Hi Guys, heading off for my first weekend away tomorrow and I have a question. I am having a debate with a fellow caravaner regarding leveling. I understand that you level aross the axle first then do nose up down with the Jockey wheel. Once it is level you put the corner steadies down. Do you then lift the jockey wheel or leave it down??
Quote: Originally posted by kpedd on 27/5/2010
no always take jockey wheel up as it serves no purpose other than steering the van when putting in position
I'm not disputing whether the jockey wheel needs to be down or not as part of the support for weight, though tend towards the steadies are steadie not support point of view, but I just can not see the point of lifting the jockey wheel as it is just another job to be done and another job to be done when leaving, why not just leave it there. If in your opinion it serves no purpose down in just the same way it serves absolutely no purpose when raised.
------------- Bill
For a licence dated 1997 or later you must add together the plated max weight of the caravan and trailer, if the total is 3500 or less you can tow it. You may even tow a caravan with a MAM greater than the cars unladen mass the restriction was removed in 2013
Quote: Originally posted by kpedd on 27/5/2010
no always take jockey wheel up as it serves no purpose other than steering the van when putting in position
I'm not disputing whether the jockey wheel needs to be down or not as part of the support for weight, though tend towards the steadies are steadie not support point of view, but I just can not see the point of lifting the jockey wheel as it is just another job to be done and another job to be done when leaving, why not just leave it there. If in your opinion it serves no purpose down in just the same way it serves absolutely no purpose when raised.
my twopence worth is.in the front of the caravan you have a spare wheel weight of 20 kgs,two calorlite bottles at 20 kgs for both,for starters add all the other bits and its possible 50 kgs.add 4 persons having tea at the table = weight???.you are asking the front stabilisers to do a lot of work.stabilizers are just that,there to stabilize not take the weight of the van .for this reason i leave the jockey down to carry the weight.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
WE leave the jockey up when the van is in storage because it's inflatable and i don't wnat it to go flat at the bottom , but down when on site. its a belt and braces kind of thing I guess.
We leave our Jockey wheel down on site as the seating area as with most vans is at the front. This is where most of the weight will be distributed during the day and especially when extra people are seated. I would think the weight of four adults at the front of the van, plus two gas bottles and the rest of the gear we have, would put a huge strain on the front corner steadies. When in storage we always leave the jockey wheel up,but it is a personal choice really, have to say it does look better when locked up!
The jockey wheel is a caravan's third (or fifth for twin axle) point of contact with the ground. The road wheels and the jockey support the weight of the caravan, the corner steadies only steady it to prevent rocking. Why on earth would anyone lift it up other than when hitching up to a tow vehicle? There's no advantage to raising it, and it's an intrinsic part of the van's construction and design that the jockey takes a great deal of the weight at the nose of the van.
Further more, if you ever get in your van while it's hitched up (at a motorway services, for instance), lower the jockey wheel. If an adult sits in the front of a caravan (where most vans have seats) their weight has to be added to the normal noseweight of the van, a total which will probably far exceed the permitted maximum weight for the vehicle's towball.
Here's the Caravan Club's advice about levelling when pitching (read it online here - lots of great advice for newbies). Note, at no point does it suggest raising the jockey wheel before occupying the van:
For your first few trips you can save yourself any worry about side to side levelling by selecting a hard standing pitch which will usually be nice and level anyway. However, it really is a simple procedure and if you would like to use grass pitches, it is something you may need to do. A quick glance at your pitch should tell you if you are likely to need side to side levelling i.e. levelling across the axle. If using a hard-standing, this is unlikely. First you will need a ramp. Reverse on to your pitch about a foot further back than you wish to end up, then place the levelling ramp in front of the wheel that needs to be raised. Place a spirit level parallel to the axle on the A-frame, or just inside the caravan door. It helps to have two people at this point. One should drive the car very slowly forward up the ramp, and the other should indicate when the spirit level bubble is in the middle. You then need to secure the caravan handbrake (make sure the lever is pulled fully on into a vertical position) and chock the raised wheel before unhitching and parking the car, usually next to the caravan furthest away from the door side.
The next step is front to back levelling, which is much easier. Place the spirit level pointing front to back just inside the caravan door or on the A-frame, then raise or lower the jockey wheel until a level attitude is achieved. If there is a significant front to back slope, you may need to place a block under the jockey wheel. Then lower the corner steadies until they are firmly set against the ground, and again some or all of these may need to have blocks underneath. You can now get the
caravan step, which should be kept just inside the caravan door or in the car, place it outside the caravan door making sure it is stable. It is now safe to get in.
------------- * You never know where you're going 'til you get there...
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Topic: Leveling a Caravan
, but down when on site. its a belt and braces kind of thing I guess.
