Leveling an RV: Blocks, Chocks and Why Stabilizer Jacks Do Not Level

How do I level my RV?

On a travel trailer, do the side to side work while the tow vehicle is still hitched. Keystone and Forest River both give this sequence.

1. Pick the most level spot available, on ground firm enough to hold the jacks.
2. Set a small level on the floor, the countertop and inside the refrigerator to see which side is low and by how much.
3. Place blocks ahead of the low side tires, pull the trailer onto them, and check level again.
4. Chock the wheels on both sides, in front of and behind them.
5. Unhitch: raise the coupler clear of the ball with the tongue jack and move the tow vehicle away.
6. Level front to back with the tongue jack or the landing gear.
7. Lower the stabilizer jacks onto blocks until each one engages, with about the same pressure on all four.

Most builders say to level and stabilize before running the slide rooms; Jayco's setup list has you extend the slides before lowering the stabilizers, though its slide section says stabilizers first. Follow the owner's manual for your own trailer, which also gives its jack limits.

How many leveling blocks do I need?

It depends on the site and the rig, but as a working figure from Tri-Lynx, one Lynx block raises the RV about an inch, and a two inch lift takes a three block pyramid.

• Keep a leveling pyramid to 5.5 inches, or five levelers, and a stabilizing stack to 8.5 inches, or eight levelers.
• Build a pyramid next to each wheel you raise rather than one tall stack.
• On a tandem axle, both tires on that side go up, and the whole tire must rest on the block with nothing hanging over the edge.
• Do not mix Lynx levelers with other brands, wood or stones, and avoid muddy ground prone to sinking.

Load ratings are thin. Camco publishes no weight rating for its leveling blocks, and Tri-Lynx's 40,000 lb figure does not say whether it is per block or per stack. Camco does rate its Curved Leveler and Wheel Chock for trailers up to 30,000 lb.

Levelers are not chocks. Tri-Lynx's Stop 'N Chock only works locked to its levelers, while its Chock 'R Dock works as a chock on its own. Grand Design accepts wood blocks as long as they actually keep the RV from rolling.

Can I level with the stabilizer jacks?

No: stabilizer jacks only steady an RV that is already level. Lippert's towable component manual says never to level with its electric stabilizer jack, because it is not meant to lift the trailer's weight, and damage done that way voids the limited warranty.

The builders say the same, Keystone's 2027 owner's manual among them. Forest River adds that trying to raise the trailer with them can damage the jack, the frame or both, and that aftermarket stabilizer stands go only under the chassis frame rails.

Two kinds of jack do more. BAL's powered C type jack handles fine leveling after the tongue jack has set the trailer fore and aft, but must not lift excessive weight or the tires off the ground. Automatic systems such as Lippert Level-Up and Ground Control do level the RV, but never lift the wheels off the ground with them, use load distribution pads on very soft surfaces, and never work under the coach on them.

How level does it need to be?

The refrigerator sets the limit, not your comfort. Norcold's N61X and N81X manual allows 3 degrees off level side to side and 6 degrees front to back, and going beyond that can damage the cooling system. The Polar 7 and Polar 8 figures are the same.

Dometic gives no degree figure: level the RV so you notice no slope in the floor or walls whenever it is parked for several hours with the fridge running. Parked and unlevel, liquid ammonia pools in the evaporator tubing and cooling falls off. Driving does not matter, because the motion keeps the ammonia from collecting.

Level also lets water drain. Forest River notes an unlevel trailer may not drain the window weep holes, which can damage the window or wall and invite mold, and Jayco says the drain lines need the RV level to work.

Common questions