Leveling your RV on uneven sites doesn't have to be a chore. Andy Thomson offers a simple, three-step method that works every time.

Hi Andy

We have a 25-foot trailer I hope you don’t mind me asking you a question that is not related to what you normally write about. We don’t have any trouble towing our trailer but once we park we have a lot of trouble getting our trailer level. It seems we are always high on one side or the other. We tend to stay in a lot of provincial and state parks where the ground is kind of rough. We looked into purchasing hydraulic leveling jacks like a motorhome has, but were told they do not fit a trailer and they are really expensive. Do you have any ideas on how to make leveling easier economically?

Steve Richardson

Hi Steve

I know what you mean – we park in a lot of rough sites and leveling on uneven ground can be a bit challenging.

I see a lot of units in parks that are not very level and I often wonder if the people realize how much harm they are doing to the cooling units in their refrigerators. Power leveling jacks are pretty much the norm on large Class A motor homes. If you use blocks under the wheels to level a motorhome, you have to level side-to-side and front-to-rear with the same movement. Add in the difference in how the front and rear suspensions react to changing the levels under the wheels and you have an almost impossible task on rough ground – hence the hydraulics.

A trailer or fifth wheel is much easier to level with blocks under the wheels because you can level side-to-side first, and then level front-to-rear with the front jack(s). They do make a couple of varieties of electric leveling jacks for trailers that are less expensive than hydraulic jacks, and these could be an option, but you might want to try a different technique before investing in them. For parking on rough ground, some sort of highly visible trailer leveling device that you can easily see from the tow vehicle is handy, so you can stop in a spot that is somewhat close to level. A couple of years ago I switched from blocks of wood to those handy Lego-like plastic squares. I find they are easy to clean and they don’t slide out from under the wheels when you are trying to back onto them. They also have a handy wheel chock that hooks onto them, so you always stop in the right place when backing on the blocks.

Some use long planks that will reach across both wheels, and this is good if you are going to be parked for a long time in one place on soft ground. Be careful when driving off of them, however, as they can kick up and very neatly remove things like dump valves.

Here is my method for leveling a trailer, actually it is my father’s method – I just inherited it.
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