Chock and leveling system help

[rootedoutside]

Hi all!

Picking up our 5.0TA soon (and first ever trailer) and wanted to make sure we had all the necessary supplies to safely level and chock our trailer. Let's chock about it!

Items we have purchased:

• For the side that needs to be leveled: 2 Andersen levelers and their respective chocks

• For the other side: 2 rubber chocks (will place in between the wheels, i.e., 1 in front of rear wheel and 1 behind the front wheel)

• For the rear stabilizer jacks and landing gear: 4 Camco stabilizer jack pads and 4 Camco stabilizer flex pads (can be stacked together and used separately)

Some questions:

• Are there any other items we need in order to safely park our trailer? I've read how X-chocks can help with stabilization/reducing trailer movement, but X-chocks do not replace ground wheel chocks. If we got X-chocks, would they fit with our current leveling/chock setup above?

• Do we need to chock both the front and back sides of each wheel, i.e., 8 chocks total? Or is our current setup sufficient?

• Our first spot has a slight decline where our landing gear will be. Do the landing gear footpads adjust for sloped terrain or is it fixed/flat? If the footpads do not adjust, how do we make our landing gear secure on uneven/sloped ground?

THANKS!!!

[padlin]

Everyone is different in this area... I carry a set of Tri-Lynx leveler pads for the times the site is sloped too much, and a Wheel Master pin box mounted level. I carry one set of the rubber chocks and one set of Anderson Levelers. I do carry 1 X chock to use when the site is sloped enough to worry about the chocks not holding.

https://trilynx.com/collections/tri-...eveler-10-pack

https://www.wheelmasters.com/levelmaster.html

I also carry a 12v drill/driver and 3/4" socket that I use for the stabilizers. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Red-Hound...7363/141995516

Our first spot has a slight decline where our landing gear will be. Do the landing gear footpads adjust for sloped terrain or is it fixed/flat? Yes

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by rootedoutside

Hi all!

Picking up our 5.0TA soon (and first ever trailer) and wanted to make sure we had all the necessary supplies to safely level and chock our trailer. Let's chock about it!

Items we have purchased:

• For the side that needs to be leveled: 2 Andersen levelers and their respective chocks One or both will need to be trimmed to fit between the wheels.

• For the other side: 2 rubber chocks (will place in between the wheels, i.e., 1 in front of rear wheel and 1 behind the front wheel)

• For the rear stabilizer jacks and landing gear: 4 Camco stabilizer jack pads and 4 Camco stabilizer flex pads (can be stacked together and used separately)

Some questions:

• Are there any other items we need in order to safely park our trailer? I've read how X-chocks can help with stabilization/reducing trailer movement, but X-chocks do not replace ground wheel chocks. Actually, they do because the keep either wheel from turning. But in reality, I have not found C-chocks provide substantial stability to the 5.0TA because the landing gear provides more shake prevention than the jack on a bumper pulled trailer. If we got X-chocks, would they fit with our current leveling/chock setup above?

• Do we need to chock both the front and back sides of each wheel, i.e., 8 chocks total? Or is our current setup sufficient? If using Andersen levelers, you can’t really chock those wheels. The levelers will serve as chocks.

• Our first spot has a slight decline where our landing gear will be. Do the landing gear footpads adjust for sloped terrain or is it fixed/flat? If the footpads do not adjust, how do we make our landing gear secure on uneven/sloped ground? Many 5.0TA users use pads beneath each landing gear leg. Unless drastically sloped, you will be OK.

THANKS!!!

Just a word of caution. The 5.0TA will slightly cut corners. When making tight turns around obstructions (trees, gas station infrastructure, etc.), proceed slowly and keep glancing in the side view mirror on the side of the obstruction to insure unintended contact.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by rootedoutside

Hi all!

Let's chock about it!

Oh brother, another punster. Alf's got company,

Ron

[Brian B-P]

Despite the name, X-Chocks are not actually chocks - they're brakes which work like an old horsedrawn wagon, pressing against the tires. Still, they work like a parking brake for the same purpose as a real chock, which is to keep the trailer from rolling down a slope.

[ritacasita]

Opinions on this site will vary greatly. Just spent a month on road. Love my X chocks and they are great but you need to tighten the heck on them if on a hill. Had Andersen levelers with us but they roll if not careful. Did not use them and will not take again. This trip we used the bag of stackables and they worked out ok. We use the Andersen barrels on front and love them. Also have smaller cones for back. Andersens take a fair amount of space in truck bed but we seem to have plenty of room in there. Plan on taking two 2x8 boards, beveled appropriately, for leveling on next trip. Also have a couple of plastic wedges but haven’t used them. If I can’t get fairly flat/level sites I don’t take them and move on.

[cpaharley2008]

I use the X-chocks to eliminate the suspension rocking/torsion movement. They make for a steadier feel inside, I think.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Despite the name, X-Chocks are not actually chocks - they're brakes which work like an old horsedrawn wagon, pressing against the tires. Still, they work like a parking brake for the same purpose as a real chock, which is to keep the trailer from rolling down a slope.

I use a Fastway One Step Chock on the low side (one on each side if the site is level side to side). It is a combination of a standard chock with an "X" Chock equivalent.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I use the X-chocks to eliminate the suspension rocking/torsion movement. They make for a steadier feel inside, I think.

