How to Level a Travel Trailer in an Easy Step-By-Step Guide

You’ll probably want to jump out of your travel trailer and relax on arrival at your campsite. However, if you don’t take time to level your travel trailer, you’ll likely encounter problems and ruin your camping experience. The slightest mishap, such as a water pool in the shower or your bed placed at the wrong angle, can result in deep regret.

To level a travel trailer, you start by choosing a flat spot and removing all the debris, if any. Level the RV from side to side and chock the RV tires. Then, unhitch the travel trailer from the tow vehicle and level the RV from front to back. Ensure you use the stabilizer jacks to maintain the trailer’s balance.

Fortunately, leveling your travel trailer isn’t so difficult. We’ve compiled an extensive guide on how to level a travel trailer. Read on to learn the steps and tools you need to level your camper trailer. Have an insightful read!

What is a camper leveler?

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A camper leveler is a tool that helps you level your camper trailer on the first try every single time. You don’t need to stress or second-guess.

With a camper leveler, you only need to drive until your trailer is leveled and then chock. Applying the right tricks and tips will help prevent ailments like overindulgence in mind-altering activities or campground cursing.

What is needed to level a travel trailer?

Knowing how to level a travel trailer ensures stability and safety. Here’s an overview of the things you need to level an RV.

1. RV Leveling Blocks, Jack Pads, or Levelers
2. Bubble Level
3. Tire Chocks
4. Level Mate PRO or Level Mate PRO+ (suggested upgrade)
5. Tongue Jack Stand

RV Leveling Blocks, Jack Pads, or Levelers

In most cases, in-built levelers aren’t always enough to level an RV. Some sites are so sloppy that the jack pads won’t be enough to level the trailer.

Sometimes, you may encounter soft ground; if it’s too soft, your in-built jacks will sink in, making it impossible to get your rig level. So, always carry RV leveling blocks.

Leveling blocks serve as increased surface area to prevent the travel trailer from sinking into the ground and provide additional height for off-level campsites. Utility Blocks are the best leveling blocks. They’re available in single blocks and come in four packs.

Bubble Level

A bubble level is an effective, simple tool that helps level trailers. They’re permanently attached to strategic places outside and inside the trailer, even on the trailer hitch.

Many travel trailers use bubble levels in tandem with other leveling systems. One of the inexpensive but best bubble levels is the inclinometer.

Bubble levels are weightless and don’t require any software updates. Also, they require little space and are easy to read. Glancing at the bubble level gives you a quick update on when and how you’re off the level, giving you room to make adjustments as necessary.

Tire Chocks

Tire chocks help to keep your trailer rig from rolling off, even slightly. They’re useful when parking and even at the campsite.

Also, they keep your travel trailer in place when you’re unhitching or hitching. We’ve tried many tire chocks, and Camco Super Wheel Chocks happen to be the best so far. They’re easy to carry, durable, and inexpensive.

Level Mate PRO or Level Mate PRO+ (suggested upgrade)

The LevelMatePRO is one of the best leveling tools on the market. The LevelMatePRO and LevelMatePRO+ use a 3-axis digital accelerometer that aids RV leveling.

Besides wirelessly indicating the direction your trailer is off-level through Bluetooth broadcast, it also informs you exactly how much you’re off-level (by showing the actual centimeters).

You can perfectly level your RV on the first try by seeing the amount of height to add and where to add it. Although the LevelMatePRO (base model) is slightly less costly, we recommend the LevelMatePRO+ as it has extended app support for the Apple Watch.

It also has an increased battery capacity and a micro-USB port for using external power. LevelMatePRO is one of our favorite gear pieces. It makes leveling a cinch for all types of RVs, including travel trailers.

You just have to level until the indicators turn green, and you’re done. Also, it has the ability to store and recall your hitch height. Making it super easy to return your trailer tongue to the exact height it needs to be for hitching back up, saving you time when you’re breaking camp.

Tongue Jack Stand

Tongue jack stands help to distribute the weight of your trailer tongue, providing a stable platform that prevents slipping. They also prevent the tongue from sinking into soft ground or from the sun’s heat softening the asphalt.

If you don’t have a tongue jack, you can improvise with a perfectly optimized wooden stand or cinder block.

