Motorhome Levelling (again...)
Hi
Apologies to all the regulars who are probably fed up with daft questions from newbies like me (we get our very first motorhome in the new year), I've looked at old posts on here but they are pretty old and I guess things move on.
In terms of levelling, there seems to be now 4 basic options but automatic systems are immediately ruled out for cost reasons. So just picking what looks to be biggest supplier (Milenco), the other 3 options are:
Standard stepped blocks. Cheapest option and gives the biggest height option (18cm), but steps are 2 inches apart.
The aluminium winch up frame thingy. Doesn't get you as high (12cm) but doesn't have the step issue so more accurate. Anybody got any experience with these?
The stacker system. I can't see from the blurb the max height this gets you and they look a faff to use, but again anybody any experience with them?
My other main question here I suppose is what actual height difference do you experience in the UK and France, in campsites - not in the wild. For a 7m Fiat based Motorhome do you need the extra height of the Milenco Quatro or is 12cm enough.
Comments
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Most Stellantis based motorhomes are slightly nose down which you can used to your advantage depending on which way you park. I didn't get on very well with the plastic drive on ones so I purchased some lengths of scaffolding plank, cut to length, and that got me out of most situations. I would be inclined to reject pitches that are too sloping. I am sure you will get lots of other advice.
David
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David is right. We only rarely needed ramps due to taking advantage of the nose down stance of the X290 vans. The shorter the van, the less levelling you’re likely to want but at 7m, you may well find a greater need than we did.
In your shoes, I’d be reluctant to spend much money until the van has been tried and tested and you can work out exactly what you need.
Btw, it’s not a daft question and we all have to start somewhere.
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our van is 6.4 m. Ducato so nose down. We have the yellow levels, maybe fiama. Not stepped. The stepped ones are large to store and heavy so eat into payload.
We have had no problems using the ones we have. More often than not we don’t need to use them. Although we do use a small level to see how level we are, we are more concerned with whether we FEEL level, whether we will sleep OK, and whether the cooker is sufficiently level. I understand that those with fridges running on gas have a greater concern to be level to ensure fridge operates efficiently. We have a compressor fridge so no problem.
We use a lot of CL and CS sites and Aires, especially in Scotland. Interestingly we are usually more able to be level without ramps with those sites than with CAMC sites. By the way don’t let anyone tell you that the CAMC club insists you pitch nose outwards. It doesn’t. A few independent sites can be a bit difficult in that way, which may then prevent you using the nose down of your van. Personally I wouldn’t give such sites my business!
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We have a 6.94 Hymer Motorhome on a Fiat base. As noted, the nose down attitude usually means we can use the slope of the pitch to level the van. We normally work to more than one degree, in any direction on the phone based App, before we consider using the ramps. Although if it’s only for a night we will put up with two. We have not had any issues with the fridge on gas or electric at two degrees.
The largest Milenco ramps are very heavy, I therefore went for the smaller three level ones, which we have always found to be adequate. I don’t find them that easy to use however, if using them on the front wheels one side will often slip slightly, with one wheel ending up in the cup, the other on the point between. That doesn’t look good for the tyre loading and means another try. Fortunately staying on sites and Aires we rarely have to use them. This year we have stopped on 42 and used the ramps I think four times.0 -
I have a 6.99m Fiat based Benimar & have found the basic Fiamma Kit Level Up adequate enough.
Whenever they are needed, I use the Truma app on my phone as a gauge but certainly never worry about it being too accurate… as long as the pan isn't sliding off the stove & I'm not rolling out of our transverse bed it's good enough for me 😉
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Whatever is used below the wheels of a motor caravan what is being leveled are the axles. On top of them there is a suspension system that can go up or down as occupants move around and inbuilt tanks fill and empty. So any carefully set precision will quickly change. Trailer caravans have the same problem but are generally fitted with corner steadies that give some support from suspension movement. A few motor caravan models are similarly fitted with steadies but the only solid solution is rams that level the chassis.
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I was always pretty obsessed with being level; the nose down attitude of my last two vans - both Fiat based -sometimes helped avoid blocks, but if, as was most common, the pitch backed onto a hedge or shrubbery, I liked to be back-end in so it was a matter of chance whether the slope of the pitch could be used to advantage.
Except in my early days, I used the four step Millenco blocks. It is true they are heavy, but not so heavy that it busted my payload. To avoid slipping, as mentioned by SteveL, which definitely can be an issue with these blocks, especially on some pitches with larger gauge stone, I bought large rubber mats and sat the blocks on those. I found this worked really well and after that I never had an issue. I used a small spirt-level to check how level I was, but I agree with HJA that it was often more a case of whether I felt level. It was easy to tell if you weren't, spirt-level or no spirt-level.
I have never been conscious of the level changing whilst on a pitch. I often stayed on site for a week and occasionally longer. However, it is true that my first three vans all had corner-steadies (but only at the rear of course). When I bought my last van, in 2016, I found that new vans with corner-steadies were hard to find. But I was pleased to find they weren't needed as the van was very stable.
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