Tammy Middelweerd
The importance of leveling your caravan or motorhome
As a camping holiday enthusiast, you have probably experienced it before. You find a nice spot to park your caravan or motorhome, or the campsite manager points out a spot for you. In your enthusiasm, you put the caravan or motorhome in place and your holiday can begin. Tired but satisfied from the journey you have made to get to the camping spot, you quickly level your caravan or motorhome, enjoy the wonderful summer weather and get ready for the first night of your holiday. The next morning you notice on your back, neck or shoulders that something is not quite right. You have been lying down the wrong way and the bed does not seem to be right. What do you know? Your caravan or motorhome is not level. Levelling your caravan or motorhome is easy, but you do need to know how to do it.
In this article we will explain, using a number of statements, why it is so important that your caravan or motorhome is level. The following points will be discussed in this article.
Contents
1. Why is it important that your motorhome is level?
Waking up with back pain because your caravan or motorhome is not level is just one of the reasons why it is important that your motorhome is level. Physical discomfort is of course not desirable anyway (and certainly not during your holiday), although there are other reasons why it is better to level your caravan or motorhome. For example, what do you think happens if you eat in a caravan or motorhome that is tilted? A pizza will be fine, but peas will soon roll across the floor. Equipment, such as your refrigerator, will also not function optimally if it is tilted. Finally, it is also very important for the drainage of water that you position the caravan or motorhome as level as possible. If water remains, it will start to smell.
2. How do I level my caravan?
As described above, it is important that your caravan is level during your camping holiday. How exactly do you level your caravan? We are happy to explain this in the five steps below.
Step 1: Explore your pitch
We always recommend that you first explore your pitch before you put your caravan on the spot. The smallest holes or bumps can make a big difference in levelling your caravan. So try to avoid these as much as possible.
Step 2: Level your caravan across the width.
When you start levelling your caravan, it is important that you start by levelling it across the width axis. It is best not to use the stability supports of the caravan for this, as they are not strong enough. Use other attributes. Think of loading wedges, a leveller or a bottle jack with axle supports. If you do not have these, you can also use a stack of planks.
We recommend that you only raise the left side of your caravan when it is really necessary. We recommend this, because otherwise the awning may no longer fit properly to the ground.
Step 3: Level the length
When the caravan is level across the width axis, you can start leveling it across the length axis. You can do this simply by turning the nose wheel of your caravan up or down.
Step 4: Check your caravan
You can do this with an old-fashioned spirit level or with our E-Level. Later in this article we will explain what the E-Level does.
Step 5: Stabilize the caravan
When the caravan is level, you can stabilize it by turning out the stabilization supports. If you are staying on a pitch for a longer period of time, it is useful to check the supports occasionally. The stability supports can sink into the ground over time.
3. How do I level my motorhome?
As described above, it is important that your motorhome is level during your camping holiday. How exactly do you level your motorhome? We are happy to explain this in the steps below.
Step 1: Explore your pitch
We always recommend that you explore your pitch first before you park your motorhome on it. The smallest dips or bumps can make a big difference in levelling your motorhome. In addition, levelling is intended to compensate for small unevenness in the ground, so parking on a slope is not only uncomfortable but also unsafe.
Step 2: Check in which direction your motorhome should be level
You do this by placing a spirit level (or another module) in the middle of your motorhome. First, check whether the camper needs to be level in the width axis and then check the same for the length axis. You can then determine which wheel of your camper needs to be raised using a ramp.
Step 3: Place the ramps
If your camper is not yet level, you can do this using ramps. In step 2, you determined which wheel should be on a ramp. When you drive your motorhome onto a ramp, it is important that you place the block exactly in the middle of the wheel. You can then drive your motorhome onto the ramp.
Step 4: Put your motorhome on the handbrake
Make sure that your motorhome does not drive off the ramps by always putting your motorhome on the handbrake.
When camping in the winter, it is wiser to use wheel chocks. The reason for this is that your handbrake can freeze.
Step 5: Stabilize the motorhome
When the motorhome is level, it is important to use stabilizing feet. This ensures that your motorhome remains level during your camping holiday. If you do not have stabilizing feet, it is also possible to stabilize your motorhome using axle stands.
4. Are there apps that help with leveling your caravan?
In addition to the old-fashioned spirit level, there are fortunately also apps that can help you with this. An iPhone with at least the operating system iOS 12 is equipped with the app ‘Measure’ as standard. With this app, you place your iPhone on the flat object that you want to measure and the app indicates whether the object is level. Other smartphone apps are easy to download from the Appstore or Google Play Store. There are now hundreds of apps available with which you can see in some way whether your caravan is level. For these apps, you always need a flat object for the spirit level to work optimally.
5. Level with the E-Level
You may be familiar with the inconvenience of having to walk back and forth from the ramps or the nose wheel to the spirit level in your caravan or motorhome while leveling your caravan or motorhome. Or perhaps the unnecessary calling to your partner at a campsite to check whether your motorhome is level.
Prevent unnecessary stress and/or effort with the help of E-Level. With the help of E-Level, your caravan or motorhome will be level in no time. You can easily read on your smartphone whether your caravan or motorhome is level. In addition, it is no longer necessary to walk back and forth from your spirit level to, for example, a ramp.
