Nowadays, RVs and motorhomes are becoming more and more popular. RVs are homes on wheels; so naturally, they are not as stable as houses built on the ground. As a new RV user, you surely noticed that your travel trailer shakes when walking inside. It can be irritating, and things can slide off and get seriously damaged. So, what can you do about it?
Next time when you are parking your RV, make sure to use stabilizer jacks, leveling blocks, and wheel chocks to make your camper more stable. That way it will not shake or bump while you are walking inside.
In this article, I will talk about why your travel trailer shakes when you walk and how you can stop the shaking. There are many RVs or travel trailers with their own manual or auto stabilizer jacks, which make things easier. But, if you do not have such options, you need to work a little bit on your camper to stop it from shaking.
Why Do Campers Shake?
It is normal for your camper to shake when you are driving on rocky paths or roads. But the problem arises when you parked your camper in a good spot, and it still shakes whenever you try to move to the kitchen or the bathroom. You must have noticed the camper bouncing while you are getting in, or getting off it.
There can be several reasons why your camper shakes like that. If you want to stabilize your camper, the first step is to identify why it shakes.
The first reason is pretty obvious. The ground where you are parking your travel trailer is important. Parking on solid ground is not always possible when you travel in the countryside. When you park your trailer on semi-solid or uneven ground, the chances of your campers shaking also increase.
Another reason is the lack of support under the camper. RVs come with four stabilizing jacks on each corner of the camper. It is the basic support system. But, these stabilizers alone cannot carry the weight of the RV and the furniture. Hence, the camper can waggle side to side because the jacks are not strong enough.
Besides, the RVs need springs and flexible wheels for you to travel around smoothly and easily. Since it has springs in the suspensions, it is bound to shake and waggle. Among other reasons, there can be a lack of air in tires and damage in some parts of the RV.
How to Stop the Camper from Shaking?
You can face any of these problems or a combination of a few of these problems. So, it is better to be prepared to solve these problems. Many tools can help you make your camper stable so that the next time you are walking to the bathroom, you do not feel like causing an earthquake.
I will give you a list of common tools that are necessary to stabilize your camper. However, remember to buy these things according to the type and size of your RV. It is not necessary to use all the tools mentioned in the list. There are some tools you can avoid using if you have a tight budget.
So, here is the list:
- Stabilizer Jacks
- Tripod for the front jack leg of the camper
- Leveling blocks or pads (made of wood, metal alloy, or polymer)
- Wheel chocks
- Level monitor (or just a can!)
Some other helpful tools and accessories:
- Lug Wrench (to make sure the tire lugs are tight)
- A Digital Tire Gauge (to check the air pressure of the tires)
- Portable air compressor (to pump more air in the tires if necessary)
If you are aware of these tools and how to use them, then that is great. However, if you do not know the purpose of these tools and accessories you should know about them. Then you should buy the things necessary for and compatible with your RV.
Finally, use all these tools to steady your camper. You must check your tires before leveling the camper. If they do not have enough air, use the necessary tools to fix the problem.
Steps to Stabilizing Your Camper
There are a few simple steps you can follow to install the mentioned tools and accessories on your camper. When you finish following these steps, you will see your camper will not shake as much anymore.
Step 1
The first step is to find a suitable spot to park your camper. Yes, it is not possible to find a level and solid ground all the time. But try to get a spot that is not too unstable. Back your RV into the site and get it lined up. You should stop a foot or two short of your final parking spot.
Step 2
Now, get off your driving seat and use your eyesight and a leveler (digital or bubble) to determine how balanced your RV is. Is it a level or leaning too much in any direction? You can put the level on the bumper, or you can put it in the middle of your main living area.
People who do not have levels also use cans to check the balance of the vehicle. Just put the can horizontally on the living area and see where it is rolling.
Step 3
Once you find out which part of your RV needs to come up and be balanced, you can place leveling blocks. You will need to level them up based on how unleveled your camper is from the ground. Place the blocks behind the tire and drive backward on to them. After that, check your level and ensure that the RV is level.
If it is not level, drive forward and add or remove blocks. Check again until the RV is level. It requires a lot of patience, but the result is comforting. The level blocks will support the RV on uneven grounds or semi-solid and soft grounds with grass.
Step 4
Once you have your travel trailer leveled side to side, you have to level it front to back. Separate the trailer or the fifth wheel; use the tongue jack to move the camper up and down accordingly, and then again check your level to make sure the camper is level back to front.
You can install a tripod instead of the tongue jack to get a more effective solution to the shakiness.
Step 5
Once your camper is level, it is time for you to lower down the stabilizing jacks and adding extra jacks if necessary. If you have automated once, you can simply press a button, and the jacks will dropdown. However, if you have manual jacks, use the hand tool made for jacks.
To make things faster, many people use power drills. But eventually, this will damage the jacks. So, take your time and use the hand tools. You also have to put pads under the jacks to give them a solid and level surface. You can also install some extra stabilizers under your camper to make it steadier and use one or two wheel chocks.
Step 6
Finally, you can open up the slides. Do not put your slides out until you make sure the camper is completely level. The sliders can get damaged if you try to open up them without leveling the camper first.
After all the steps are done, go inside your camper and walk around. You will definitely see that your camper is no longer shaky or wobble.
Conclusion
A lot of people complain that travel trailer shakes when walking inside the camper. But these simple steps mentioned in the article can definitely solve the problem to a great extent. So, next time make sure to stabilize your camper the right way and pass your days comfortably.
