One night unlevel boondocking: Front end up or down?

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by twojayhawks

Yes to this. Also, don't know what coach you have but dry camping with slides in doesn't sound like much fun.

I do not think of pulling into a parking lot for the night is camping. I have a ritual to go from driving to be sound asleep in two hours that includes a light dinner and a beer.

On my MH there is still plenty of room to move around with the slide in so it really does not change the fun factor.

I was in the navy and lived on my sailboat. I can sleep anywhere.

[DandyDon]

Originally Posted by dbircky

Following- best answer!
Creative- a couple of years ago I pulled into a Walmart to overnight. There was a large renegade 5th wheel there. He had put down all six jacks down sometime earlier and each were sunk into the newer blacktop. I pulled out in the morning, wondering how long it was going to take him to dig them out. Having air leveling mean I never have to worry. With the previous TT never put down the jacks without using the 12x12 pads I made.

And we wonder why more Wal Marts, Cracker Barrels, and Cabela's are prohibiting overnight parking!

[CAllingham]

Just to wrap this us...thanks to everyone for your comments. Parking slots were narrow and did not allow for putting out sliderooms. We have SnapPads, so leveling on the asphalt parking lot would have been OK, but I did not try to level because I assumed that the slope I was seeing was too great and would result in an "Excessive Slope" error. In retrospect, we should have turned around with the front end facing downhill and tried to level, keeping the drive axle and its parking brakes firmly on the ground.

Oh well, we learn something new every time out!

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by CAllingham

Just to wrap this us...thanks to everyone for your comments. Parking slots were narrow and did not allow for putting out sliderooms. We have SnapPads, so leveling on the asphalt parking lot would have been OK, but I did not try to level because I assumed that the slope I was seeing was too great and would result in an "Excessive Slope" error. In retrospect, we should have turned around with the front end facing downhill and tried to level, keeping the drive axle and its parking brakes firmly on the ground.

Oh well, we learn something new every time out!

Excessive slope faults are often caused by the jacks over extending their initial sense of what is level. Put another way, they tend to hunt and push upwards only until one jack reaches its limits. Often if you do it manually you can get as level or better than the auto system. However unless you have a remote control for the jacks, this will mean hopping in and out of the coach as you set them up for leveling. The trick is to get all 4 on the ground carrying as little load as possible; then extend the side that needs the most change per your spirit level. Then usually all that is needed to complete is a touch more extension to the dimension remaining out of level.

[Jeep151]

Stayed overnight in rest stops steeper than that no issues. Also tried to keep my head elevated parking for the night.

[dickb46]

We're parked with at least 2 degrees nose up. No problem and actually sleeping with the head of the bed being low is very relaxing sleep.
Slides out, jacks up.
Beer doesn't slide off the table either.

dick

[Paul_D]

I spent a few years in a aviation lightening strikes office. Don't worry about jacks grounding the RV, unless your parked on highest point around, have a antenna sticking way up, and see dark clouds. Chances of being hit in a parking lot with lightpoles is near zero.

[MRUSA14]

If you have a residential refigerator, there is just no need to be level. I will not put jacks down in an asphalt parking lot. You cannot tell if the asphalt will hold your jacks or not, so I just don't. And I have Snap Pads. Love 'em, but they are not perfect and not a guarantee that your jacks won't puncture the asphalt. Be considerate of your host and don't damage the parking surface.

[Winger2]

I must be in the minority, been in the same spot a month. Slightly out of level and have not put down the jacks.

[Rob_M]

We frequently park overnight (stealth camp) in large Casino parking lots that sometimes have ‘no camping’ signs posted because they want campers to pay for one of their on-site or adjoining rv spots.
Leaving the slides in and jacks up satisfies the security folks that we are not ‘camping’ and probably inside gambling or dining. Never been told to leave. We do usually eat inside and hang at a bar for a bit.

2* off level is nothing to worry about but I always park so the head of the bed is higher vs lower when not perfectly level.

[Rob_M]

Originally Posted by twojayhawks

Yes to this. Also, don't know what coach you have but dry camping with slides in doesn't sound like much fun.

Our MH is fully usable and plenty roomy for an overnight with the slides in. That was one important (to us) criteria when we were shopping for one. Drive until I’m tired, park, air down and go to bed. Easy peasy. But we’re still weekend warriors.

[Jchemie]

I never trust a “phone app” for a level. Go out and buy a real level and find your perfect level spot in your coach/trailer to reference from. I carry custom built leveling blocks and drive on to them for very uneven sites. If temporarily in someones’s parking lot, I place a piece of plywood (3/4” or 1”) under my jacks to prevent lot damage.

You can grab chunks of discarded new plywood from construction site trash bins, just ask first and they will gladly let you have small pieces. Cut with a jig saw into a disc, attach a short length of rope to it to pull it out easily and have fun.

[2cyber71]

Originally Posted by CAllingham

Boondocking one night in an unlevel casino parking lot with slides in. Phone says 2 degrees out of level, but it really feels like more than that. I assume residential fridge is OK. What about plumbing? Toilet is macerator so I assume it’ll pump to the black tank OK. What about the bathroom sinks draining to gray tank? Anything else I’m not thinking about?

I don’t really boondock much. I’ll stay in a Truck Stop or at the RV Hall of Fame. Most are not that level, even Iowa 80 which has a designated RV overnight area has unlevel parking. I just park, watch a little TV and sleep on my sofa. As to bathroom toilets, they work ok, the fridge works ok at 2 degrees for a night. I wouldn’t do it for more than a night.
I wife will not boondock, so it only when I’m alone.

[Suburbazine]

Originally Posted by Paul_D

I spent a few years in a aviation lightening strikes office. Don't worry about jacks grounding the RV, unless your parked on highest point around, have a antenna sticking way up, and see dark clouds. Chances of being hit in a parking lot with lightpoles is near zero.

The fun way I like to put this to people who have been scared into believing lightning is omniscient, is to say:

The lightning has jumped more than a mile up through the air to hit the cloud. It really could care less about your 8 inches of rubber and ground clearance, particularly if you're the only thing around. It doesn't care any more if it has a shortcut for those 8 inches. Heaven forbid you get lighting going the other way first, it's going to come in so hot and heavy that there won't be such a thing as a "near miss" and your stuff fries even airgapped.