leveling blocks

[chompchomp]

Maybe it's a dumb question. I'm on my third Class A MH, and I've only used the yellow blocks when on gravel or dirt. I'm told I should always use them regardless of the terrain. I just bought a ten stack, and I'm curious how you all employ them. Do you park in the position you think you want and then crawl under and eye them under your auto levelers before leveling? or is there a better method?

[Bruce_Brown]

We use blocks a lot. If there is any chance of the jack sinking even a little I put the blocks down.

23 years ago I made some 15" x 15" blocks out of 3/4" plywood. I doubled some to be 1.5" thick, others I tripled to be 2.25" thick. None are just 3/4", they're all laminated to some degree.

Yes, I have to manually place them but I drilled a hole in each corner so I could easily drag them out with the awning rod when leaving.

That was 23 years ago and we're still using the same blocks today. For my money that's hard to beat.

Funny side note story too;

2 years ago we went to Watkins Glen for the NASCAR Race. It had rained a bunch before we got there and the ground was extremely soft so out come the blocks.

When we got ready to leave one block had sunk in so deep I unknowingly missed it. This past year we pulled into our spot and there it was, sunk about flush so even the lawn mowers missed it. With not much effort I was able to recover the block and it's back in inventory.

Yeah, plywood holds up fairly well.

[Dale_Traveling]

I make my pads from 6" x 5/4" decking cut to 12" lengths. My focus is to make for a larger area to help distribute the coach weight and prevent damaging the campsite. I think I've used them maybe three or four times over the past ten camping seasons. Most of my travels been state and federal camp grounds the gravel sites that have all been hard packed from many years of usage and not needing landing pads. Had one one stay at a commercial CG that required landing pads.

Wood pads cost me about $15 for a set of four cut from a 16' decking board.

[wa8yxm]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I don't have plastic blocks, but the 2" thick laminated wood blocks I do have typically only get used on sites that are far enough off level that the low side jacks would be nearly fully extended otherwise.

Though I had plastic blocks and used them from time to time (May still have 'em don't know) I used mostly 2x12s and the awning hook is a fansastic tool for "Retrieval"

Also if parking Jacks Down in the winter I'd use 2x12's.. The jack pads would freeze to the ground but never stuck to the 2x12s.. And after I drive off them. a gentle tap with my 8 pound sledge and the wood blocks were no longer frozen to the ground either.

[Dutch_12078]

I don't have plastic blocks, but the 2" thick laminated wood blocks I do have typically only get used on sites that are far enough off level that the low side jacks would be nearly fully extended otherwise.

[LadyRVer]

When I used them under the leveling jacks, I would bring the jacks down to about 4" off ground, get out, put the blocks under each jack and then finish putting the jacks down on them. I also used the lynx blocks under a "low" side.. if doing rear, both tires one side and the front tire. I carried 12 of them.

[JRscooby]

AllegroD wrote:
We use an awning hook, such as . . .

I have no experience with exactly what OP is doing but I have to think that if he once got the blocks positioned could mark the rod, so could push in same distance each time? And maybe small mark on the body, so that distance in was in the right spot?

[AllegroD]

We use an awning hook, such as . . .

[Blackdiamond]

I never used them, don't even own any.

[rk911]

we only used our jack pads when we were on soft ground. we carried 4-1.5", 15x15 blocks with a hole drilled in one corner into which I inserted a long piece of cord. i would place the block under the jack and then level. the cord made it EZ to retrieve the pad when breaking camp. i also carried a few smaller pieces for those really out-of-level spots.