Hi I am buying my first caravan this sat and I need some advice about my storage. I have a plot outside my house which I think I can get my van on,the only issue is that it has a sideway slope. It slopes by 1 ft it is 12ft across. Would there be too much weight on the legs on one side?
I would hate to damage it before I start by twisting the chassis or breaking two of the legs.
Thank you in advance
Chris
The legs should not be carrying the weight of the caravan. They are only "steadies" The weight is carried on the wheels and assisted by the jockey wheel so I can't see a problem.
You may not be able to get the fridge to work whilst on the drive. They like to be level.
It may be best to use a ramp under the one wheel like millermicm said, the legs should only ever be used as steadies and correct also that the fridge won't operate unless it's level. If you jack up the caravan with the the steadies it is likely to push up the floor as these are not fixed direct to the chassis.
Just one other point does a single axle van have a solid axle. Where would you jack he van up with a car jack if I wanted to put blocks under the lower wheel
Cheers chris
Just one other point does a single axle van have a solid axle. Where would you jack he van up with a car jack if I wanted to put blocks under the lower wheel Cheers chris
If you are going to use a jack directly under the axle (which is the correct position) on a slope the you have to watch it doesn't slip off the jack. You only have one road wheel on the opposite side and so you are totally reliant on the jockey wheel which could actually swivel downwards whilst on the slope and of course there's no brake on the jockey wheel either to restrain it. It would be much easier to reverse the caravan up the ramp with the towcar if that is possible as it would be much safer than jacking the whole thing up on a slope. What you need is a pair of ramps like this.
Theres no need to level it, it won't hurt to store it on the slant. Just back it on, park it fore & aft level with jockey wheel & wind corner steadies onto the ground firmly but not enough to lift the caravan.
You only need to level it if you use the fridge. If you must jack it, have it attached to the tow car as this will help stop it slipping off the jack. Be aware the brakes don't do much in reverse due to the autoreverse feature.
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Topic: Newbie to caravaning needs help
