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Old 07-06-2011, 03:15 PM   #1
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Side to side leveling

I've got the orange "lego" type blocks to level the TT. I have always put blocks under both axles to level. I have noticed over the years that some people will only put the blocks under one axle. I always thought that if you only lift one axle you have to lift it more to get things level. Plus it looks like it will put more stress on one spring.

What do you guys do to level your camper?
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Old 07-06-2011, 03:30 PM   #2
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I block both axles when doing side to side leveling.
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Old 07-06-2011, 03:34 PM   #3
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2"x8"x5' boards with one end cut at 50 degree angle; then butt flat ends together and back both axles on low side over boards.

Plenty wide enough and leaves enough end space to chuck.
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Old 07-06-2011, 03:58 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DF5.4 View Post
I've got the orange "lego" type blocks to level the TT. I have always put blocks under both axles to level. I have noticed over the years that some people will only put the blocks under one axle. I always thought that if you only lift one axle you have to lift it more to get things level. Plus it looks like it will put more stress on one spring.

What do you guys do to level your camper?
I do both axles. I guess you could do just 1 axle if 1 block on each wheel is too much lift, but I would not go over a 1 block difference between the wheels.
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Old 07-06-2011, 03:59 PM   #5
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Both axles lift the trailer too high in some moderate leveling situations. I found that lifting only one axle brings a "quarter bubble" perfectly level. Experiment!!
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Old 07-06-2011, 07:10 PM   #6
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one side, both axles.
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Old 07-06-2011, 08:13 PM   #7
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Wouldn't putting a board under one tire/axle overload that tire/axle?
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Old 07-06-2011, 09:31 PM   #8
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Both axles on a side. I use 2x10 boards cut 12 inches long and also carry 1x10s cut 12 inches long for lifts less than one inch. I use the Lego type blocks for the stabilizers.

I tried them under the wheels once but it rained and they sunk into the dirt/mud. It was a nightmare getting them out and cleaning them.

One pressure treated 2x10x8 feet is pretty cheap and if they crack under use they are easy to replace. Same with one 1x10x8 deck plank.
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Old 07-06-2011, 09:33 PM   #9
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Agree with poster 'oldprof', as sometimes you only need a slight lift, so putting a small block under one wheel is completely acceptable. If you have spring axles, the load per axle will not change. But if you have the independant torsion axles, lifting just one axle does increase the load on that axle. That is why you wouldn't want to put too big of a block under the tire in that case.
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Old 07-06-2011, 09:39 PM   #10
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I assume you mean by "slight lift" the other tire is still on the ground.

I can't see how you are not increasing the load on the axle by lifting just the one (spring or not). If you kept lifting one axle, just like changing the tire you would soon have all the weight of the side resting on just the one tire. No?
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Old 07-06-2011, 10:25 PM   #11
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I was reading the leaflet which comes with Lynx levelers recently, and they say that one should only lift one axle to level the trailer .... I thought that was weird as I always lift both axles ..... If I can find it again , I will re-read and confirm ...
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Old 07-07-2011, 01:18 AM   #12
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my trailer has springs, the yoke between the springs allow distribution to the axles equally up to a certain point. Like many here have stated I will put blocks under one or both of the tires to achieve the desired amount of lift. I will never put two blocks under one axle without having at least one under the other axle. I also carry a shovel and will often dig holes for the high side wheels to drop them, granted this takes a minimally improved camp site as I don't want to cause problems with any camp managers. Holes make excellent wheel chocks by the way.
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Old 07-07-2011, 07:02 AM   #13
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Tri Lynx Levelers

The photos show trailer type (dual axles) with a Lynx under each wheel.
The instructions do not mention using only one wheel on a side.
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Old 07-07-2011, 07:10 AM   #14
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I do both axles. I guess you could do just 1 axle if 1 block on each wheel is too much lift, but I would not go over a 1 block difference between the wheels.
X2. Thing only makes sense. I will also do a block difference if the ground is uneven.
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Old 07-07-2011, 07:12 AM   #15
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Wouldn't putting a board under one tire/axle overload that tire/axle?
If you were to lift 1 axle where the 2nd axle has little or no weight, then the lifted axle (& tire) could be overloaded. But I think blocking 1 axle no more than a board difference (1 1/2" to 2") from the 2nd axle should not be that great of a load......you probably encounter the equivalent of that many times on the road (going through a dip, the apron at the gas pumps, over railroad tracks, etc.). A couple of inches difference is a different story. If the unblocked tire is off the ground, your lifted axle is probably overloaded.
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Old 07-07-2011, 08:01 AM   #16
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It depends on the terrain. If the ground is fairly level front to rear, I will place the pads under both tires on the low side. Frequently there is a front/rear slope that when I level the trailer front/rear, will leave the suspension on one axle compressed and the other extended. In that case I may place the pads under the extended axle to level side to side and try to equalize the load. The roads/trails our 5'er has traveled frequently will have a tire hanging in the air while the other tire on the side carries all the load. So far I have had no problems, so I wouldn't be concerned about the 1" or 2" difference the pads would make.

Of course I have the yellow "lego" pads. I don't know about those orange ones.
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Old 07-07-2011, 08:27 AM   #17
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This is in positioning the lynx levelers .....

"Determine which wheels must be raised, always leaving one wheel on the ground."


I read it to mean that one should only raise one wheel .... When they say which wheels, I assume they mean which side ..... If I am not wrong, the manual which came with the levelers had a NO icon on the picture where both axels/wheels were raised. I looked for the manual but I must have thrown it Maybe they are saying that do not use the levelers on both sides of the trailer ... why would anyone ever want to do that ? Thus I interpret it the way I did/do ...

I am just stating how I interpret what I read and remember seeing. I do raise both wheels ... Raising one wheel would increase the load on the torsion axel that particular wheel is connected to for sure.

P.S. Keep in mind English is not my native tongue and I might interpret things slightly differently .... right or wrong

Quote:
Originally Posted by herk7769 View Post
Tri Lynx Levelers

The photos show trailer type (dual axles) with a Lynx under each wheel.
The instructions do not mention using only one wheel on a side.
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Old 07-07-2011, 09:02 AM   #18
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I've always used legos one side, both axles. The legos give you 1" increments in lift, which correspond to the graduated leveling bubbles.

That said, I've read some recent discussion (on the "other" forum) that one axle, one side will give you 0.50" increments. I've never tried it, though....
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Old 07-07-2011, 10:37 AM   #19
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Now I am confused where before I was not.

I think I will continue to level "by the side" and not "by the tire" though...
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Old 07-07-2011, 11:12 AM   #20
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maybe I'm confused, but why would you level only one tire and not both tires on one side? And why would you put leveling blocks on both sides? Aren't you defeating the purpose of leveling, since you're adding height to BOTH sides? We had to build up about 3-4" on one side the last campsite we camped at. We used every orange/yellow leveling block we had, and then DH got the shovel out to dig a hole for the other side. Finally got it level. I would never even consider just leveling one tire instead of both. Seems counterproductive to me. But then again, we've only had our TT for 45 days....
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