How Level Does It Need To Be

[BubbaLynn]

Since we can't go pick up our new Mountaineer for a month or two because of the amount of snow we still have on the ground, I'm hoping to get this question answered before we do.

My driveway is fairly flat in the middle section & the one toward the garage (both sections are around 12' long) but the third section going toward the road has about a three degree upward slope. (again it's around 12' long)
My question is this...
Is this upward slope and resulting angle between the pin & hitch plate going to cause me any problems as far as unhitching or rehitching the trailer?

The trailer will not be parked here most of the time...
When we're not using it, it will be across the road in my neighbors field which is mostly flat but we want to camp in it in our driveway when we first get it home so we can check everything out on it.
Hitch is a Robin 16K that does tilt in all four directions.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bubba

[BB_TX]

Probably not a problem. That doesn't sound like a lot of slope.
Would probably be a good idea to park it on some boards in the field so the wheels don't sink in soft soil.

[camper4]

I have a Reese 16K hitch similar to your Robin. So, I can't exactly speak to your hitch, but I have hooked and unhooked with greater angles than 3 degrees with no issues.
Good luck!

[bncinwv]

I would strongly suggest a pair of reliable wheel chocks (not the plastic wedges) to immobilize the rig prior to hitching and unhitching. A little movement does not sound bad, but the front legs are easy to put in a bind which can result in motor and or gear failure! Some MOCers are proponents of the Roto-Chocks, I use the Bal type ratcheting chocks available at camping world. Preference is personal but there are options.
Bingo

[BubbaLynn]

Thanks Guys it is greatly appreciated!

Bill great advice on parking it on some boards.
I've seen that field be a muddy mess several times as the snow is melting & after a good rain.
Not so much a problem with my wheeler trailer, but it would be for the new 5'er.

Bingo, believe it or not, that was going to be my next question....
How good are the Bal ratcheting type between the wheel chocks as I planned to buy a set of those plus use my old on the ground rubber wedge ones with them.

Bubba

[kilch123]

I've got the BAL X chocks (between the wheels) and believe me! They will keep the wheels from turning - even when you pull the camper 6 feet (don't ask how I know)

[ols1932]

Definitely need wheel chocks. As do some others, we have the Roto-Choks. We had the BAL chocks but discovered, for our purposes, that the Roto-Choks seemed to hold better. The metal BAL chocks slipped a bit with metal against rubber.

Orv

[Art-n-Marge]

When you are hitching up on your driveway as long as you can raise the front high enough you should be able to hitch up just fine. I have had to unhitch/hitch in campgrounds that were more severe than the driveway you are describing but just make sure you have dropped the front landing legs far enough as you can before operating the hydraulic lift and this will help you get the clearance you need. You might even mark with a permanent marker which notch works once you have identified the best setting.

It sure seems to be much more of a balancing act to figure out the notch that gets the clearance to hitch up AND maintain the level when unhitched at a campground. Twice I had to use bottle jacks to raise the front landing gear to adjust the notch on the landing gear dropdowns. No fun to be sure.

I also use the BAL chocks between the wheels as well but mine don't ratchet. I use the provided ratcheting wrench that uses a screw type bolt to open and close them. It's the same function, just a different method of use them.

However, a word of warning - I had to revert to the triangular chocks at home when parked in the driveway for extended periods because when I used the metal-faced BAL chocks at home and the Monty was parked for months if we didn't venture out very often, the metal on the chock faces would "stick" to the tires when I removed them. I didn't like that sound or know how much this would hurt the tires so I went back to the plastic triangles chocks when parked at home for long periods and used the metal BAL chocks only when we travel since we're never parked for months.

Your experience may vary especially if you use your rig a lot and like in my case my trailer can sit for long periods between uses. I also live in a very hot, dry climate but use full tire covers, but they stuck anyway.

BTW: love the picture in your signature but when I clicked on your link I got this message:

"General Error
7073638-(photo-fantastic) SQL ERROR [ mysqli ] Host 'host3.autoforumz.com' is blocked because of many connection errors; unblock with 'mysqladmin flush-hosts' [1129]

An sql error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact an administrator if this problem persists."

If it's me, please let me know.

