Why do we put blocks under stablilizers?

[mpking]

I have a serious question. Why do we put (wood, plastic, cement, etc) blocks under the stabilizers? I don't mean when you have to do it because the stabilizer won't reach the ground. That makes perfect sense. I'm referring to the stabilizer comfortably reaches the ground. What value is it adding? I'm also ignoring sand, because you need all the surface area you can get.

I've been in our TT for the last 3 seasons, and I've never used a block under the stabilizer except for when I'm in sand. For the 5 years previously, I didn't use them with my popup.

But I've noticed my last few trips, walking around all these paved, and heavily graveled sites, everyone has a million of those blocks under there camper, and I just don't get it.

[Cate&Rob]

Blocks under stabilizer legs . . . yet another “everybody does it” RV solution in search of a problem. I also do not use blocking on a solid surface site. Some will say that partially extended stabilizers are more stable than fully extended stabilizers. But this ignores the “wobble” in the stack of blocks.

Rob

[acoleman43]

mpking I do it because I'm strange and don't like to scratch up my stabilizer feet. Doesn't make much sense but it makes me feel better.

I have justified this to my wife by telling her that stabilizers alone will slide so we need to put the plastic block sunder them. She rolled her eyes and walked away. I think she bought it.

[NoPeeking]

Hah, great question! I'm a creature of habit and my ocd won't let me hitch the trailer without confirming that little zip bag of lego-like blocks are securely stowed . The majority of our campsites are grass, sand, sand/gravel, soil, pine straw... all the soft stuff. Given we tend to only camp when it rains that soft stuff gets even softer. The added stack block surface area reduces the number of times I need to "re-torque" the stabilizers. I use the blocks first for levelling, then whatever is left-over goes under the stabilizers.

Mike

[Country Campers]

I do it because I always have, and because I heard it stopped some of the wobble mentioned above, and because I already have the blocks, and it takes less time for the jacks to reach the ground thus more time to sit in the chair and enjoy the surroundings (watching others unhook their units).

Also it is quite often that we are on a site that there would be no way the jacks would reach the ground with out the blocking so I just always carry them and use them.

Brian

[howson]

mpking -- the relatively small feet on the OEM stabilizers would sink into the ground at many of the campgrounds where we've stayed. My 315RLTS is not a light camper. Tires cool so the unit squats, putting more pressure on those small square feet.

Since installing the Big Bad Foot Pads on the PSX1s (they replace those small feet, thread here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/mainten...l-2019-315rlts ) there's no need for anything else. I like them because now there's one less thing to do at setup and tear down.

Believe it or not, at the fanciest and most expensive place we've stayed (Tides in Bradenton, Florida) something under the stabilizers to spread the load was required. Seems the beautiful brickwork that makes up their sites can't handle the focused load of levelers or stabilizers. (The material they used either was incorrectly installed or wasn't appropriate for the application.)

Howard

[Jlawles2]

I use stabilize blocks to reduce the travel of the jack and increase stability b/c of the jack extension. Also the blocks under the jacks help with spreading the load. Now my blocks are not "normal" stacks of wood or the plastic lego style blocks, but screwed together stack of 2x4's with a plywood top. I had to make them for the first TT b/c the scissor jacks barely reached the ground on a level surface. The metal feet on jacks will slide on concrete or asphalt surfacing which makes the camper feel unstable.

Also, leveling blocks (before steps that reached the ground) would help "isolate" the camper. This can be a good or bad thing.

[trkester]

mpking -- the relatively small feet on the OEM stabilizers would sink into the ground at many of the campgrounds where we've stayed. My 315RLTS is not a light camper. Tires cool so the unit squats, putting more pressure on those small square feet.

Since installing the Big Bad Foot Pads on the PSX1s (they replace those small feet, thread here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/mainten...l-2019-315rlts ) there's no need for anything else. I like them because now there's one less thing to do at setup and tear down.

Believe it or not, at the fanciest and most expensive place we've stayed (Tides in Bradenton, Florida) something under the stabilizers to spread the load was required. Seems the beautiful brickwork that makes up their sites can't handle the focused load of levelers or stabilizers. (The material they used either was incorrectly installed or wasn't appropriate for the application.)

Howard

Dang it! Just when I thought I was done spending money on "extras" along comes Howard. 🤑

Terry

[TedS]

Most of the time I don't use any blocks.
I made four pads out of a Trex plank to use on really soft sites or very uneven sites.

[Guest]

Rarely do we have a solid surface on all four corners or level site for that matter. So the blocks or boards will increase the size of the footprint and reduce settling. A hyper extended stabilizer will flex more than one partially extended so if blocks are available it would be good to use them.

Jim

[TNFSolitude]

All of the above.

[AZMike]

I have tried to use the plastic blocks and found that they are too "squishy". I use good 'ole 12 inch 2X6 planks.

[uwskier]

Someone smarter than me told me that putting pads under my stabilizers would decrease the amount of wobble in the camper on a very windy day. I didn't ask questions and just built some elevated pads. It seemed to work well. I think I'll try going without anything under my stabilizers at my next camp. It's an asphalt site so I should be good with pads right on terra firma.

[Jimmer]

I don't use them under the stabilizers of my travel trailer, unless the ground is particularly soft, or a stabilizer comes down on a tree root.

I'm always amused by people who don't understand that on the Lippert electrical stabilizers on Grand Design travel trailers, there is a single motor which puts the weight equally on the two legs of the stabilizer. I've seen people stack some extra leveling blocks on the low with the hope that the stabilizer on the low side will lift the lower side more and level the side-to-side tilt of the RV. Nope! No matter how many blocks are put under one side, the electric stabilizer will always put the same amount of force on each side, preventing any side-to-side leveling by the stabilizer.

[TedS]

Stabilizers are not meant to level side to side, they are meant to stabilize after the trailer is level.