Ideally you want to park your travel trailer on level ground, but sometimes this isn’t always possible. I will discuss how to park a travel trailer on a hill.
If you have to park your RV on a hill then you should angle your wheels towards the curb to prevent it from heading down hill. Ensure that the parking brake is on and your chocks and wheel stabilizers are in place.
Another option is to try to level your RV on the slope, you will have to level your trailer from side to side first. Then place the wheel chocks and use the tongue jack to level the trailer lengthways.
Obviously you want to try and find ground that is as level or at a shallowest incline as possible. But sometimes you are left with no option but to park on a hill. I will go into more detail about the best practices for parking a travel trailer on a hill in this article.
Before You Park A Travel Trailer On A Hill
In today’s world of RV enthusiasts, if you have your own RV or travel trailer, the question of where to park it is always at the forefront. For some people, parking their travel trailer on a hill is the only option.
Before you park your trailer on a hill, be sure to consider these important factors:
Safety
The most important reason to stick to level parking is safety. Every time I park my car on a slope I’m terrified of it rolling off down the hill destroying everything in its path. Take that fear and multiply it by 1,000 for an RV or travel trailer, especially if you are in it.
Because RVs and travel trailers are so heavy, gravity is your worst enemy when parking on a hill. Your travel trailer will naturally want to get to the bottom and will gain momentum when doing so, the results will be disastrous to not only your RV but the street as well.
If you can find level parking or even less of a gradient then it’s well worth doing, even if you have to go a bit further out of your way. It’s not worth the risk of the parking brake failing.
Appliances – Especially Your RV Fridge
Your RV refrigerator needs to be level to work properly, if it’s not level for more than a few hours then you will run into serious technical problems.
A refrigerator works by circulating a chemical called refrigerant around coils, this turns liquid into gas and in the process cools the surrounding area. [1] These coils are usually found on the back of your fridge, if you put your hand over them you should feel heat coming off them. This means that it’s successfully cooling the fridge inside and drawing the heat outside.
If your RV fridge isn’t level then the liquid in these coils can’t move around as they should and will pool to one side. This means that the refrigerant can’t move around and your fridge won’t work properly.
A similar process happens in your RV AC unit to cool down the interior.
If your fridge or AC unit becomes flooded from being unlevel the chemicals will start to crystallize, once this happens there is no going back. These crystals can cause even more damage and won’t dissolve back.
Other appliances in your RV work better being level, like your oven, shower, and hob. Although being unlevel won’t damage them like your fridge or AC unit, it will make it much more challenging to use them. Imagine cooking a casserole in an unlevel oven.
Comfort
Life inside an RV or trailer isn’t very comfortable on a slope. Simple things like cooking, eating and showering are infinitely harder on a hill. It just feels unnatural.
Sleeping is really uncomfortable and it’s difficult to get comfortable when you feel like you are going to start rolling away.
How To Park A Travel Trailer On A Hill
If you are left with no other option than to park your RV or travel trailer on a hill then I recommend limiting your time there as much as possible.
This is the best practice for parking a travel trailer on a hill.
1. Face the Correct Way
If you have to park on a hill then you want the front of your travel trailer facing down hill. This is because it’s easier to lift the front of the trailer up to make it more level and therefore reduce the gradient inside.
2. Place Wheels Towards The Curb
The next thing you need to do is to angle your wheel towards the curb, so if your trailer does become free the curb will help to secure it and stop it rolling down the hill.
If there is no curb then angle your wheels towards the edge of the road, if the brakes do fail then at least your RV won’t roll down the middle of the street.
3. Put The Parking Brake On
Once you’ve parked and placed your wheels towards the curb, put your parking brake on. Double check that it is on before leaving your vehicle. This reduces the chances of the brakes failing.
4. Level Your Travel Trailer
Now that you are in the parked position you need to level your trailer as much as possible. As this can be a tricky process I have detailed it further below.
First you will need to level your trailer from side to side, then length ways. The easiest way to do this is with a camper leveler kit. These also act as your wheel chocks but are adjustable so you can easily make your travel trailer level.
5. Place Your Wheel Chocks/Leveling Kit
Now your travel trailer is as level as possible, place your wheel chocks in front of the wheels. These plastic triangles are a must have for any RVer and should always be used when parking your RV or travel trailer.
They are an absolute must when parking a travel trailer on a hill. They fight back against the gravity pulling your trailer down the hill. Make sure that you have a good set of RV wheel chocks, this CARMTEK Camper Leveler Premium Kit is a great option for parking on slopes. They act as wheel chocks whilst leveling your trailer. So it takes minutes to get your trailer level rather than hours.
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If you have to park on a steep slope then you will need to add additional height under your leveling blocks on the lower side of the trailer.
You will need a safe and secure base to do this, if you can the safest option will be to dig down a few inches and add the blocks into the ground. That’s a far safer way than building up the lego blocks off the ground.
6. Place Your Wheel Stabilizers
If your travel trailer has more than one axis then the next thing to do is to put your wheel stabilizers on. These are X-shaped and lock your wheels in place, this adds extra peace of mind when parked on a hill.
They can be locked in place as well to prevent theft, these RVMATE Camper Metal Wheel Chock Stabilizers are a good option.
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Park a Travel Trailer On A Hill – Final Thoughts
It’s best to park your travel trailer as level as possible, so find the flattest spot possible. If you have to park a travel trailer on a hill, try to find a place with the least gradient so you can level your trailer with the leveling kit.
