How To Level a Camper

Getting comfortable in a campground is much easier when you know how to level a camper correctly the first time. Nobody wants to stumble around their RV, sleep off-kilter, or catch damage from a swinging entry door.

In addition to sleeping well when camping, appliances like refrigerators may not function if your RV isn’t adequately level. So, in this simple guide to leveling your RV, you’ll learn how to level your camper manually and with an automatic leveling system (if your RV is equipped).

Then you’ll be ready to kick off a relaxing camping trip!

Key Takeaways on How To Level a Camper

• Importance of Leveling: Properly leveling your RV ensures comfort, prevents appliance malfunctions (like refrigerators not working), and avoids structural damage from uneven weight distribution.
• Manual Leveling Process: This process requires tools like leveling blocks, chocks, and a bubble level. Steps include positioning the RV, using leveling blocks and chocking wheels, adjusting the tongue jack (for towables), and stabilizing with jacks—never using them to lift the RV.
• Automatic Leveling Considerations: Even with an auto-leveling system, initial positioning matters. Parking on a relatively level surface, using jack pads, and avoiding lifting all wheels off the ground are crucial for safety and system efficiency.

Tools For Manual RV Camper Leveling

For RVers whose camper isn’t equipped with auto-leveling, you’ll need these RV essentials before arriving at your campsite.

• Leveling Blocks
• Wheel Chocks (Very important! Towables don’t have transmissions or parking brakes of their own, and motorhome wheels should still be chocked as an added safety measure, especially on uneven sites)
• Bubble Level
• Jack Crank Handle or Scissor Jack Drill Attachment (for RVs with manual stabilization)

With those items packed, you’ll be ready to level your RV when you set up camp.

Technician Tip: Per DOT requirements, wheel chocks should be wider than the width of RV tires. Although physical inspections can be rare, it is safer and far more effective than using narrower chocks.

How To Level a Towable Camper

Before stabilizing your RV, you must level it left to right and front to back. Follow these steps to level a travel trailer, fifth wheel, or other towable RV.

Position Your RV in the Site

When backing into a campsite, try to get as close as possible to level from left to right. Rolling forward or backward can help you get closer to level. Place a handheld bubble level on the RV floor to check the level side-to-side.

Choose the Number and Location of Leveling Blocks

Decide how far to raise the right or left tires to achieve level from left to right. If you’re close, try just one block. If you’re further off, try two or three. More than three isn’t recommended, so if you feel you need more, you may need to reposition your RV. Make it easier to drive onto the blocks by building a platform­––for example, use multiple blocks to make a triangular base.

Look at the angle of your campsite and trailer to determine whether it will be easier to roll back or pull forward onto the blocks. Let gravity help you. This will tell you whether to place blocks behind or in front of the tires.

Pull Onto Leveling Blocks and Check Camper’s Level

Ideally using a spotter to guide you, pull onto leveling blocks slowly until the camper is centered on the highest block. If you’re alone, go slow and check placement several times. Set your parking brake each time you leave your tow vehicle. 

Next, use a bubble level to check the side-to-side level. If you are not level, you may need to remove the blocks, add another level, and repeat the process.

DON’T UNHITCH YET!

Chock Your Wheels

When you’re content with your side-to-side level, place wheel chocks in front and behind at least one tire on either side, preferably one still contacting the ground. If you have to raise both sides of your RV to be level, you may need an X-style wheel chock that doesn’t require ground contact, but these only work with double axle trailers. A larger set of wheel chocks may be required for single-axle campers.

Unhitch

With wheel chocks firmly in place, you can disconnect your tow hitch and pull your tow vehicle clear. If you’re towing a fifth wheel, avoid the most common fifth wheel hitch mistake that new owners make.

Raise or Lower Tongue Jack

Grab your bubble level again, but this time, place it on the floor inside your towable camper to check the front-to-back level. Adjust the level by raising or lowering the tongue jack or landing gear (for 5th wheels). Some jacks are power jacks, and some are manual hand-crank jacks.

Learn about choosing the best trailer jack.

Lower Stabilizing Jacks

With your camper level, set jack pads or additional leveling blocks under the locations where the jack feet will contact the ground. Lower or place your stabilizing jacks until they rest on the jack pads. Ensure equal pressure on all pads, but DO NOT over-extend! These jacks are for stabilizing only and should NOT be used to lift your RV to adjust the level. Don’t extend slideouts until your RV is level and stable.

Level your trailer by raising or lowering your fifth wheel landing gear or your travel trailer tongue jack. Some jacks are power jacks and some are manual hand-crank jacks.

How To Level a Motorhome Camper

While some do, many motorhomes don’t come with an automatic leveling system. This means you’ll have to complete a similar manual camper leveling process—check level, set blocks, pull onto the blocks, re-check level, adjust as needed, and, finally, set chocks and parking brake. Here are some key differences: 

• You’ll need additional leveling blocks if your campsite requires placing them under all four tires.
• Some motorhome owners avoid wheel chocks because their RV has a transmission and parking brake, but it’s a smart fail-safe to include, especially on particularly unlevel sites.
• Slowly back your RV onto blocks until you are centered on the highest block. Having a spotter is really helpful here. Otherwise, you’ll have to stop, set your parking brake, and check your position several times before you get it right.
• There’s no tongue jack to adjust the camper’s level front to back, so all adjustments are made by varying the number of blocks under the tires (front to back and side to side).

Technician Tip: If you need to drive onto a stack of more than three leveling blocks, you need to reposition your RV or, in the worst case, choose another campsite.

How To Use a Camper’s Automatic Leveling System

For towables or motorhomes with an auto-leveling or a hydraulic leveling system, many think the process is as easy as pushing a button. But some precautions must be taken. Let’s walk through them:

Parking your RV

You still need to start from a fairly level position. So get your bubble level out and check that you’re as level as possible when parking. For easier leveling, position the front of your camper on the lower end of an uneven campsite. 

It’s easier to raise the front than the rear, and lifting the front is a must for motorhomes because only the rear wheels are locked when you set the transmission in Park. 

Your RV could roll off the jacks if you raise one or both rear wheels off the ground, which should be avoided anyway. However, you can alleviate issues by setting the parking brake, if applicable, and placing wheel chocks in front and behind the front wheels.

Placing Jack Pads

Place blocks or jack pads under the camper’s leveling jack feet. Avoid placing them on icy or slick surfaces that could cause them to slip. Jack pads prevent jacks from sinking and protect the campsite pad.

Technician Tip: Remember that jacks can sink on hot asphalt.

Using Your RV Leveling System

Use your control panel to level your RV using your auto-leveling system. Your control panel will have lights telling you which corners are low. Use the corresponding buttons to automatically level your camper.

Use the control panel to operate your auto-leveling system. Most control panels have lights indicating which corners are low. Use the corresponding buttons to level your camper. These systems vary among fifth wheels and motorhomes and across manufacturers. 

Technician Tip: Consult your owner’s manual for specific details, but no matter which system you have, NEVER lift the wheels completely off the ground when extending front or rear stabilizing jacks.

After a few trips, this procedure will be old hat for you and your camping partners. Leveling your RV isn’t complicated, but it’s much easier if you do it right the first time. Here are a few more resources to help you enjoy your camping trips: 

• Why Plan an RV Shakedown Trip?
• Hooking Up RV Power and Water
• How To Hook Up RV Water Filter and Pressure Regulator

Now that you know how to level your RV, where will you take it? Leave a comment below!