Wheel chocks/levelling ramps - Help please…

[BJL_Cali_Ocean]

At the risk of asking a ‘stupid question’ can someone please help me with the following?

Wheels chocks/levelling ramps - I’ve been using these for the last 5-6 days across our 11 day trip, not our first overnight stay in the van; but the first night I’ve encountered the following…

The only way to get the van anywhere near level, (tried moving the van and parking it all sorts of different ways) is to have the offside rear wheel two thirds of the way up a levelling ramp, with the other wheels on the ground - using just the one ramp to level the van up…

My questions are, is it safe to use just the one ramp, and safety aside, could it do any damage to the van?

Not sure if it’s important - but the van is a 4Motion with 35mm lowering springs fitted parked on a hard standing pitch….

 

[Mr T]

At the risk of asking a ‘stupid question’ can someone please help me with the following?

Wheels chocks/levelling ramps - I’ve been using these for the last 5-6 days across our 11 day trip, not our first overnight stay in the van; but the first night I’ve encountered the following…

The only way to get the van anywhere near level, (tried moving the van and parking it all sorts of different ways) is to have the offside rear wheel two thirds of the way up a levelling ramp, with the other wheels on the ground - using just the one ramp to level the van up…

My questions are, is it safe to use just the one ramp, and safety aside, could it do any damage to the van?

Not sure if it’s important - but the van is a 4Motion with 35mm lowering springs fitted parked on a hard standing pitch….

View attachment 108549

That’ll be fine.

 

[Meoncoast]

We have never used levelling ramps. looking at your photo on the pitch you are on I would think why bother

 

[dspuk]

Levelling is a funny old business. After getting a puncture on the last day of the NC500 because our ramps pushed a stone into the tyre (two ramps, one wheel, lots of weight on one point of the wheel) we have not bothered since and realised that you can get a bit picky when the reality is for a few degrees either way you will barely feel it. The display makes you try and gamify it and you really don’t. If its so bad you can feel it you likely in the wrong position and be better off moving the van.

For your question it would be fine but a little pointless - you would not feel the difference on that pitch.

 

[WelshGas]

At the risk of asking a ‘stupid question’ can someone please help me with the following?

Wheels chocks/levelling ramps - I’ve been using these for the last 5-6 days across our 11 day trip, not our first overnight stay in the van; but the first night I’ve encountered the following…

The only way to get the van anywhere near level, (tried moving the van and parking it all sorts of different ways) is to have the offside rear wheel two thirds of the way up a levelling ramp, with the other wheels on the ground - using just the one ramp to level the van up…

My questions are, is it safe to use just the one ramp, and safety aside, could it do any damage to the van?

Not sure if it’s important - but the van is a 4Motion with 35mm lowering springs fitted parked on a hard standing pitch….

View attachment 108549

Not a problem doing that, But, I would want to know why?
8 yrs using my 4Motion and I’ve never had to use levelling ramps on 1 wheel on a hard standing pitch. Is the suspension height the same across the rear axle? Have you got a broken spring? Something is not right.

 

[Alan Andrews]

We have never used levelling ramps. looking at your photo on the pitch you are on I would think why bother

Yes agree. We have never had to use wheel ramps in over 4 years. If he ground is sloping, then we either park nose in or nose out so that when we sleep our heads at at the highest point. We tend to use sites with hard standing, and these tend to be levelish!

 

[BigJohn]

Yep, no problem. I don't think we've ever used just one, but often use two at different heights to get level. One tip - raise/lower the roof in the same position, don't for example, raise the roof on the ramp, then back off the ramp before lowering - some people have reported the roof not going down flat on both sides because of the twist induced in the body by dropping off the ramps with the roof up.

 

[andyinluton]

Yes agree. We have never had to use wheel ramps in over 4 years. If he ground is sloping, then we either park nose in or nose out so that when we sleep our heads at at the highest point. We tend to use sites with hard standing, and these tend to be levelish!

Thats fine until there are more than 2 of you in the van, we always sleep head to front upstairs and head to back downstairs has to be level front to back. I just can't sleep if my feet are higher than my head.

If the OP needs to be 2/3rds of the way up a ramp it's pretty obvious that the pitch is miles off being flat.

The C&MC seem to build their new hardstandings with a gradient on them.

 

[Kayleigh]

Thats fine until there are more than 2 of you in the van, we always sleep head to front upstairs and head to back downstairs has to be level front to back. I just can't sleep if my feet are higher than my head.

If the OP needs to be 2/3rds of the way up a ramp it's pretty obvious that the pitch is miles off being flat.

The C&MC seem to build their new hardstandings with a gradient on them.

Yes, for me the only situation that could require levelling ramps is when both beds are used. We have never bothered with them. Always sleep downstairs and just point the back of the van uphill. My daughter will then sleep the other way round. I did buy some ramps but they are still in the wrapper and now just sit in a cupboard at home.. one less item to pack

 

[BJL_Cali_Ocean]

Thanks for the replies - we are using both beds - we are away with our boys (30 months and 6 months old) which is why we were trying to get it as flat as we could..

@WelshGas I hope not, they are only 500 miles old, and the driving characteristics are fine etc.. same height across the axles - just an uneven hard standing pitch.

@dspuk we took the ramp out before going to sleep, moved the van around a little and slept fine - agreed ref the display, turns out a couple degrees either way makes very little difference….

 

[Steve1]

At the risk of asking a ‘stupid question’ can someone please help me with the following?

Wheels chocks/levelling ramps - I’ve been using these for the last 5-6 days across our 11 day trip, not our first overnight stay in the van; but the first night I’ve encountered the following…

The only way to get the van anywhere near level, (tried moving the van and parking it all sorts of different ways) is to have the offside rear wheel two thirds of the way up a levelling ramp, with the other wheels on the ground - using just the one ramp to level the van up…

My questions are, is it safe to use just the one ramp, and safety aside, could it do any damage to the van?

Not sure if it’s important - but the van is a 4Motion with 35mm lowering springs fitted parked on a hard standing pitch….

View attachment 108549

Yes using one is fine, I do it quite often, no problem at all for the van and just as safe as using 2. Just ensure the ramp is nice and central below the tyre and all is good.

 

[dspuk]

Thanks for the replies - we are using both beds - we are away with our boys (30 months and 6 months old) which is why we were trying to get it as flat as we could..

@WelshGas I hope not, they are only 500 miles old, and the driving characteristics are fine etc.. same height across the axles - just an uneven hard standing pitch.

@dspuk we took the ramp out before going to sleep, moved the van around a little and slept fine - agreed ref the display, turns out a couple degrees either way makes very little difference….

We had a few pitches like that with a “low spot” - found moving the van a little when parking helps find and remove (still using the leveller to get us between 0 and 2 degrees).

 

[andrew bazeley]

I have a very personal and silly story. The first time I ever camped in my brand-new 2008 Cali was at the Swanage Blues Festival. I parked it on a bit of a slope, but didn't think it mattered until I was trying to cook using some weird plug-in casserole cooker. It slowly slid down the glass surfaces, and eventually burned a groove in one of the plastic pillars between the windows. It's still there! When I got home, I immediately bought wheel ramps. But I've never used them since - I just think a bit more carefully inside!