What do you do if you end up with a crappy camp site?

[beeryboats]

We made a return trip to what has become our favorite campground. On the first trip we did our usual campground walk with map in hand looking for the really nice sites and the ones that would never work. We thought we were lucky to get the last waterfront site last weekend, but the driveway looked more level than it really was. The levelers would not even start to go down. I ended up off road in the site was able to just about level the coach.

But what can you do if you simply cannot get the rig either in the spot or anywhere near level? It's only a 30' Windsport which I can put almost anywhere, but it does need to be level. What are my options at a state park if I can't use the site?

[airforceret]

Carry extra leveling blocks and do the best to get it close. We regularly camp without being entirely level.

[Wonderdog]

As long as the fridge is close to level by placing a 6 inch level in the freezer and checking and not sleeping with heads downhill we're good. We don't have levelers so carry quite a few blocks. We get fairly close and don't worry about it. If we pull into a campsite and it seems to be close to level we don't use any blocks to seek perfection.

[JamieGeek]

Re: Not fitting in the site

That would depend on the campground and your reservations. At many private campgrounds you could simply return to the office (either by walking or driving) and request a new site. If they aren't too busy they would probably grant your request.

If you've reserved a specific site then I would expect you'd have to make the best of it (hopefully you have done some research to determine if that site is best for you).

[FL-AR]

We've booked sites at lots of federal /state campgrounds online that seemed good until we arrived! We will scan the area for other vacant sites and go back to request a change. If another space is available, most campgrounds are happy to accomodate. We've done this at times just to get a better view or a more spacious one.

It's not always easy to know if the site you're booking is really ok. We booked one site at a federal park in Wyoming that looked very nice in the pictures. When we arrived, we were shocked to how totally overgrown the entire park was. Our site had a narrow paved pad that was surrounded by thick, 4 ft high vegetation on all sides. You couldn't step out of the coach without getting into this jungle, so we ended up moving on to another park!

Thankfully, most online bookings work out well.

[Bob Denman]

I guess that it pays to be prepared; and to speak up!

[Laco]

Your jacks would not deploy at all, or they tried but could not compensate for the slope? If its a excess slope problem, you should carry jack pads, place them under the jack foot, and that effectively increase the jacks range, by the thickness of the pad.

[beeryboats]

Originally Posted by Laco

Your jacks would not deploy at all, or they tried but could not compensate for the slope? If its a excess slope problem, you should carry jack pads, place them under the jack foot, and that effectively increase the jacks range, by the thickness of the pad.

The site was so sloped the auto-leveler would not even try. It just gave me an error message that we were too far off level. After we drove off into the grass and tried again it worked but could not get us completely level. Gave an other error message which I ignored. We were close enough.

And being a little shorty 30' rig we don't have a heck of a lot of room for leveling blocks.

[Laco]

Don't you have manual override on the system?

[beeryboats]

Originally Posted by Laco

Don't you have manual override on the system?

I don't know. To be honest, this is our first coach and a few of the systems are new to us. The generator, inverter, and leveler are all new gizmos for us to learn.

[brucev]

If you have the same one as my Hurricane the manual system is better. I don't have the instructions with me but if you use the arrows key for up there is an option for manual leveling and then enter. Start by grounding the front and then the rear by using the front and rear arrows, you can then use all 4 arrows to get close to level. I use a bubble level that I place on the floor. I have found it is so much easier and I get it closer to level than the Auto ever did. Try searching for the instructions or look to see if you have the owners manual.

Good luck,

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by FL-AR

We've booked sites at lots of federal /state campgrounds online that seemed good until we arrived! We will scan the area for other vacant sites and go back to request a change. If another space is available, most campgrounds are happy to accomodate. We've done this at times just to get a better view or a more spacious one.

It's not always easy to know if the site you're booking is really ok. We booked one site at a federal park in Wyoming that looked very nice in the pictures. When we arrived, we were shocked to how totally overgrown the entire park was. Our site had a narrow paved pad that was surrounded by thick, 4 ft high vegetation on all sides. You couldn't step out of the coach without getting into this jungle, so we ended up moving on to another park!