How to Level a Camper Trailer in an Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Travel trailer leveling blocks and RV wheel stabilizers are amazing tools for leveling a travel trailer. However, there are tips and tricks you must follow if you’re looking for how to level a camper trailer.

Step 1: Drive the Travel Trailer to the Best Location, Preferably a Flat Spot

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Although it may not be easy to choose where to park at a campsite, you must first park it in a good location before leveling a trailer, preferably in a dry, firm, and flat spot. It’ll be difficult to level the trailer if it’s on muddy ground or gravel.

The more level the area, the easier it is to level your RV. If you’re at a campsite with many hookups, ensure your sewer hose, power cord, and water hose can reach the campground connections after parking.

Note that unless the trailer is perfectly leveled side-to-side, you’ll have to drive the RV forward or backward a bit to get your tires onto the levelers on one side. Once you’re sure that you’ll be able to reach the hook-ups, you can start the leveling process.

Step 2: Level the Travel Trailer from Side to Side

Once you find the perfect parking location, you’ll have to park your trailer about 2 feet ahead of when you plan to do the leveling. Then, place a leveler across the trailer hitch. It’ll indicate the side you need to elevate to ensure the trailer balances from side to side.

Placing leveling blocks or boards that aren’t evenly balanced around the wheels will help you determine how much to lower or raise each side. After placing the leveling blocks behind the wheels, back the trailer onto the blocks and check the level again.

You’ll need to repeat this process of removing and adding leveling blocks until you reach the desired level. Most importantly, level your trailer from side to side before you unhitch. 

We used LevelMatePRO+ for this process, and it was seamless. The carpenter’s level, bubble level, and Tyler Anderson levelers are great options, too.

Step 3: Chock the Travel Trailer Tires

You’ll need to chock the wheels after leveling the RV from side to side. To prevent all your hard work from going to waste, ensure the wheels don’t move. Place chocks or bricks behind and in front of each wheel to prevent them from rolling and causing an imbalance.

Then, choke your RV’s tires before unhitching them from your tow vehicle. This will help ensure safety and preserve your travel trailer, everyone inside, and anyone who may be in the trailer’s path if it moves and starts rolling down the grade.

While it doesn’t require much for the trailer to start moving, it takes a lot to stop it from rolling. So, make sure to chock the tires so the travel trailer doesn’t move backward or forward.

Step 4: Unhitch the Travel Trailer from the Tow Vehicle

To unhitch the travel trailer, you’ll need to remove the lights, wiring harness, tow (safety) chains, stabilizers, and any other connection. Then, proceed to park your RV out of the way.

Place a leveling pad or jack pad under your tongue jack and lower the jack. Continue raising the front of the RV until the tongue clears the hitch ball by about a half-inch.

Step 5: Level the Travel Trailer Front to Back

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After unhitching your travel trailer, you’ll need to level it from front to back. All you need to make this process easy is a hitchjack. You use the level vertically by turning it 90 degrees.

Then, lower or raise the jack to guide the bubble to the center. You can also use a square for this process. Once you’re done with this step, you may need to recheck the side-to-side levels and adjust if need be.

With LevelMatePRO or bubble levels, you can monitor your progress and raise or lower the RV’s tongue until the trailer levels from front to back. You can even use the travel trailer’s stabilizers if it’s equipped and you’re ready to enjoy your RV.

Step 6: Maintain the Travel Trailer’s Balance

You must ensure your travel trailer remains stationary throughout your trip. Travel trailers are equipped with stabilizing jacks on all four corners. These jacks extend to the ground to prevent the trailer from shifting.

Some RV owners prefer to mount the jack in front of a power drill to make extending it easier and faster. When using the stabilizer jacks, ensure you don’t apply too much pressure while cranking them.

Also, ensure they’re putting light pressure on the ground. Note that if you attempt to level your travel trailer with stabilizer jacks, you’ll damage it because they aren’t meant for that purpose.

Leveling a Travel Trailer Without Leveling Blocks

When leveling your travel trailer, considering the sun, wind, solar panels, view, and satellite TV reception aren’t the best options. Usually, if you don’t have hydraulic levelers and want to level your RV, you’ll need to raise the lower side with blocks.