[sreigle]

I like the BAL chocks. Just be sure a day or two after setting them to tighten them some more. After a run the tires are warm. When they cool they shrink and that causes the chocks to need tightening some more to maintain max stability. They'll hold just fine even if you don't retighten but you might notice a little more movement if you don't retighten.

By the way, because of the way the fender skirts come down between wheels on our Montana I find it easier if I mount the BAL chocks upside down, with the tightening nut down. It's easier on my knuckles. Just my preference.

I have trouble really understanding just how much off level is represented by 3 degrees. If very much off level I would recommend not running the refrigerator. The fridge can withstand being a little off level but, over time, is damaged by being off level. The coolant in the cooling unit tends to separate and once it separates it is never going to get back together. It is not something I'd worry about for an hour or two on rare occasions but I'd not do it with any regularity. But 3 degrees may not be enough to worry about in any case. I had an old RV service guy tell me once that if I'm comfortable in the rig, so is the refrigerator. So that's my guideline now.

[bncinwv]

You will not need the ground chocks with either the Bal chocks or the Roto Chocks, but since you alreasy have them as with everything it is your choice. I like the Bal chocks so much that I also bought a pair for the boat trailer. Make sure they are in place and tight and the legs are fully extended before hitching and unhitching, it is very difficult to stop a rolling Montana, and it only takes an inch or so to bind the front legs!! I also will not tell how I know this, but thank goodness the new motor was covered by extended warranty (OOOPS, sorry Rich, extended service plan!!)
Bingo

[sreigle]

Now that I re-read your original post I see I misunderstood. Your Mountaineer will be level but will be on a driveway with a slight upward slope and you're wondering whether that will cause hitching/unhitching problems. The answer to that question, in my opinion, is "no problem." You will find many rv parks / campgrounds where you are hitching/unhitching on a more severe incline/decline or side to side tilt.

I assume once you unhitch you will level the trailer. If you will not turn on the fridge then you wouldn't really need to level it and the following would be irrelevant. If you do level the trailer, it would be helpful if you could mark the location of the pinbox at the point you pulled the truck out from under it while unhitching so you can get it back to that same point for hitching it up. The reason is when on an incline it can be a little more difficult to get the right height. You can always back it close, then raise or lower the nose of the trailer a time or two until it's right. But having a way to mark the point of unhitching is helpful. For years I used a contraption my Dad made for me but a couple of years ago when a commercial version came out I switched over. It is a level with a slide. After pulling the truck out from under we move the slide to center it over the bubble, then level the trailer. To hitch up, we raise or lower the nose until the bubble is centered under that slide and we're at the right height.

[Waynem]

Okay! My two cents. When I had my 3400RL I backed it into our driveway. I had an F350, crew cab, long bed dually, King Ranch (for reference purposes). My driveway has a 6 degree slope overall. From back to front is a 23 inch drop, approximately. From Wheels to jacks is about 8-9 inches for that distance. I made wood blocks topped with plywood for the front jacks. they were about 6-7 inches high. I would jack the trailer up using the blocks, not so much for the height, but to not extend the jacks to the maximum and maintain some stability. I used the roto-chocks between the wheels on both sides, plus I made 4 x 4 16" long blocks of wood, four of them, with two each connected with a 3 foot braided rope in an eyelet on the end. This went in front of each tire. (Overkill but i was happy.) I never had a problem leveling the trailer, or getting the 16k Reese hitch underneath the king pin. Take a look at where you expect your wheels to be parked and you probably don't have as much of a slope as you think you may have. I never measured, but from center wheels to jacks are probably around 20 feet. (someone measure that on their 3400 for me please.)

Don't forget that when you park in the field and place boards underneath the tires that you want the entire footprint of the tire on the board. No overlap in any direction. You may get away with a 2 x 8, but a 2 x 10 would be a lot better.

Good luck.

Edited: I'm 5'10" and when the 3400RL was level in the driveway I could walk under it without hitting my head.

