutions "anybody" could do/buy to keep this safe.

[Jim Gell]

I am not an engineer or physicist,  but I think that your X-Chocks should be adequate to keep your wheels from rolling.  Without them rolling, the force on the fine gravel, under the wheels and jacks etc, should be straight down. I don't think you need to worry about it rolling or sliding down that slope. 

 

[JuryDuty]

11 minutes ago, Jim Gell said:

I am not an engineer or physicist,  but I think that your X-Chocks should be adequate to keep your wheels from rolling.  Without them rolling, the force on the fine gravel, under the wheels and jacks etc, should be straight down. I don't think you need to worry about it rolling or sliding down that slope. 

 

That's encouraging to hear! Any idea if I should leave the stabilizers down, or just put some wood blocks under the tongue and let that suffice...?

[Chalkie]

If you do not want to leave the full weight on the stabilizers then you could stack a couple of concrete blocks under the tongue jack to take some of the weight.

I have to tell you your pad is the not nearly as steep as the one in our yard where we park our fiver. Our pad is pea gravel and I too use X-Chocks. in the five years we have been parking it there it has not once moved even a little once chocked and leveled. We put the rear stabilizers down only to take the bounce out as we get into the trailer frequently.

[D&J]

I would get some blocks under the tongue jack. I've never used X -Chocks but with that much slope I would chock the tires on both sides along with them. 

Denny

[rpsinc]

I have seen products that can be sprayed on DG or other small gravel to tighten it up and can make it like a compacted gravel.  Appearance is more like exposed aggregate concrete without the cost.  I might also suggest getting a plate compactor at a rental yard to tighten the gravel up a bit, then spray the product.  As for chocking the tires, the X chocks might do the trick but I prefer rubber chocks like what is sold at Harbor Freight(I have some) and I use Rotochocks too.  The rubber chocks are good for the coach movement forward and back, the Rotochocks are good for reducing the shaking in the coach.

[JuryDuty]

1 minute ago, rpsinc said:

I have seen products that can be sprayed on DG or other small gravel to tighten it up and can make it like a compacted gravel.  Appearance is more like exposed aggregate concrete without the cost.  I might also suggest getting a plate compactor at a rental yard to tighten the gravel up a bit, then spray the product.  As for chocking the tires, the X chocks might do the trick but I prefer rubber chocks like what is sold at Harbor Freight(I have some) and I use Rotochocks too.  The rubber chocks are good for the coach movement forward and back, the Rotochocks are good for reducing the shaking in the coach.

The rubber chocks won't slide on the gravel with the weight of the RV? Just curious.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

6 minutes ago, JuryDuty said:

The rubber chocks won't slide on the gravel with the weight of the RV? Just curious.

No, they won't slide.  Chock the wheels and put you stabilizers down.  That will take the bounce out of it when your inside.  Just like when your out camping.

[Randyretired]

Concrete blocks embedded might work but backing over these could be problematic. I would just use wood blocks.  A 6x6 might work and you could add to it if needed by gluing and nailing more as needed.  Chock the wheels front and back and it will stay.  Put the stabilizers down for comfort.  We boon dock in the mountains and based on the pictures we would consider that a good spot.  Some are much worse.

[Kirk W]

The first thing I would suggest is that you put down something under your tires to make sure that all water drains from around them while parked as tire manufacturers recommend. I would not recommend concrete blocks set into the ground because concrete will hold moisture and can be hard on the belts in the tires if damp for long periods. If I were to set anything into the surface it would be some type of pressure treated timber that put the surface at least an inch above the natural surface to make sure that it drains well. I see no reason to be concerned about your trailer moving while using the X-chocks or similar products. If the wheels do not turn the trailer will not move even though it could shift some on the suspension. The for jacks that you have lowered are intended to be stabilizers and are probably not designed to take the entire or even the majority of the RV's weight. If it were me, I would do as Chalkie has suggested and keep blocks under the tongue jack with some weight on it as well. That will also decrease the amount of front to rear movement over what you are getting now. 

[JuryDuty]

OK, sounds like general consensus is to:

1. Get a stack of 12"x12"x2" wooden squares to screw together for the tongue to stand on, and it should hold the weight from the front and not move.
2. Then use the x-chocks with rubber chocks for the tires. 

That all sounds pretty straight-forward. Sure appreciate the fast and detailed responses from everyone!

[hemsteadc]

It looks more sloped to the sides than front to back. Just remember not to run your gas refrigerator in that position.

[RV_]

X2 on not turning on the fridge at all that far out of level.

[JuryDuty]

So I'm starting to wonder if I'm overreacting. The levelers it has are the Lippert Ground Control levelers as seen here: https://youtu.be/F7T9YFkaymA?t=1m25s and https://www.lci1.com/ground-control-tt . These may be even more stable than any blocks of wood I could put underneath because when we activate them, they go down and put up the tongue and you use the RV with the tongue up and the levelers down. So if it can support us inside, it should be able to support the unit without us.

[Jim Gell]

I think you should be fine with the X-Chocks and your stabilizers.

[kb0zke]

My thoughts (worth every penny you pay for them) <grin>:

1. Embedding anything into the pad means that you have to land exactly in the same spot each time. How often are you going to be returning home? If you go out twice a month you will have to land back in pretty much the same spot twice a month. Landing somewhere close probably will be good enough if you don't have permanent spots for the tires and jacks. That may be especially important if you tend to return home after dark.

2. Putting something under each support point to spread the weight is a good idea. Gravel will eventually compact, so the more area you can put down under each support point the better.

3. Does your jack/stabilizer system automatically adjust for side-to-side leveling as well as front-to-back? If so you can just use that to level.

4. X-chocks or regular wheel chocks are good as long as the tires are in contact with the ground. They don't do much good if the tires are raised up in the air. In that case, though, your jack/stabilizer system is going to hold you in place, so chocks would be a moot point.

I've heard stories of trailers rolling away backwards as the owners chase them, trying to pull the emergency brake cable. For some reason, though, I've never heard of one rolling forwards. I wonder how often it actually happens that a trailer rolls any distance. I wonder if keeping the emergency brake cable attached to the tow vehicle until the trailer is securely leveled and parked would help.