Leveling a 31 ft Winnebago without built in leveling jacks

Hey guys looking for suggestions on the best way level a 31 foot Winnebago that does not have built-in leveling jacks. Any and all recommendations are welcome thanks in advance.

Step chocks.

If you have dual rear wheels (two tires per side), be sure and use wood or whatever under both tires, not just one.

I carry two sets of these and can level my TT in very awkward slopes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T36KG42/ref=twister_B00TXTJOBU?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I never bother to level my RVs. All RV sites are not level otherwise the rain won't drain and you will be sitting in a puddle. All RVs are lower in the front than in the rear due to aerodynamics. So I would look at a site and see which way the site was sloped and park the front end on the high side. Only once did I ever have to get out the blocks (Monterey County Fairgrounds).

SeilerBird said:

I never bother to level my RVs. All RV sites are not level otherwise the rain won't drain and you will be sitting in a puddle. All RVs are lower in the front than in the rear due to aerodynamics. So I would look at a site and see which way the site was sloped and park the front end on the high side. Only once did I ever have to get out the blocks (Monterey County Fairgrounds).

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I was at Land between the Lakes in KY this summer.  I was on 4" in rear, and front of TT all the way down.  I left my chains connected to the YukonXL it was sloped so bad.  ;D ;D.  Here in the Midwest, typical state park campgrounds, about 1/2 are moderately level, the other 1/2 vary a lot. 

SpencerPJ said:

I was at Land between the Lakes in KY this summer.  I was on 4" in rear, and front of TT all the way down.  I left my chains connected to the YukonXL it was sloped so bad.  ;D ;D.  Here in the Midwest, typical state park campgrounds, about 1/2 are moderately level, the other 1/2 vary a lot.

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Well the secret is I always changed campgrounds on Sunday morning and got there before noon when the campgrounds are usually empty. This allowed me to drive around and find a spot that was sloped the way I liked it and it had a nice view.

SeilerBird said:

I never bother to level my RVs. All RV sites are not level otherwise the rain won't drain and you will be sitting in a puddle. All RVs are lower in the front than in the rear due to aerodynamics. So I would look at a site and see which way the site was sloped and park the front end on the high side. Only once did I ever have to get out the blocks (Monterey County Fairgrounds).

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I haven?t found any of the above to be true. I?ve been on sites that were perfectly level, and some that I couldn?t get anywhere near level using all the lumber carried on board.

I?ve never owned a motorhome that wasn?t level. I?d take it in for repairs if it didn?t sit straight.

HappyWanderer said:

I haven?t found any of the above to be true. I?ve been on sites that were perfectly level, and some that I couldn?t get anywhere near level using all the lumber carried on board.

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No doubt those types of sites exist. But in ten years of full timing I never had a problem finding an unlevel site and only once used blocks.

I?ve never owned a motorhome that wasn?t level. I?d take it in for repairs if it didn?t sit straight.

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I really don't care if you believe me or not. That's your problem. Take a level and put in on your stove and then turn it around and park it in the same spot 180 degrees.

Levelling without jacks requires several skills. I do not have jacks but whenever I get set up for more than 24 hours, I get my RV within 1 degree in all directions.

I first went to Home Depot and bought a 12ft 2x12 and had the saw operator cut a bunch of lengths just enough to get the tires on maybe 14 inches or so but I cannot remember. I keep my pieces in one of the storage bins. I also carry a shovel. The shovel is great for moving the earth around to make a more stable base to work from. I have on occasion removed some earth where the tires would sit but be careful not to put your tires in too deep of a hole. You may not be able to get out. I also park my unit in the space to get the best possible starting point. I have been in some state areas where the gravel is not level friendly when you back in square but if you put it in cockeyed, you get a much better starting point. My unit is always low in the front so it is given that I will need a stack of two 2x12's under each front tire.

Whenever I park I try to get the RV as level as possible side to side and hopefully close enough so that there is no blocking required on the rear wheels and just the front. I have several times moved the gravel around with my shovel to get the rears close enough. I cannot remember the last time I blocked up the rears.

The first thing I always do is find the spot where the tires are going to be sitting. I put marks on the ground to indicate the spots of each tire. You then can block from there by pulling up the RV and adding the needing blocking. Because I need two blocks on my fronts, I use a third and fourth piece for ramps to get the front tires up on the 2x12's. I usually shovel gravel under the ramps to support the weight of the vehicle and not split the wood.

In my case, My fresh water tanks are all the way in the back centered. They are as far back as possible which will have a 1/2 degree affect on the levelling front to back when the tanks are filled. Because My front is always low, I will usually fill the tanks so that the rear drops a little to help the front to back levelling.

The other thing I usually pay attention to is to have the RV slightly tilted to the side which drains the tanks out. This allows a good flow out of the tanks if you have hook ups at your site.

