How to Level a Travel Trailer? (Easy Guide)

Last Updated on March 8, 2022 by Ted Mosby

Well, you have just got your brand new travel trailer, and the very first thing you have to do now is to bring it home and park it appropriately somewhere. Well, the story doesn’t end here since the toughest part is yet to come, and that is leveling your travel trailer.

Regardless of whether you are parking it permanently or for a short period of time, you have to make sure that you have parked it right.

The reason why it is so important to park your travel trailer at a level is even if there is the slightest tilt, you might not get sufficient water flow in the sink and toilet, or might not be able to sleep comfortably.

So, the question is how to level a travel trailer? Well, it is not that hard if you understand some basic principles.

Below I will talk about different approaches that you can use to level an RV easily. It will include all the things and principles that you will need to increase the chances of leveling your travel trailer.

So let’s begin with what you need to level a travel trailer?

What Do You Need to Level a Travel Trailer?

Before proceeding further, here are a few things that you will need to level a camper,

• Bubble levels
• Leveling Blocks
• Tongue Jack
• Tire chocks

So, you have picked a spot and parked your travel trailer. Now, you are required to level the travel trailer that you have to do before unhitching it.

The very first thing that you have to consider is leveling your trailer from side to side, and after that, it will be easy for you to level the other two sides after you unhitch it.

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To do this, you will need to find bubble levels that are pre-installed with the majority of travel trailers. You can look for them both inside and outside of your travel trailer. However, if you are unable to find them, you can purchase them from the market and stick them outside to see where the level is.

To see the level, you can stick levels on the tongue of the trailer paralleling your bumper. If you don’t want to do that, there are plenty of level apps that you can use on your phone.

The most important component that you have to level in your travel trailer is the refrigerator. You can use a bubble in your refrigerator to see its level.

After you have found the side that requires to be lifted, you can get out your trailer’s leveling system. Below, I have mentioned both the RV leveling systems that you can use;

How to Level a Travel Trailer using Block Style Levelling System?

1. Step 1: To level a travel trailer with blocks, you are required to place them near the tires on the side that you want to raise. You can place either in front or back of the tires.
2. Step 2: Now, estimate how many blocks you will need to level that side.
3. Step 3: Now, get in your trailer, and based on where you have placed the blocks, move the travel trailer backward for forwarding to place the tires on the blocks.
4. Step 4: Now you will be able to determine whether or not you need more blocks to level it.
5. Step 5: Once you are leveled, check another side of the tires. Now you can level the other two sides of the travel trailer using a tongue jack.
6. Step 6: You are done now.

Note: If the ground is soft, make sure that the tongue jack you are using has a foot if it doesn’t, use blocks to make sure it doesn’t get sink into the soft ground.

How to Level a Travel Trailer using Wedge Style Levelling System?

Leveling a travel trailer using Wedge style leveling system is an easy process for what we have tried above. It saves you from driving onto the blocks over and over again to determine whether you need more of them.

1. Step 1: Using the Wedge style leveling system, you just need to place them in front of the tires that you want to raise.
2. Step 2: Now get into your RV, drive forward, until it is leveled. You don’t need to get out of the trailer to see whether or not it is leveled if you have a partner standing outside who is observing it.
3. Step 3: If you are alone and trying to level a travel trailer, step out, check and correct the level. You don’t need to determine whether or not you need more blocks and redo the whole process over and over again.
4. Step 4: When you are leveled from side-to-side, unhitch your RV, and level it from front and back using a tongue jack.

The only thing that you have to make sure is your tongue jack has the foot, so it doesn’t sink in the soft ground.

Why Do You Need to Level a Travel Trailer?

Well, it is important to level a travel trailer, and there are numerous reasons why. If it is not properly leveled, it might lead you to problems, such as a stiff back, muscles, pain, heartburn, and more.

If you have parked your RV and it is tilted from left to right, you might roll out of bed to the floor.

Another common issue that you might confront if your travel trailer is not leveled is insufficient water flow in both the toilet and sink. The majority of the travel trailers are equipped with flush toilets that are required to level your trailer properly for smooth water flow.

If your RV is too steep from an angle, the toilet will not fill the reservoir tank fully.

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Moreover, the toilet and kitchen sinks can also have trouble draining which can lead to other problems. Since your trailer also has storage tanks, they might also get affected depending on how severe the problem is.

It means if your travel trailer is off from its true level, you will not be able to get proper water flow.

The problem will continue with your grey and black water tanks as well since they will be unable to give you an accurate reading about their storage.

An unlevel travel trailer will also affect appliances. For instance, if you have a refrigerator in your RV’s kitchen, its Freon cooling system will be affected as well. It means not only your refrigerator performance will get affected but also its lifespan.

All of these minor problems will add up to give you more headaches, rather than enjoy your camping, you will waste time figuring out how to fix them.

So, now let’s move to the tips that you can use to find a level spot to park your travel trailer.

Tips to Find a Level Spot to Park your Travel Trailer

If you are in a campground, they won’t give you many options to choose from. However, I have found that the majority of campgrounds are leveled. It means you can easily level a travel trailer there without putting in much effort.

If you don’t want to back your new travel trailer, you have the option of getting a pull-through spot. It might be expensive but it is worth it.

It’s All About Location

If you are at a campground, you will have not many choices where to park your travel trailer. But if you are boondocking, you have full control over the factors mentioned below.

Level: You need to find a spot that is as level as you can find to start with.

Rooftop Solar: if you depend on rooftop solar, you should consider a position to park your travel trailer where your trailer’s solar panels can get maximum sun.

View: Consider parking your travel trailer in such a position that gives you a bit of view from the window.

Refrigerator: In high temperatures, people park their travel trailer in such a way to keep the side of their trailer where the refrigerator is located to keep it shaded. The majority of travel trailer’s refrigerator works really hard to stay cool when it directly receives sunlight.

FAQ

Wrapping Up

That is all about how to level a travel trailer. It is not a daunting task if you know the basics. We have discussed everything in detail, and now we hope you have understood why it is necessary to level a travel trailer.

Before going out for a camping trip, make sure you have bubble levels and a wedge or blocks leveling system with you. However, since the blocks leveling system is somewhat complicated, we recommend you to have a wedge leveling system.