I know this has been hashed before, but here it is again. Purchase one of those bubble levels that has the degrees on it. It is about 2-1/2 inches long. Get some double back tape and tape a magnet to the back side. Make sure you observe the polarity of the magnet by first trying to stick it to the King Pin Box. When you raise your trailer for unhooking and you see the clarance between the King Pin and the Hitch, level the magnet on the side of the king pin box. Unhook. Level the trailer (not with the level you just put on - leave it alone). When you get ready to hook up again, lower the trailer until that king pin level on the side of the king pin box reads "0". You are now so close to being able to hook right up. You may have to raise the RV just a little to compensate for the springs on the truck relaxing, but not much. Always, always insure that you have the proper clearance before backing under your king pin, and that you are aligned properly.

[jimcol]

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

I like the BAL chocks. Just be sure a day or two after setting them to tighten them some more. After a run the tires are warm. When they cool they shrink and that causes the chocks to need tightening some more to maintain max stability. They'll hold just fine even if you don't retighten but you might notice a little more movement if you don't retighten.

Steve, Thanks for the advice on retightening these things. Have used them for several years and never thought about the hot tires being expanded. For DW's sake I'll do most anything to keep movement out of the rig. She doesn't buy my theory it will "rock you to sleep"
Jim

[BubbaLynn]

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas & advice!!

This being our first fifth wheel, I was concerned that I might bind the pin and not be able to open the hitch or the hitch would not re-latch when I went to hook back up....I'm relieved to find out this won't be a problem.

I ordered the Bal chocks today along with a few other essentials that didn't come with the 5'er....50-30 amp dogbone adaptor etc.

Art, as far as my website....it's not you.
The host service I'm using is free, so I can't complain, but.....
First they had a spam attack, and then after that was kind of taken care of they moved thier servers...things have not been right since.
There are times that I get that same error message or the page will just not load.
I did manage to get on this morning & checked everything I could on my end "again" & it all looks good. Hopefully the link is up and working now.

Bubba

[sreigle]

Thanks for reporting back. With the four-way hitch you'll likely never have a problem but let me tell you a solution that a neighbor showed me when we did have problems unhitching, way back on our first long distance trip back in 1995. We had an old Reese hitch that did not swivel side to side. We pulled into a very uneven site and the truck was cocked sideways to the FW after we ran the fifthwheel up on several inches of boards to level it side to side. And I did not do the same for the truck. I could not get the hitch to release. A neighbor took pity, asked if he could help, he pulled the pins holding the hitch saddle to its base, then pulled out his small sledge hammer and whacked that hitch good and hard. The saddle popped out of the cradle and I was able to pull the truck out from under, then reinstall the saddle to the hitch. Hopefully you'll never need this technique but just wanted you to be aware of it. I've never again had need for it.

[Waynem]

Bubba,
Always, before removing the chocks, do the "TUG" test. If the hitch doesn't come loose, then un-chock.

Also, most likely you have the dometic and it may or may not be different for operations, but my Norcold states that the refrigerator needs to be within 3 degrees side to side and 6 degrees front to back as you are looking at the refrigerator. Check your manual for your "levelness" requirements.

Good luck.

[exav8tr]

To add to what Waynem said, we raise the front jacks 1/4 inch off the ground BEFORE doing the tug test. Don't want to bind them thar legs in the least.

Over and out. Phil

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by exav8tr

To add to what Waynem said, we raise the front jacks 1/4 inch off the ground BEFORE doing the tug test. Don't want to bind them thar legs in the least.

Over and out. Phil

Same here. While I'm pretty confident looking at the hitch tells me it's latched, doing the tug test anyhow is just quick, easy, and cheap insurance compared to the expense (and embarrassment) of dropping the FW on the bedrails. I've seen quite a few bedrails with a large "V" on each side over the years so I know it happens. Good point, Wayne and Phil.

[sreigle]

Bubba, maybe these pictures will give you an idea of what's possible for hitching up. In these, I had just hitched it up after being in this site for a couple of weeks. The Reese hitch I had here was a rocker (4 way movement). You can see in one of these pictures that I had to back the truck up onto some boards under one rear wheel while backing. It took me a few tries because when one truck rear wheel rises but the other doesn't, the hitch center moves in an arc, not a straight line. So it was hard to align the hitch and took a few tries and choice words. But maybe this will relieve any residual anxiety you have about hitching and unhitching on the angle you will be dealing with.

[CBTraveler]

Three degrees side to side, assuming 8 ft spacing between the wheels is 5 inches. That seems like a lot, but I double checked the math.