Leveling with cinder blocks

forestdweller · 08-08-2018, 01:27 PM

Hi everyone I'm planning on putting a travel trailer that's 32ft and weighs 6000lbs in an area of the woods I cleared and covered with wood chips. The spot isn't level and kind of slopes off to one side and down and also had some small bumps and ditches some places. We're planning on living in the trailer long term so we want it to be standing on something more stable than its wheels and stabalizer things. We were thinking of using cinder blocks together with some wood and maybe some gravel to make eight pillars under the trailer (four in front and behind the wheels and four more behind and infront of those but not all the way at the end). I'm looking for someone with some experience with this or any other method to make a semi perminent foundation for a travel trailer.

Scrapper · 08-08-2018, 04:39 PM

To start you will need a hydraulic bottle jacks large enough to do the job of lifting the trailer. A 5 ton jack will do the job but 2 jacks will make things easier. Jack at the frame near where you will be working. Also, you may not need to raise the trailer very high with the jacks. You will need to get some 2 or 4 inch thick concrete blocks to place on the ground first. Then place the cinder blocks on them with the holes vertical for more strength. Top with another 2 inch concrete block. You will also need some pieces of wood of various thickness to use as spacers. If you set 2 cinder blocks side by side, interlocking them as you go up it will be more solid. Place blocks at each corner and a set on each side in front of and behind the axles. Try to space the block evenly on the side of the trailer. Buy plenty of blocks to start with and take back what you don't use. Don't raise the tires off the ground.

Keep in mind that depending on what type of ground your setting up on you might need to re-level the trailer every 2+ years.

My trailer has been sitting in the same spot since August 2013 and I had to re-level it for the first time last summer. I don't have pics of my trailer on the blocks. I have 2 - 2"x6"x 6' pressure treated boards under the right side tires and a single 2"x6"x6' PT board under the left tires. On the rear I have 2" blocks, then 3 cinder blocks then a 4" block on top with a couple of 3/4" boards. Behind the axles there is a 2" then 2 cinder blocks, then a 4" and 2" block with a 1" board. In front of the axles there is 2", then a cinder block, a 4" block and a 2" board. On the front there is a 2" with one cinder block and a 2" board on top.

forestdweller · 08-08-2018, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapper

To start you will need a hydraulic bottle jacks large enough to do the job of lifting the trailer. A 5 ton jack will do the job but 2 jacks will make things easier. Jack at the frame near where you will be working. Also, you may not need to raise the trailer very high with the jacks. You will need to get some 2 or 4 inch thick concrete blocks to place on the ground first. Then place the cinder blocks on them with the holes vertical for more strength. Top with another 2 inch concrete block. You will also need some pieces of wood of various thickness to use as spacers. If you set 2 cinder blocks side by side, interlocking them as you go up it will be more solid. Place blocks at each corner and a set on each side in front of and behind the axles. Try to space the block evenly on the side of the trailer. Buy plenty of blocks to start with and take back what you don't use. Don't raise the tires off the ground.

Keep in mind that depending on what type of ground your setting up on you might need to re-level the trailer every 2+ years.

My trailer has been sitting in the same spot since August 2013 and I had to re-level it for the first time last summer. I don't have pics of my trailer on the blocks. I have 2 - 2"x6"x 6' pressure treated boards under the right side tires and a single 2"x6"x6' PT board under the left tires. On the rear I have 2" blocks, then 3 cinder blocks then a 4" block on top with a couple of 3/4" boards. Behind the axles there is a 2" then 2 cinder blocks, then a 4" and 2" block with a 1" board. In front of the axles there is 2", then a cinder block, a 4" block and a 2" board. On the front there is a 2" with one cinder block and a 2" board on top.

Thanks for your response. Does your trailer have a slide out? Would you have to put something under that too?

Scrapper · 08-08-2018, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestdweller

Thanks for your response. Does your trailer have a slide out? Would you have to put something under that too?

My trailer has 3 slides. No, you don't want to put any type of support under the slides. If the trailer settles or for some reason gets knocked off the blocks the slides will be damaged. If you have the papers that come with the trailer they say not to support the slides.

You should put the year, make and model of your trailer in your profile. If you have any problems with the trailer there might be someone with the same one who has had the same problem.

forestdweller · 08-08-2018, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapper

My trailer has 3 slides. No, you don't want to put any type of support under the slides. If the trailer settles or for some reason gets knocked off the blocks the slides will be damaged. If you have the papers that come with the trailer they say not to support the slides.

Thanks thats very helpful information

forestdweller · 08-08-2018, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapper

My trailer has 3 slides. No, you don't want to put any type of support under the slides. If the trailer settles or for some reason gets knocked off the blocks the slides will be damaged. If you have the papers that come with the trailer they say not to support the slides.

You should put the year, make and model of your trailer in your profile. If you have any problems with the trailer there might be someone with the same one who has had the same problem.

How did you get the cinder blocks to sit level on the ground? Did you put anything between them and the dirt?

Scrapper · 08-09-2018, 01:13 AM

Just level the ground with a rake the best you can, pack it a little with a block of wood. Once you set the 2" or 4" thick concrete blocks you can use a rubber mallet and a level, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Something I forgot to tell you is if you can get some 4" wide hardwood wedges they will come in handy to hammer in a few days later.

