Limit on Leveling Front to Back with a Tandem Axle

[Tom 2424]

Hi Everybody,

We are setting up the TT we just purchased in our driveway to "practice" with it before hitting the road. The issue is that the driveway slopes slightly. I could level the trailer front-to-back by almost fully retracting the tongue jack so that the frame in front is just a coupe of inches off the ground.

So, while it appears I can certainly DO that, my question is: at some point does this start to strain the tandem axles?

Thanks for any help!

(I am at that "dangerous" point where if I try something as an experiment it could damage the rig. I remember when I had my first boat it suffered a little while I was learning things. )

[rsdata]

do it, you will NOT damage anything... make sure you have the wheels chocked well

[Tom 2424]

@rsdata

Thank you for the quick reply, I will do that tomorrow.

[pwoods]

That's how I used to park our trailer in the street in front of our house. Had a 4' long 2x8 raised 3" in the back along the gutter to take care of the crown in the road and then lowered the nose jack all the way down. Almost perfectly level. Allowed precooling the refrigerator without worrying about being out of level.

[Tom 2424]

@pwoods

Thanks, the fridge was actually one of my man concerns, so that's good to hear.

[dmctlc]

Congratulations on your new TT. Great idea to run through the TT when we had a TT we use to set it up turn on the fridge and check the slides as well as the awning. If u haven't already checked out the plumbing hook up a hose and put it through it's paces and check for leaks. Enjoy the new TT.

[Sebourn]

Congratulations on the new rv.
I just wanted to mention to watch the limits on your jack. A couple of years ago we camped at a site with the front to back slope. It didn't look like all that much but I was watching the bubble level and didn't notice how close the front of the trailer was getting to the ground. It stopped when it went as far as it could. When I pushed the switch to raise the tongue jack was dead. At first I thought I had just jammed the motor or something but I tried the light switch and got nothing power wise. After thinking a little about what to do next, I remembered reading in the forum about a fuse located in the wiring near the jack. I looked and found one in a small protective cover about a foot from the jack on one on the wires going from the jack. It had a 30a standard blade fuse. We were able to get a replacement fuse at an auto parts store a few miles away. I now carry a box with all of the fuses I might need. I also keep a close watch as I get close to the ground when leveling.

Also keep a watch on height. I don't like the looks of it when I start seeing a lot of the shaft exposed so I keep several cut 4x4's I can stack under the foot if needed to keep the shaft shorter. I don't know if the tongue has a limit switch if you go too high but I don't want to find out the hard way. There was a big commotion at a campground a few sites down from me a few years ago and a guy did exactly that. His shaft was on the ground and his trailer hitch receiver was on the ground.
Safe travels and enjoy.

[drelec]

You could also put some leveling blocks under the front axle tires.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Levelin...4867641&sr=8-3

or fancier;

https://www.amazon.com/Kohree-Camper...4867780&sr=8-6

[pwoods]

I keep a number of 30a fuses in the toolbox because of having a blown fuse more than once.

[Tom 2424]

Thanks for the info, everybody. All great points. I have just ordered some of those Anderson levelers (those orange crescent-shaped ones) and will first level the trailer side-to-side, then lower the nose. Fortunately, my power jack has a line clearly marking the spot below which you should not go. A little manipulation with wood blocks and I'll be able to lower it right down to get level front-to-back.

As an aside, I've been shopping around for several of the start-up items an RV-er needs, and in a couple of instances, Walmart.com has had the best pricing (even better than Amazon), and has free shipping over $35. That's where I bought my levelers. Worth a look.

Thanks again.

Tom