But if you’re looking to level a travel trailer without leveling blocks, you’ll need to start by lowering the high side of the RV first. Then, continue digging small depressions behind the tires on the high side of the trailer.

Leveling a travel trailer without leveling blocks has a lot of advantages. It makes the RV more stable, with the tires cradled in a hole rather than perched on top of blocks. Plus, you won’t need to chock the wheels. 

Also, it is easier to back your trailer into a couple of holes than it is to back onto a stack of blocks. The entry step of your trailer will be closer to the ground.

How to Level a Travel Trailer with Electric Jacks

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The first thing to do is level side-to-side with leveling blocks. Then, level from front to rear with your electric (tongue) jacks. After that, place the jacks down to stabilize the trailer, tighten until snug, and give an extra turn.

For clarity, it’s best to use blocks and the front lifting jack to level your mobile home trailer. Electric tongue jacks help lift (raise) and stabilize (lower) travel trailers with a single button push, making it easy to level and hitch an RV instead of manual labor.

An electric jack offers a stable base for your RV and reduces your physical stress when breaking or setting up camp.

Most travel trailers come with pre-installed stabilizing electric jacks, like the Lippert Power Stabilizer Jack, making stabilizing your trailer much easier once level. A stabilizing jack is designed to keep your trailer steady when you walk around inside it after leveling it.

The Importance of Leveling Your Travel Trailer

There are several reasons why it’s important to level your travel trailer. The first is comfort. Nobody enjoys walking or standing off-level, and sleeping off-level is a hassle for many people, especially if the foot of your bed is higher than the head.

Additionally, water pooling at one side of the shower can be very annoying, especially when there’s no drainage, and you have to use your foot as a squeegee to get all the water out.

Also, the trailer must be reasonably level for a traditional electric or propane RV refrigerator to function properly. Otherwise, the ammonia (coolant) won’t be able to circulate properly.

Not only will your fridge stop cooling at safe levels during your camping trip if it’s off-level, but it might also cause a fire outbreak or sustain permanent damage.

Lastly, deploying your slides when the trailer is at a steep angle stresses the slide mechanism and can break the shear pins on the slide-out gears. This self-inflicted damage is quite expensive to repair.

Summary of How to Level a Travel Trailer

Knowing how to level a travel trailer requires in-depth knowledge and frequent practice. Once you discover the system or tool that works for you, you’ll be the best leveler in no time.

RVing is an entirely different world of adventure. It provides a stable base of operation for camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and numerous other outdoor activities. It offers a level of comfort a tent can’t provide.

The first trip with a travel trailer can be so exciting, but knowing how to level your travel trailer makes the adventure more fun. We hope you’ve learned the steps on how to level a mobile home trailer to make your trip easier.

Did you learn any new leveling methods? Let us know in the comments!

FAQs on How to Level a Travel Trailer

Is it hard to level a travel trailer?

Leveling a travel trailer is not hard. It is a slow process, especially if you’re doing it alone. You just have to find a coach to guide you in making adjustments and confirming whether or not you’re properly leveled.

What happens if your camper is not level?

When your camper isn’t level, it goes off equilibrium, giving an overall feeling of uneasiness. Also, walking inside an unlevel RV is unsafe as you’ll struggle to balance, which could cause you to trip or fall. Not to mention how frustrating it can be when items slip or roll off the tables and countertops.

Where is the best place to put the level on a travel trailer?

The best place to put the level on a travel trailer is on the trailer tongue. This will allow you to see if one side of the trailer is higher than the other. You’ll get to know which side is too low, and you can put leveling blocks or boards behind the wheels you’re trying to raise.

What is the best way to stabilize a travel trailer?

The best way to stabilize a travel trailer is to use jacks. Most RVs are equipped with leveling systems used for leveling and stabilizing, while fifth wheels use landing gears.

The best way to stop your RV from rocking or rolling off is by combining leveling jacks with stabilizers, which reduce up-and-down motions.

Can I use wood to level my RV?

You can use planks of wood to level your travel trailer. If you’re in a hole and need to quickly level your rig, head into a local hardware store or workshop and get some wood to stick under the trailer’s tires.