Best method to park in a driveway?

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Adrian Gordon

Thanks, Larry. Interesting articles. I'm familiar with the writers, Lapina Associates. Saw them countless times in products liability lawsuits where they were experts on almost any subject and product imaginable. A very profitable business as far as I could see.
In any case, it was educational, although seemingly unrelated to proper leveling of the RV.
Again, thank you.

Sort of loosely related, Adrian. Post #18 by SemperFi suggests that operation out of level could cause a fire. I do not believe that to be the case, but it led me to further investigation.

Post #18 caught my attention because absorption refrigerators CAN be ruined by sustained operation more than a few degrees out of level--relevant to an article about parking the RV on a hill. I expect the OP won't be running the refrigerator while he's unloading, but he might run it while loading in the future. The damage occurs because the normal circulation of ammonia involves gravity. Hence the reference to the article on absorption cooling.

[Rolland]

That is a pretty good laymen’s description. I installed the Fridge Defend in a Norcold fridge in our previous rig. Some good info on this sight why having an absorption level is important. Seeing some of the fires caused in rigs going over mountain passes convinced me to have the fridge shut down, then restarted was a good thing to spend $$ on..

https://www.arprv.com/products.php

Originally Posted by Semperfi24

I think the idea (not sure if I am painting the right picture, because I'm actually just guessing) is like holding a lighter. If you hold it correctly while lit, no big deal. But if you light it, and then turn it sideways, the flame direction in relation to the lighter orientation changes and makes it more dangerous. So the orientation of the fridge (upright) is factored into the design of the exhaust, and the flame tube, and everything related to burning propane. Alter that orientation, and the flame starts to go "in the wrong direction", so to speak

[CanadaGal]

Once the trailer is backed into the driveway, chock the front. Then put your tow vehicle in neutral and ease forward until the chocks are holding both the trailer and the vehicle. Chock the rear in case you raise the trailer too high and it starts to roll. Unhitch as usual. Level the trailer front to back. Lower stabilizers if you want to.

[CanadaGal]

Originally Posted by KyDan

When I park on a hill I chock the tires and put my truck in neutral and ease off the brake so it rolls against the chocks and I KNOW they are holding.
I will then put the truck back in gear and take the strain off the hitch so I can uncouple. Actually my wife puts it in gear and takes the strain off while I stand by the nose with my finger on the tongue jack button.

Many years ago, someone gave me the advice to roll onto the down-hill chocks. Best advice ever!

[Chuck_S]

For a few hours or overnight or a week why disconnect from the tow vehicle? Set the parking brake, chock the downslope sides of the trailer tires. Done.

Never heard of a fire in a RV refrigerator. And this one ain't an LP version (which also operates on 110vAC) so there is no flame involved anyway.

No need for stabilizing jacks with a slideout unless this is some sort of exception. The stabilizer jacks are not weight bearing so why would this help?

The sky is not falling despite all these "warnings." Just back in and set the parking brake. Slide chocks under the tires.

-- Chuck

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by CanadaGal

Once the trailer is backed into the driveway, chock the front. Then put your tow vehicle in neutral and ease forward until the chocks are holding both the trailer and the vehicle. Chock the rear in case you raise the trailer too high and it starts to roll. Unhitch as usual. Level the trailer front to back. Lower stabilizers if you want to.

I'm afraid the you don't understand the effects of gravity. Changing the angle of the trailer will not cause it to roll uphill. That's just impossible. The wheels are round. The trailer rotates on the axle. The wheels (and the trailer resting on the wheels) will continue to roll downhill even if the back bumper of the trailer is on the ground and the nose is in the air.

[lbnt18]

We do the same thing. We have a driveway we back into. It also is sloped towards the street. When getting ready for camping, we usually get it and park it in the driveway for a couple days. No different than camping. But when we get home, we also back it in the driveway again to unload and clean. Usually this is just a few hours. I first set the wheel chocks. Then I lower the tongue jack enough just to take some weight off the hitch. Then I lower the stabilizer jacks, plug it in and pull out the slides.

[dperky]

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by dperky

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

And kill your battery, if you’re not plugged in.

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

I'm afraid the you don't understand the effects of gravity. Changing the angle of the trailer will not cause it to roll uphill. That's just impossible. The wheels are round. The trailer rotates on the axle. The wheels (and the trailer resting on the wheels) will continue to roll downhill even if the back bumper of the trailer is on the ground and the nose is in the air.

I was thinking the same thing and was confused about the statement.

I’ve often thought of this example, if a vehicle was on a set of stairs and the tires were only contacting the stair treads (and assuming those are perfectly level), the vehicle would not tend to roll down the steps, despite the overall angle of the vehicle.
I think, in general, the idea behind chocking both sides is that sometimes the terrain can skew your perspective and you may THINK you’re chocking the downhill side, when in fact it’s the uphill side. Obviously this would pertain mostly to a pretty gentle slope but it could be enough to move the trailer.

[dperky]

So plug it in. I just put my battery tender on.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by dperky

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

and burn up the magnets in your brakes, possible melt the breakaway switch, and drain your battery to zero, causing battery damage. Don't do that.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dperky

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

Not good advice.

[Vernonfarmer]

Why are we cleaning out a new TT in the first place?

[flookk]

Originally Posted by ciditad

My driveway is sloped towards the street. I plan to park the new TT in my driveway for a few hours while we clean it out. Since I plan to back into the driveway (nose towards street, front will angle downwards), I'm thinking of the following:

1) Chock both tires (single axle)
2) Drop all 4 stabilizing jack with the front having more pads than the rear (lifting the front)
3) Put multiple pads on the bottom of the tongue jack (lifting the front)
4) Move the tow vehicle out of the way

Am I missing anything?

Before I put the trailer in my sloped driveway (too short to leave the TV attached) I remove the WDH bars. I find it a extremely difficult to get the tongue up high enough to get the bars off on the slope and with the truck partially blocking the street there is a lot of unnecessary stress, sweating and swearing.
So:
1) remove WDH Bars before backing in to driveway
2) DW puts the chocks on the downhill sides of the tires on both sides of trailer
3) release lever lock on ball if you can
4) place pad under jack and begin to lift the tongue until the lock can be released
5) level trailer with tongue jack
6) drop stabilizers on all 4 corners


Kelvin

[ewinterbee]

Originally Posted by dperky

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

IMHO. The brakes do not actually activate until the magnet is applied AND the wheels roll far enough to cause the magnet to spread the brake shoes. On properly chocked wheels, it is not possible for the shoes to spread and therefore the brakes are not actually activated, only the magnet is. The negatives of that have already been addressed above.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by ewinterbee

IMHO. The brakes do not actually activate until the magnet is applied AND the wheels roll far enough to cause the magnet to spread the brake shoes. On properly chocked wheels, it is not possible for the shoes to spread and therefore the brakes are not actually activated, only the magnet is. The negatives of that have already been addressed above.

Great point!

[D W]

Originally Posted by ewinterbee

IMHO. The brakes do not actually activate until the magnet is applied AND the wheels roll far enough to cause the magnet to spread the brake shoes. On properly chocked wheels, it is not possible for the shoes to spread and therefore the brakes are not actually activated, only the magnet is. The negatives of that have already been addressed above.

That's a fact, Jack.

[phipps33]

Originally Posted by dperky

You also might pull your brake away switch. That will lock your brakes.

And if you’re plugged into your tow vehicle you run the chance of destroying your brake controller.

[Chuck_S]

The break-away switch activates the trailer brakes for as long as the battery supplies current. Not intended to be a parking brake otherwise we'd all be doing this every time we park. Stupid idea.

-- Chuck