Levelling a static caravan?

[flanagaj]

I am going to try and get the caravan levelled over the weekend and was hoping someone might be able to help with what is required.  I was thinking

a)  Water level
b) 2 * 5 ton bottle jacks

From what I have read on the inter web, you do one side at a time.  But if I look underneath the static, I see two jacking points about a 1 - 2 ft either side of each wheel.  I can obviously use both bottle jacks to lift up the caravan at these points, but having jacked it up so the wheel is off the ground, what do I do then, as the points where I need to put the blocks are now blocked with a bottle jack underneath it. 

Any pointers welcomed as it's a heavy beast and don't fancy getting squashed.

Edited Thursday at 08:35 by flanagaj

[ProDave]

Here is what I did:

 

some basic points.  It will weigh something like 3 tons.  So you need a good stable jack, I used a 2 ton trolley jack, much more stable than a bottle jack.

 

They don't have brakes on the wheels, so nothing to stop them moving. To prevent mine having any notions of going anywhere while I was under it jacking, I kept the tow hitch attached to my Landrover.

 

For support I used ordinary 100mm concrete blocks on their sides.  You will also need plenty of small pieces of assorted thickness bits of wood for the final packing to get the heights right.

 

Start by levelling the axle.  Jack up one side and pack it with blocks then the other side.  You need to get the axle level side to side as your starting point.  I just used an ordinary spirit level on the floor of the 'van. These first supports only need to be high enough to just get both wheels off the ground.

 

Once the axle is level and the wheels are off the ground it won't go anywhere so uncouple from your car that was acting as an anchor.  Now use the jockey wheel to get the 'van level front to back.  

 

Then it is a case of blocking and levelling each jacking point.  Starting with the ones at the extreme ends and then all the ones in between.  I think I ended up with 12 piles of blocks and timber supporting mine.

 

[flanagaj]

Thanks @ProDave

When you say jack up the axle.  Is there a jacking point behind the wheel which enables you to lift each side, or did you lift it from one of the lifting points that are either side of each wheel?  I am thinking that unless you lift it from it's centre of gravity point, eg axle, it will just lift one end and the other end will just pivot over and hit the ground.

I am making the assumption (probably incorrectly), that they don't have a balanced centre point and I just need to see what works.   Keen to hear what lifting point you used to lift the axle with a trolley jack to enable you to get blocks under the axle.

[Dunc]

Great advice from @ProDave there. I did ours this spring with a single 5 ton bottle jack - whatever was cheapest on Amazon. I was working on well compressed hardcore so the jack was stable enough. I tried using blocks and spacers to start with but it turned out to be so much faff I ended up splurging on adjustable tripods. For a couple of hundred£ this made the job soooo much quicker and easier for me (maybe that doesn't bode well for my DIY skills in building a house 🤣).

You need the main axles lifted to get the wheels clear of the ground. The jacking points on mine are either side of the wheels. As you have realised you need to put supports under the ends of the van to stop it just tilting too far around the axle while you're doing this. Just whatever you can jam up under there to start with.

Once the wheels are off the ground you can work your way along the additional support points (there will be 4-8 along each of the 2 frame members whcih must have supports under them) to get the long-dimension level. These points were marked on the frame, but it's pretty obvious where there will be a vertical member meeting the horizontal frame.

Depending on the exposure of your site you may want to make provision for ground anchors. I used four 1m lenghts of angle iron hammered into the ground to chain down the ends of the van. Was very glad of this during recent storms.

[ProDave]

On mine the axle is just a tube between the 2 wheels and I lifted on that and put the first two supports under that.  It was well balanced on the axle.  It is not an officially marked jacking point but it is certainly strong enough.

 

It won't tip up or move because you will have it hooked to your cars towball at that point won't you?

[flanagaj]

1 hour ago, Dunc said:

Depending on the exposure of your site you may want to make provision for ground anchors. I used four 1m lenghts of angle iron hammered into the ground to chain down the ends of the van. Was very glad of this during recent storms.

It's very sheltered, but I might do this.

 

9 minutes ago, ProDave said:

It won't tip up or move because you will have it hooked to your cars towball at that point won't you?

I don't have a vehicle with a tow bar.  I might just lower the legs on the end to stop any unnecessary tilting from end to end.

[Mulberry View]

On 30/10/2025 at 12:11, flanagaj said:

It's very sheltered, but I might do this.

 

I don't have a vehicle with a tow bar.  I might just lower the legs on the end to stop any unnecessary tilting from end to end.

 

I should probably add here that our 38x12 Willerby weighs over 6 tonne. Ours is sited on unmade up land, just soil. It has about 12 or so axle stands, each one on a slab that was just plonked on the ground in all honesty. I occasionally tweak them, but it's never been perfect. There are 4 hefty stands around the axle and lighter ones at the rest of the support points. It's been this way for 3 years. It's not strapped down in any other way. It is pretty rock solid, though 50mph+ gusts can cause it to jolt a little. I've never felt like it's going to go as far as a wobble, let alone fully tip over. We are fairly sheltered though, particularly on the SW side and that's the important one. Our main worry is the surrounding trees! We are surrounded on all sides by 60-70ft trees, something we just did not anticipate.