When my trailer was being built, I was able to find a set of Preowned Roto-Choks for $100, from someone who was giving up RVing. They are not common but were considered to be high-tech, top-end X-type stabilizers. They sit in a storage box in my garage. My 5.0TA does not have torsion axles; it has leaf springs with equalizers. I honestly didn’t find that “locking” the wheels to each other with the Roto-Choks (I also tried a friend’s X-chocks) resulted in any significant difference inside. But as I stated in a previous post, I believe having two jacks (landing gear), one on either side of center making solid contact with the ground is inherently less “shaky” than only having one contact point dead center. And I will admit I really find trailer shaking to be truly annoying, so I would use the Roto-Choks or X-chocks if I thought they made a difference. Just my opinion, however. YMMV!

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

When my trailer was being built, I was able to find a set of Preowned Roto-Choks for $100, from someone who was giving up RVing. They are not common but were considered to be high-tech, top-end X-type stabilizers. They sit in a storage box in my garage. My 5.0TA does not have torsion axles; it has leaf springs with equalizers. I honestly didn’t find that “locking” the wheels to each other with the Roto-Choks (I also tried a friend’s X-chocks) resulted in any significant difference inside. But as I stated in a previous post, I believe having two jacks (landing gear), one on either side of center making solid contact with the ground is inherently less “shaky” than only having one contact point dead center. And I will admit I really find trailer shaking to be truly annoying, so I would use the Roto-Choks or X-chocks if I thought they made a difference. Just my opinion, however. YMMV!

Not having torsion axles makes a world of difference compared to your conventional axle.
Inside a torsion unit it is like being in a bowl of jello without the x-chocks.

[Chama]

We use aircraft type rubber wheel chocks on one tire on each side of the trailer if level. If we are not level, we level up using the stackable legos under both low side tires until level then use an X chock between the tires on the side with the legos. We also use a rubber chock on the side with the legos but that is of questionable value since it does not sit on a flat surface due to the legos.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Not having torsion axles makes a world of difference compared to your conventional axle.
Inside a torsion unit it is like being in a bowl of jello without the x-chocks.

That is true, but I have a friend who ordered a 5.0TA after seeing mine, and in the interim, ETI switched to torsion axles on new 5.0TAs. Even without X-chocks, his trailer is more stable than the 19 and 21 foot Escapes if they are not using X-chocks. Again, I attribute that to 2 weight bearing points (that aren’t wheels) rather than only one. I have owned trailers with torsion axles and I am intimately familiar with the bowl of jello feeling. It would drive me nuts. I can assure you that if I had a 19 or a 21, I would be using the Roto-Choks every time I set up. And I might even be doing so if I had a newer 5.0TA with the torsion axles. I like the trailer to be as close to “rock solid” as I can get.

[rootedoutside]

Thanks all! Will look into the X-chocks once we get a real feel for the inside and its stability.

But sounds like we're good to go and safe for our first ever leveling and chocking experience!

[rootedoutside]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I use a Fastway One Step Chock on the low side (one on each side if the site is level side to side). It is a combination of a standard chock with an "X" Chock equivalent.

Glad to hear the Fastway One Step Chock fits between the wheels and works for you. That was one of my open questions since we don't have the trailer yet to measure the distance between where the wedge tips would sit. Thanks!

[padlin]

Just take things wide, like the semi's do.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by rootedoutside

Glad to hear the Fastway One Step Chock fits between the wheels and works for you. That was one of my open questions since we don't have the trailer yet to measure the distance between where the wedge tips would sit. Thanks!

It is quite adjustable...

[davidmurphy02]

I found it helpful to add a level to the front of the trailer frame. It's big enough that I can see it from the drivers seat and it's a big help in giving me a general idea of how level a site is as I'm backing in.

Also, the white tape in the center of the kingpin arm helps to line up from a distance when I'm backing up to the trailer to hitch up - I can put the center line in the backup camera on it and use that as a guide.

[Jill]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

It is quite adjustable...

Any chance you could share a picture that shows how you have yours adjusted? We're having a little difficulty figuring out how to get it just right.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Jill

Any chance you could share a picture that shows how you have yours adjusted? We're having a little difficulty figuring out how to get it just right.

All I did was experiment with where I located the pins in the holes in the arms. The bolts that connect the arms to the "shoes" can also be moved - mine are closest to the wedge part of the shoe. I have noticed it is more difficult to press down the arms to the lock position when the tires are hot. Here is a photo of what works with a 21C & new Goodyear Endurance tires.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by rootedoutside

For the other side: 2 rubber chocks (will place in between the wheels, i.e., 1 in front of rear wheel and 1 behind the front wheel)

Some questions:

Are there any other items we need in order to safely park our trailer? I've read how X-chocks can help with stabilization/reducing trailer movement, but X-chocks do not replace ground wheel chocks. If we got X-chocks, would they fit with our current leveling/chock setup above?

Yes, you can use X-chocks with your current set up.
I would use X-chocks instead of the wheel chocks on both sides.
The advantage to the X-chocks is they can be locked and provides one extra level of trailer theft deterrent.