Level Up Pads

[oldelmer1]

Ya'll who have level up, do you carry/use jack pads under your jacks?

If so, what kind are they, how big are they, and are they home made or store bought.

I can see where they would come in handy if camping on grass after a good rain to keep the jacks from sinking into the mud.

THANKS....

 

[HOOK-MOC]

I carry some of the plastic stacking blocks, but haven't used them yet. Level up works well so far without them. But you never know when you might need them.

 

[rvgwen]

We use the orange ones from Walmart when we are on suspect soil such as wet,sandy or otherwise soft. The pads do provide a bigger foot print and are easy to maintain. Cost factor is another bonus...

 

[bobbecky]

If you are on ground that is that soft, I would be very hesitant to park there. If you are worried about jacks sinking, you might lose to whole rig in a bog.

 

[DQDick]

We have parked where our tires went down six to eight inches and we used the yellow foot square plastic pads and they worked great. Didn't sink in hardly at all. Anytime we're on dirt we use them. No telling when it will rain enough you wish they were under there.

 

[DougnDawn]

I use some yellow pads the dealer threw in on the deal for the camper. I use them mainly because the campground we go to the most has gravel sites.

 

[FR28footer]

We use 2 x 6 wood blocks under our jacks. If you ever need firewood you have it.

They are cut to about one foot long. Don't use the treated wood.

 

[bobcat92]

We use the oversize orange jack pads. We use them on all surfaces. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/oversize-jack-pads-set-of-2/56864

 

[Artemus]

Agree with statement above about ground being capable of supporting the trailer. This summer, I stayed at a KOA that recently installed new "gravel pull through sites"! I nearly buried my dually, and Montana when I pulled into my spot. I had to use four wheel drive to escape, I then asked for new spot. Later that evening, I was asked to pull out another camper that got stuck in his site. He unhooked and deployed leveling system on yellow pads. To add to problem, the sites sloped to the right. His SOB Trailer could not level itself and landing gear ended up sinking nearly a foot. I was asked to help tow fiver, and his single rear drive truck out using my 4x4 ! I ended up placing his level system in manual mode, to even get all the back gear up. Error messages etc. In this case he had put pads under back four feet. The trailer actually "Skated sideways" on the wider foot prints, sinking deeper into gravel. Therefore, I believe pads can be used, but if ground too soft, or soft and un level, you better consider moving ! Yes unusual circumstances, but I have heard of "movement of leveling feet" when placed on pads ! Perhaps caused by our mini earthquakes? Lol

 

[DonandBonnie]

We bought pressure treated 2x8's and cut them into 2 ft. lengths. When not in use they ride in the bed of the truck. The 2 ft. length helps spread the weight to minimize the settling in softer ground. They serve another purpose beside support. In a couple campgrounds that are not level, we have had the auto level fail due to not enough travel on the jack to level up. In those cases we just put two boards under the low jacks and that usually does the trick.

 

[jimcol]

quote:Originally posted by Bigsky3625RE

We use 2 x 6 wood blocks under our jacks. If you ever need firewood you have it.

They are cut to about one foot long. Don't use the treated wood.

Bigsky3625RE, Just curious why you suggest not using treated wood? Is it in case you need it for firewood? Jim

 

[Doughboy51]

quote:Originally posted by DonandBonnie

We bought pressure treated 2x8's and cut them into 2 ft. lengths. When not in use they ride in the bed of the truck. The 2 ft. length helps spread the weight to minimize the settling in softer ground. They serve another purpose beside support. In a couple campgrounds that are not level, we have had the auto level fail due to not enough travel on the jack to level up. In those cases we just put two boards under the low jacks and that usually does the trick.

We use this method also. The extra height helps in some instances. The blocks can also serve as help if you need to put a jack under frame.

 

[FR28footer]

quote:Originally posted by jimcol

quote:Originally posted by Bigsky3625RE

We use 2 x 6 wood blocks under our jacks. If you ever need firewood you have it.

They are cut to about one foot long. Don't use the treated wood.

Bigsky3625RE, Just curious why you suggest not using treated wood? Is it in case you need it for firewood? Jim

Jim, you are correct. A tip we got from a RV tech. During a pdi.

May never need it but it made sense to me.....

 

[jimcol]

Thanks for your response. That was the only reason I could think of. Jim

 

[mhs4771]

We're with some of the others, the large (approx 12" x 12" x 1/2") orange pads. Also carry a few 2x10s cut to 10" for those few times we need that little extra lift to get level. Level-Up is great, but we've been in places where some of the jacks would run out of stroke.

 

[WeBeFulltime-MOC]

I use 2x12x12 treated under each pad. I find that the rig usually has less "movement". Chester Frost County Park in Chattanooga requires pads and they must be wood.

 

[Artfuldodger]

A friend of mine was advised to use non conductive pads to insulate his motorhome in case of a lightning strike as the leveling pads are metal and would be perfect grounds. Right or wrong?

 

[7.3Ford]

I did a post on the stands I made. Version 2 is lighter and stronger.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51242&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=stands

I have four of them, since I only have four jacks on BigFoot.

 

[Recumbent-MOC]

We use 12"X12"X1.5" (3/4" Marine Plywood double thick). The less the Level Up extends the rams the more stable the coach, so we have all 6 hydraulic cylinders 1.5" less extended. Some places actually have required pads, and one place required that all our jacks be placed on their concrete pad. As mentioned before if a site is very unleveled we can put the pads where needed.

 

[bobbecky]

As for lightning protection using plastic pads, it won't make any difference. The energy and voltage in lightning is so great, you would need quite a stack of them and they would have to be perfectly clean, assuming they had dielectric properties sufficient to insulate the trailer from the ground. You would also need to have the tires clear of the earth. Your best bet would be prayer, that you aren't the one who gets hit.