My RV has the bed in the back and it is fore and aft, so I "level" it with the front slightly low because for me, the worst situation is to sleep with my head lower than my feet, a sure way to get acid reflux. (As is eating less than three hours before turning in, BTW.) I tend to prefer campsites that are a bit high at the rear and are back-in. I don't think 1 1/2" SPF lumber is strong enough to support an RV, so from the sawmill I get full 2" oak planks about 6" wide. I cut them on-edge with a chainsaw at a 45 degree angle and about two feet long, store them in one underneath compartment generally for what I consider "ground equipment," stuff for leveling, jacking for a tire change, etc. The 45 degree angle ends make getting on the 2" material easier on the tires.

Two of these planks side by side is enough to lift a front tire and support it across the width of the tread. Three side by side is enough to do the same with either set of rear wheels. Being 6" wide each makes them easy to handle. They are strong enough that if I need more height than just their 2" thickness, I can prop up one end with another placed cross-wise to make a ramp, and give me a total of 4" lift.

Front to rear leveling is always done by placing the blocking under the front tires and side to side leveling is always done by placing the leveling under one or the other dual wheels. My RV has independent fronst suspension, but I think that might be true even with a beam style front axle and leaf front springs, but I'm not sure. I put a small plastic level on the kitchen counter and with experience can tell how much blocking I'm going to need and which wheels it should go under.

I think I have eight of the 2" oak planks. That means if in the worst case the RV site is very low in front and tipped to one side, a total of four can be used under a set of rear duals, with four more left for two each under the front tires. A previous owner left some pieces of rot treated yellow pine in the RV and in a pinch I will use them, but only flat against the ground to raise the ends of the oak.

One RV site I use from time to time is way, way low at my right rear tire. In that case, I actually build a ramp, then another ramp toward the front and atop the first and lift that corner approaching eight inches.

An advantage to me backing uphill and lifting the front to level is that doing so lowers the back so I can remove a motorcycle from a rack as the rear goes down when the front goes up. All this might sound complicated, but it's actually both very easy and effective. Take my advice at your own risk as I cannot evaluate anything you might take from my post or how you might use it. Your safety is important to me.

I have never carried planks nor do I use the Jack's. I ask for a reasonably level spot and park to my best advantage. Over the past 10 years I have not failed to find a spot that was reasonably comfortable and within limits for the fridge. Granted I don't usually visit low end parks, but I expect I have paid an average of $25 - 30 a night so they are not all luxury either.

Ernie

Yeah, you can surely make level enough by just asking for a level site, which should ease the OP's worry. Couple of funny extreme anecdotes, though: On one trip a guy who was not familiar at all with RV camping had apparently been told to park in a level spot, which the CG put him in. At least it looked level to me. Pretty soon, though, a guy from the park arrived on his golf cart to look at a reported problem. The camper had a four foot level across his bumper showing the park guy the site is not level, so they moved him to another spot. No idea how long that went on. On the flip side are campers I see that are so extremely un-level that I cannot imagine how the people put up with it. Plates in the kitchen must slide onto the floor, the fridge may have problems, getting up in the dark for an overnight bathroom visit must feel like being in a storm in a ship at sea. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. As I said, I like mine pretty level, but I have my limits, lol.

SpencerPJ said:

I carry two sets of these and can level my TT in very awkward slopes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T36KG42/ref=twister_B00TXTJOBU?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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X 2

Back when I had my 1996 Brave, I carried several short planks and scissor jacks. I used however many I needed. Later I welded two of the jacks on the front and rear.

We have 3 sets of Lynx Levelers - we call them Lego Blocks. They interlock like the ones a previous poster referred to. They are plenty tough and store nicely. They are bright orange and allow you to build ramps easily.

Since we often camp at events that aren't actually "campgrounds", we frequently find ourselves with a very unlevel site, and no options to move.  Not wanting to damage slides or fridge, I try to get it as close as I can to perfect, even in cases where our front wheels have to be up 12-15". 

I carry 5 sets of the Camco leveling blocks.  https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Leveling-Blocks-Hydraulic-44505/dp/B00480BWCI/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=2XSRZP5DWFAY4&keywords=leveling+blocks+for+rvs&qid=1572271584&sprefix=leveling%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExT0JGNkJDSUhZWFcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4MzI5NDUzNVJMNEhRMEYxTjRUJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MjA4MTUyRzlQTktXODJWQ0E5JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

That covers our needs 95% of the time.  However, there have been situations so out of level, that I had to borrow a few more!

I also use a Level Mate Pro, https://logicbluetech.com/, which is my hands-down favorite accessory.  It allows me to move around the site and find the most level spot in real time.  I can't tell you how much labor and guesswork it has saved.  Once I find the spot, I know how many blocks are needed at each wheel, and I can't recall more than a handful of times we had to give it more than one try.