Another thing is if your LP gas line runs under the frame you will have to figure out how to get around it. On my TT the pipe goes down the passenger side under the frame then turns to the left side 3 ft from the front axle. That's where I had to use the 4" wide wedges. My steps are just in front of the right front tire. I had to set the front blocks on the passenger side under stabilizer to keep away from the gas line. Don't extend the stabilizer any more than necessary, preferably not any if you can.

CedarCreekWoody · 08-09-2018, 02:15 PM

Use 24 inch square blocks on the ground, under the cinder blocks. Dig them in to level them, with no grass or wood chips underneath (as they will rot and settle.) The large base is less apt to settle.

Tiggerdad · 08-09-2018, 02:17 PM

I would jack high enough to get tires off the ground. If too high to do so I would remove and restore them or buy some cheap metal supports to place under the spring pack. Not to support your rig but enough to lift tires off the ground. No wood in contact with the ground.

forestdweller · 08-09-2018, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiggerdad

I would jack high enough to get tires off the ground. If too high to do so I would remove and restore them or buy some cheap metal supports to place under the spring pack. Not to support your rig but enough to lift tires off the ground. No wood in contact with the ground.

So you dont think the tires should be touching the ground at all?

forestdweller · 08-09-2018, 02:32 PM

Ive also heard you shouldnt put any cinder block supports under the end corners of the trailer as that isnt the strongest point. Any truth to this?

Tiggerdad · 08-09-2018, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestdweller

So you dont think the tires should be touching the ground at all?

In my opinion no. Tires should not be left in contact with soil long term. If you feel you must leave them in contact place concrete blocks under them.

Scrapper · 08-09-2018, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiggerdad

I would jack high enough to get tires off the ground. If too high to do so I would remove and restore them or buy some cheap metal supports to place under the spring pack. Not to support your rig but enough to lift tires off the ground. No wood in contact with the ground.

The problem with this is if for some reason the blocks give way and you have to jack the whole thing back up. It's not going to be easy without the tires on the trailer. Remember you are not anchoring the trailer to the ground like a mobile home or house. Pressure treated lumber last quite a long time even when wet.

Scrapper · 08-09-2018, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestdweller

Ive also heard you shouldnt put any cinder block supports under the end corners of the trailer as that isnt the strongest point. Any truth to this?

You place the blocks under the frame.

formerFR · 08-09-2018, 03:15 PM

there are several 'tough' parts of this job:

- how to level all the blocks before you attempt to sit the trailer on them(of course, it won't do much good if the trailer only sits on some, and not all!) Leveling is a tough business, and then making sure that they are each well seated and will not move is the second!

- how are you going to 'sit' the trailer on the foundation AFTER the blocks are already there? This is also tough, because you would probably really need to already have the trailer where you want it before you even put any blocks 'under' it. You could consider building the foundation, and THEN driving the trailer thru the open ends, but that itself would also be tough since the width of the tires would certainly create a very tight situation with the existing blocks... none of this would be easy.

- a CRANE may be needed!

but, all in all, it's certainly a great idea for a 'permanent' home-away-from-home.

formerFR · 08-09-2018, 03:18 PM

a true Mason, preferably one who is your friend, might give you some sage advice toward this noble endeavor... or at least help you with the leveling!

Scrapper · 08-09-2018, 03:29 PM

It's not as hard as you think. Seasonal campers do it all the time. I have done it on 3 different trailers since 2005 and the only problem I have is the blocks settle into the ground over time. One side or end will settle more or faster than the other. It doesn't matter if you use the largest block you can find for the base blocks. You are not placing them below the frost line. The blocks will settle.

Kaadk · 08-09-2018, 03:33 PM

An alternative is to not put the blocks right at the frame. Instead, use blocks to build whatever retaining wall you need, backfill it and build a level, stable parking pad. Then just park the trailer on that. Done right, you'll have the assurance that your pad won't sink, as well as the ability to pull the trailer out if you ever need to (like warranty work, upgrading or deciding that yes, you would like to take that occasional trip elsewhere) without having to reverse engineer your foundation.

Scrapper · 08-09-2018, 03:45 PM

If you want to go through the expense you can have someone pour a concrete pad the length of the trailer and just wider than the tires. Or as I've seen done before, pour 2 pads 2' wide aligned with the frame. Set the blocks on the pads. Most campgrounds will not allow that and any RV parks that allow it would have pads already made. The campground I'm in had poured pads 9'w x 12'L for seasonals for the trailer tires to set on. All the seasonals parked the trailers off to the side so they can use the pads for a patio. For the last 10 years the CG doesn't put any thing down for seasonals. If you want a patio you build a deck. Their pull-thru sites are gravel and the non-pull-thru sites are just grass.

Duckogram · 08-09-2018, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forestdweller

Hi everyone I'm planning on putting a travel trailer that's 32ft and weighs 6000lbs in an area of the woods I cleared and covered with wood chips. The spot isn't level and kind of slopes off to one side and down and also had some small bumps and ditches some places. We're planning on living in the trailer long term so we want it to be standing on something more stable than its wheels and stabalizer things. We were thinking of using cinder blocks together with some wood and maybe some gravel to make eight pillars under the trailer (four in front and behind the wheels and four more behind and infront of those but not all the way at the end). I'm looking for someone with some experience with this or any other method to make a semi perminent foundation for a travel trailer.

Your trailer does not have to be level for the electrical system(s) to work although if your fridge is an absorbtion type, it needs to be fairly level.

Sorry, I just thought somebody should say something that dealt with the section title.

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