[flanagaj]

I levelled it today.  The 6 ton bottle Jack which cost £25 was just the ticket.  I decided to use static caravan axle stands.  My main motivation was 

 

1). No faffing around trying to find material of the required thickness.

 

2). I suspect there will be some minor settling over time.  I can easily screw the up tight again.

 

Whilst on the subject, I am trying to understand why there are two electric connections under the unit.  The big one in the first image is definitely for the incoming feed as it goes to the consumer unit.

 

I’ve no idea about the other one though?

 

 

[Redbeard]

I'm guessing, but since one has earth wire on, I assume it's for an earth rod. @ProDave?

[Big Jimbo]

Yellow and green is for earth, so i expect you need an earth rod. It will have to achieve a certain, impeedence ?

[ProDave]

Yes wiring regs dictate you should not connect a caravan to a TNCS / PME earth system, they should be connected to a TT earth which in simple language means it's own earth rod.

 

The black thing on the wire is a cover to protect the electrical connection clamp at the top of the earth rod.

[flanagaj]

I get the black plastic thing is for the earth rod, but what about the plug next to it?

[ProDave]

14 hours ago, flanagaj said:

I get the black plastic thing is for the earth rod, but what about the plug next to it?

It probably came from a holiday site where they expect a relatively regular turnover of 'vans and they plug the mains into a socket like touring caravans do.

 

Just ignore it for now.  Most likely your electrician will connect the cable direct to the consumer unit in the 'van but he could also just fit a matching socket and just plug that plug into it.

[flanagaj]

I am concerned that I have now bought a dud.  When we viewed the caravan, it was sitting in a large warehouse and just sat on the wheels (steadies not down).   As a result, the doors would not open and close properly.  I was told that once it's levelled, they will all be ok.   Having sited it and got the unit sitting on the stands, the french doors that are near the front, but on the side face of the caravan are over 25mm out on the diagonal.  I am now concerned that the chassis of the unit is hosed or has been permanently bent from having not been supported properly.

Just wondering how best to try and resolve the issue as this could be a very costly mistake.

 

[Redbeard]

27 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

I am concerned that I have now bought a dud.

Maybe you haven't (says he, trying to be positive). Agree with you about 'registering' the issue now with the seller. Critical Q: Did you open/check the French doors' operation when you viewed it? Long straight-edge or a laser to check for bend?

 

29 minutes ago, flanagaj said:

I was told that once it's levelled, they will all be ok.

That's slightly worrying, in context...

[-rick-]

Wondering if you can unlevel it in a way to bring the insides straight? Would have though it would be relatively easy to push the frame 10mm in one direction or another over a distance of metres.

 

Failing that, probably isn't the end of the world to remove the french doors and refit if it came to it. (either the seller arranging that or DIY)

 

If the caravan isn't a leaky mess and all plumbing/electricals work then you have a good base for a while. No practical experience with these things but my impression from reading here is that buying second hand you will always have something to deal with with these units.

[Dunc]

When we saw our van it was just on it's wheels; both interior and exterior doors were all out of alignment and wouldn't close properly if at all. Once levelled up they are OK and functioning, although not perfect. Levelling can make a significant difference; so it's possible what you were told was in good faith. But if it's now levelled up and there's no adjusment to be had on the door frame or hinges then as others have said you may need to go back to the vendor.

[flanagaj]

30 minutes ago, Redbeard said:

Maybe you haven't (says he, trying to be positive). Agree with you about 'registering' the issue now with the seller. Critical Q: Did you open/check the French doors' operation when you viewed it? Long straight-edge or a laser to check for bend?

 

That's slightly worrying, in context...

Sold as seen as I bought it privately.  

When levelling, I thought you simply followed the below process 

 

1) Jack up and level across the axle first. 
2) Jack up the end which is lowest, until both ends are the same height.
3) Place axle stands or blocks under each support point

The unit is now level?

But given it had been sat on it's wheels for who know how long and it did appear to have a slight curve along it's length (I thought this was normal as a result of how long they are), then the ends will be lower than they should be.

When I next go to site, I will get my laser level and check to see whether the floor inside is curve along the length and higher at the axle.  If so, I will need to try and increase the height at the far ends by carefully jacking it up.
 

I have managed to get the doors to shut, but it's far from ideal. 

Edited 53 minutes ago by flanagaj

[ProDave]

Just jack up both ends more, yes it will bend the chassis back to being more straight.  Ideally you want all the supports to be taking their share of the weight.  At the moment it sounds like the centre / axle jacks are taking most of the weight and the end ones are just stopping it tipping up when you all walk to the same end.

[flanagaj]

3 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Just jack up both ends more, yes it will bend the chassis back to being more straight.  Ideally you want all the supports to be taking their share of the weight.  At the moment it sounds like the centre / axle jacks are taking most of the weight and the end ones are just stopping it tipping up when you all walk to the same end.

Yes.  When I put the axle stands under the ends, I only gave them a good tighten by hand, so I suspect that it's just slightly curved and needs to be lifted up 20mm at each end.

I'll report back.  Thanks