Leveling tandem trailer

[Peter Westfall]

I have a 21 foot Escape trailer with double axle. In order to level it from side to side, is it necessary to put a block under each of the two wheels?

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Peter Westfall

I have a 21 foot Escape trailer with double axle. In order to level it from side to side, is it necessary to put a block under each of the two wheels?

Not absolutely necessary, but recommended. Andersen makes a great leveler (you need two and one or both of them need to be shortened by 1” to 1-1/2”. Andersen will also tell you that if you own a tandem axle trailer, use two levelers.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Not absolutely necessary, but recommended. Andersen makes a great leveler (you need two and one or both of them need to be shortened by 1” to 1-1/2”. Andersen will also tell you that if you own a tandem axle trailer, use two levelers.

I have a pair of these. I decided on them after listening to everyone rave about how easy they are to use. They are easy to use.

https://www.amazon.com/Leveler-Ander.../dp/B01LYQ1Z8S

And you might have to shave one down. I have not done this yet. So far, it works great. I also have blocks but I like the Anderson a lot more. It can be difficult to see the difference in elevation too. I am actually a trained landscape architect and i could not tell the little bit of grade difference present. You're gonna need them. I always have them with us.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Peter Westfall

I have a 21 foot Escape trailer with double axle. In order to level it from side to side, is it necessary to put a block under each of the two wheels?

Hi: Peter Westfall... We use 2 cause my wife puts them down and I drive onto them. How easy is that? I did cut them down about 1" for adjustment.
I'm an untrained retirement architect... but I'm a quick study!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Peter Westfall... We use 2 cause my wife puts them down and I drive onto them. How easy is that? I did cut them down about 1" for adjustment.
I'm an untrained retirement architect... but I'm a quick study!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

What did you use to cut them down with?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

What did you use to cut them down with?

Hi: UncleTim... I saw them. That was a "Hack" not a cutting remark!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Bill and Earline]

A circular saw with nearly any blade works great. It's just plastic.

Set the blade to a 45 degree angle to make rolling onto it easier.

You only need to trim one. The reason for trimming is to fit one between the tires.

An added bonus is that you don't need a jack to change a flat. Just roll the good tire up on one of these, and the flat will be suspended.

[johnnyv]

Looking at the rap sheet on the Anderson levelers, people complain of breakage. Is it because the Escapes weight ,that their are no problems ?

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Uncle Tim and JohnnyV
We have the Andersons too
The first advantage is that if you have a perfectionist or two in your relationship you can get the side to side level just right.
They are made of a dense plastic and I can’t see an Escape ever cracking one.
We cut ours on a bandsaw with an oil feed. 45 the front edge as suggested.

The best park maintenance in Iowa did it for me.
(So voted by a review board) and hired by yours truly
.
The Andersons are very good for side to side work
You can get by with 4 pieces of two by 8 about 10 inches long plus a couple pieces of one by 8 for getting close too but can’t always achieve perfection. The Anderson’s are nice. Some places you need a local lumber yard delivery. And a drink.
Iowa Dave

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by johnnyv

Looking at the rap sheet on the Anderson levelers, people complain of breakage. Is it because the Escapes weight ,that their are no problems ?

They are being used on MUCH heavier trailers. I think they’re great, absolutely the easiest levelers I’ve ever used. I pull up to the max height, my wife watches the bubble as I back down and she screams when it’s perfect.👌

[johnnyv]

Yes i was thinking about the light weight of the Escape 21 while i was reading the negative reviews.

[AndNeitherDoI]

I went with the Camco levelers that are similar to the Andersen ones. They are short enough to fit the 21 without having to trim one short. Even have a two pack available.

Camco RV Curved Chock-Easy Drive-on Leveler Adds Up to 4" in Height-for Use with Trailers Up to 30,000 lbs. -2 Pack (21021) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZHNWMGL..._4wTwFbGN2RZQM

[Bill and Earline]

Whatever drive up leveling you do, this is a good time to engage your low range on the tow vehicle if you have it.

You don't want to overshoot whatever you're using. The report of "that's good" is more likely the slower you go.

[pkgman51]

I like the look of those Camco levelers. The Anderson's, I have, are slippery. Looks like those Camco's would have less slip.
Also, I shortened both of my Anderson levelers for my 19. I didn't want to have to figure out which was shorter to put between the wheels. Tough job! Anyway, with both the same length, they both lift the same.
And, yes, I have had occasions where only one tire got lifted (because the other slipped out) and just left it that way. No problem.

[salmo7000]

I just ordered these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Had a heck of a time leveling using Escape’s green blocks on my last trip. This system is similar to Anderson’s but comes with rubber mats and seems to be rated highly on Amazon. Hoping it makes one part of the process easier!

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by pkgman51

I like the look of those Camco levelers. The Anderson's, I have, are slippery. Looks like those Camco's would have less slip.

We purchased an Andersen leveler a couple of trailers ago and used lego levelers for the other wheel. With the 5.0 we purchased the Camco leveler to install between the tires. The Camco slipped too often, rarely worked properly, and we went back to lego's for the other tire. We now have the Andersen Rapid Jack, so the Andersen Rapid Jack goes in back and the Andersen Leveler is now cut to go between the wheels.

Our Andersen Leveler came with a rubber pad if it ever slipped and that has worked perfectly so far in slippery ground. The Andersen Rapid Jack did not come with a pad to prevent slippage, but I just pound two tent stakes behind it to prevent slippage. One time when the Leveler between the tires slipped with the rubber pad we just used the pack of lego's we carry to place between the tires. I could drill two holes in the pad for L-shaped tent stakes, but have yet to have that problem repeat with the pad.

Some have ground some stripes on the bottome 90 degrees to the levelers to prevent slippage. Perhaps some day. . .

We've never had either Andersen slip out west or southwest with the gravely soil there. Minnesota's soil is much finer and organic, so if wet your levelers will slip.

Originally Posted by salmo7000

I just ordered these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Had a heck of a time leveling using Escape’s green blocks on my last trip. This system is similar to Anderson’s but comes with rubber mats and seems to be rated highly on Amazon. Hoping it makes one part of the process easier!

If I was buying again, I'd purchase these to get the second rubber pad and not have to look at that in-you-face red color of Andersens.

I'd still own an Andersen Rapid Jack, to easily get the other tire off the ground without worrying about running off the jack. There have been times where the Rapid Jack got us a little bit higher to level, since it is three inches taller.

Enjoy,

Perry