Thankfully, most online bookings work out well.

Meeman-Shelby state park, North of Memphis. Roads not made for long RVs, had to go slow and trees are next to the road. The map and reality are two different thins there. We got lost a couple of times. No TV reception at all. No wind at all cause there are so many trees there. Some of the slots were not level and had to jockey the RV to find a more level place to park. But overall it was pretty good to stay there, just had to adjust how we did things. Might go back for maybe 3 days tops.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Most campsites are made of gravel or crush run. i carry the folding GI shovel and will back coach up a foot or so, dig out the area where a front wheel would sit, then drive it back in the hole. You can also build up the area where the rear tire would go opposite of the front one...RF to RR. I leave these holes in the site when I leave in hopes someone will notice and regrade the site. I don't use jacks half the time. I also carry 2' long 2X6's for many reasons and they work here also.

[Bob Denman]

I guess that if the sites were perfectly flat & level: water would pool there, and we'd be playing in the mud!
They need a bit of a crown or a slope for drainage...

[rickymac]

We have been lucky in the past with Youtube. Lots of people have taken movies of campgrounds and you can see the lot numbers sometime. It has kept me from picking the wrong site.

[The Gritz Carlton]

That's the key...I do a lot of research on routes, fuel stops and campgrounds before booking. In 2016 I booked a site in Cape Canaveral...happened this guy was riding through the campground with a Go Pro filming everything, posting to YouTube. I was able to see the site and surroundings and confirm it would work. Everything is on the internet!!

[TurnerFam]

it sounds more like a lack of experience with the leveling system... although you could certainly take into account any of the aforementioned solutions - and I'll add another one: ask the management for help, or even just for several boards for your leveling feet to sit on.
When the 'excess angle' or out of level error shows up, it's because the system realizes that either the legs on the lowest side might not be able to reach the ground enough to stabilize or even raise the coach, and/or the other side might be so low that the raising of the far side might impact the ability for the steps to extract properly, etc.

but, yes, the MANUAL mode is your best friend, and for some of us, it's the ONLY way to level our coach. The reason is that the 'auto' level mechanism seems to not only 'buck' the coach as it runs the different sets of legs out, and sometimes in as well, but also raises the coach too 'high'.
The reality is that you only want to 'level' the coach, not 'raise' it, so when you go into Manual mode, you have the ability to do it best yourself.

: press Manual mode after the panel is turned on
: use the 'lighted' arrows as your guide to which sets of legs are 'low', much of the time it's just one side, or end, that is low

: start by pressing and holding the arrow of an OPPOSITE side or end that is NOT lighted - this is to bring down the legs in order to create a 'foundation' on that side. You will feel the first leg touch, and then once the second one does, you'll feel the whole coach 'move' on that side. Then quickly release the button. That's your 'foundation' side.
: next, press the lighted arrow, and hold as it's set of legs eventually touch the ground, and start to move the coach up. You'll simply HOLD the button until the system AUTOMATICALLY stops itself - now a center GREEN light should show. You are now 'level'.


: sometimes you may have TWO arrows initially lit. That means that both a side and it's adjoining end are both 'low'. Use the same instructions, but move in between these two lighted arrows as you start to see the coach move up - the reason is that otherwise you could feel some of that 'bucking', as the automated system does. You are basically controlling the legs in pairs, so that neither the side or end gets too high above the other, before coming to level.


enjoy, and make some trial 'runs', especially when you are back on somewhat level ground, then you'll start to understand the power of the 'Manual' method. Your steps will also probably be 4 to 6" lower, too!

[Bob Denman]

I once saw a Super-C; that had it's front wheels dangling about a foot off the ground...

[TurnerFam]

it happens, though with our diesel and air brakes, I don't worry about it near as much...especially if it's the fronts, or just one of the rear sets.

[lo-tek]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

it happens, though with our diesel and air brakes, I don't worry about it near as much...especially if it's the fronts, or just one of the rear sets.

It's not moving [emoji3]