How to level a motorhome (1 Viewer)

[makems]

Yes Vin, I've not made many rallies this year wot with operations and moving house, but I'm determined to be at Lincoln for the season finale. The rest of the band will be there too.

 

[vin0114]

Yes Vin, I've not made many rallies this year wot with operations and moving house, but I'm determined to be at Lincoln for the season finale. The rest of the band will be there too.

see you at Lincoln Mike.

 

[Touchwood]

It certainly works........if you were on level ground and lift the front wheels 4" off the ground how far would your front bumper be off the ground.
Now lift your rear wheels up 4" ....how far would your rear bumper be off the ground.......the bigger the overhang the higher the rear bumper.

But it's not the distance off the ground of the bumper that determines how level the 'van is! Simple geometry - it doesn't make any difference which wheels you raise, the effect on the slope of the 'van is the same! That's not to say that Lennyhb isn't correct of course when he says most vans tend to slope anyway, that may or may not be correct I just don't know - but with a van that's level on level ground (as mine is) which wheels you choose to raise makes no difference. If I knew how I'd include a sketch to prove it.

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[vin0114]

most of the vans I've owned did sit higher at the back on level ground. beefed up suspension to cope with the extra weight like end kitchens,ovens, fridges and in the present van fresh water tank slung underneath.

 

[Jaws]

Every van we have had apart from the old Hobby has sat high at the back.. In fact the Miller was a bit of a problem sometimes as it was so uneven !

 

[Bobby22]

But it's not the distance off the ground of the bumper that determines how level the 'van is! Simple geometry - it doesn't make any difference which wheels you raise, the effect on the slope of the 'van is the same! That's not to say that Lennyhb isn't correct of course when he says most vans tend to slope anyway, that may or may not be correct I just don't know - but with a van that's level on level ground (as mine is) which wheels you choose to raise makes no difference. If I knew how I'd include a sketch to prove it.

Your theory is correct surmising that the pitch is running consistent from front to back with no lumps or bumps.

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[DBK]

Turn your van in the opposite direction and put your ramps under the rear wheels..........the over hang creates higher lift and you can get nearer level that way.

At the risk of sounding pedantic that is wrong. If you raise the front wheels say 4" the MH might adopt a slope of 2 degrees nose up. If instead you raise the rear wheels the same amount it will be 2 degrees nose down. The best way to appreciate this is to imagine the wheels are equidistant from the front or rear bumpers, in other words the overhangs are the same at each end. This "mirror image" makes it easier to see why raising the front or rear wheels by the same amount does not alter the slope in magnitude, only whether it is nose up or nose down. That the MH might have a large overhang makes no difference to the slope, the MH could have an overhang of infinite length but the MH will still adopt the same angle.

Of course the practical side of this is what end to raise depends on whether you want to face in or out of a pitch and if the pitch slopes down, reversing in and raising the rear might be the only option because driving in and raising the front might ground the large overhang. It also depends on whether the floor of the MH has a built in slope and whether using this means the MH does not need to be raised so much if at all.

I can see now why some folk don't bother with ramps, you would need to carry surveying equipment to do it properly. Personally I just use a cheap two-way spirit level and if there is any slope it is nose down as that helps sleeping and the shower to drain.

 

[berni109]

Truman app for android. Run the leveling tool, tablet or phone on the table and it tells u how much to raise which wheel.
I just use a little plastic 2 way level and then guess. Somewhere close is close enough.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

You don't want it too level. A bit of a slope helps your grey water drain out onto the grass more efficiently

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