Best material to park a 33 ft RV on over winter?

[G Man]

Hello all.
Does anyone have direct experience with parking a 33 ft RV on a grassy area next to a driveway and if so, what is the best material to use over the grass and under the wheels?
Is it 1/4 or 1/2 plywood, cut to a dimension greater than the tire? Or is something else better to distribute the weight of the RV over the grass. The driveway is not wide enough to park the RV and get our cars in and out of the garage.
Any and all thoughts, suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Thanks all!

G Man

 

[Oscar Mike]

1/4" or 1/2" plywood is not sufficient to carry any point loads, I would suggest 3/4" CDX plywood (exterior grade).

 

[G Man]

Wow, thanks! The thicker the better. I will looking into exterior grade instead!

 

[Molaker]

Uh, I recommend Florida beach sand.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If the soil is well-drained, it may be ok as is, but many regions have clay or rich dirt that holds moisture and chemicals. Here is Florida, our soil is 95% sand and nothing is needed under the tires. If you have wet ground, consider a layer of coarse gravel for drainage.  Put the plywood over that if you want to be double-sure, but remember that pressure-treated wood is full of nasty chemicals. Basic exterior plywood is safer. Or use 2x10 or 2x12 lumber - any size that is bigger than the tire footprint.

 

[kenz]

I would scrap the plywood plan all together and go with the 2x8's. I have a gravel area that I park my 5'er on, and the tires sit on 2x8's. Never had a tire issue. 2x10 or 2x12 even better. Buy one 10' long, cut it in half and use one per side. Non treated, plain old pine.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Note that you need two 2x 10's for the rear wheels - both tires must be supported. The contact patch is only about 16-18" long but it's easier to park on the boards if they are 24"-30" or so. Wider boards are also easier. You don't want the tire hanging over the edge of the board when it is sitting for lengthy periods.

 

[Oscar Mike]

Here is a very well made landing/parking pad...park on it, landing pads on it, throw them, bang them...they outlast plastic and your motor home.

 

[zmotorsports]

I agree with John.  I used some plastic material cut into 2'x2' sections just to create some form of barrier and they seemed to work well.  The ones I cut were from some material we were throwing away at work many years ago but there are some nice commercial ones available that I hear work and wear very well.

Mike.

 

[Northern Rambler]

Oscar Mike ,

Do you happen to have the dimensions and material sizes of the pads you pictured .
Thank's  , Bill

 

[kjansen]

They look like they are 11 x 11 or 15 x 15. The center is either 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 with 3/4 ply on top and bottom.  I use  2 x 10 5 feet long and put both tires on each board.

 

[Oscar Mike]

Oscar Mike ,

Do you happen to have the dimensions and material sizes of the pads you pictured .
Thank's  , Bill

Those pads are 18" x 18". They can built to any size you need. It is CDX Plywood (exterior grade) sandwiching 2x material. The plywood takes the beating and holds up very well over time. 2x material is also very good, but 2x material alone has a tendency to curl, and split over time.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

18x18 is a good size for jack pads, but you probably don't need those for under the tires unless the ground is very soft. The tire already spreads the wight nicely (other than being round, that's its primary function). The purpose of a barrier under a tire is to reduce the leaching of chemicals in/out of the tire material. Fresh concrete (less than 4 years old), fresh macadam, P.T. wood, or alkaline soil are some of the things that can damage a tire if it sits on them for months. If you have a decent surface, a piece of plastic, like one of those cutting board mats, is all you need to stop leaching. But a board over gravel or cobblestone works fine too.