If you love camping or going on trips in an RV, specific terms will frequently cross your path. Amongst them, the stabilizer and leveling jack are the most common.
In essence, both tools are used to keep your RV stable to provide a comfortable camping experience. This is why people often think they can act as substitutes for one another.
However, 'it's not a stabilizer jacks vs. leveling jacks situation as there are vast variances. And so, instead of choosing one over the other, you will need both to prevent your RV from sloping on one end.
Stabilizer Jacks vs. Leveling Jacks
As we have mentioned before, it was never a choice between the leveling block and stabilizer jack. Both of them are crucial components for any RV road trip.
While most people choose one or the other, they soon pay for it when their RVs start to deteriorate faster. Nevertheless, in this section, 'we'll learn about their differences.
Differences in Core Function
You must understand that the leveling jack is only responsible for keeping your RV floor level. This is to give you a smooth living experience away from the comfort of your home.
Without it, all your belongings would start rolling down desks or sliding off the tabletop.
The stabilization jack, on the other hand, is responsible for stabilizing the vehicle body. This means, once you start walking around the RV, the stabilizers will raise and drop the frame to match your movement. That, in turn, prevents any wobbling inside.
Ability to Withstand the Weight
The leveling jack was made to withstand the weight of a trailer and the people inside it. Since its main job is to raise a side of the body, it has to be made of heavy-duty materials.
Poorly made leveling jacks could put you at high risks, especially when you're out in the middle of nowhere.
On the contrary, stabilizers are not meant to carry all that heavy load. They are simply tools that go hand in hand with leveling blocks to stabilize your fuel-powered cabin.
And so, if you use a stabilization jack independently, you are putting yourself at risk. Stabilization jacks are not as strongly built, and so they can collapse under pressure.
What Is a Leveling Jack?
One of the fundamental problems with using an RV is finding a flat plain to park it. Since 'you'll be out in the wild, it's quite likely that you'll come across rough terrain.
As a result, parking on a slope would cause everything inside it to roll over. Other than that, placing your RV on a tilted surface could strain your vehicle's frame and the electrical systems inside it.
As the name suggests, the main objective of the jack is to raise the sloped side of your travel trailer to create a plain level.
All you need to do is bring out all the additional jacks that come with the vehicle and get to work. Mainly, scissor jacks are used to lift the vehicle so you can slide in the leveling blocks underneath.
You also need a pair of wheel chocks to keep your front wheels stationary while placing the jack.
Leveling jacks reduce the strain on the vehicle body as well as all the interior furniture.
If parked on a slope without a jack, gravitational forces will pull on your cabinet doors, refrigeration system. This can cause your furniture to deteriorate faster than its expected rate.
What Is a Stabilizer Jack?
Once your RV is leveled, you need to put the stabilization jacks to use. Don't think that all your problems are solved just because your RV is no longer sloping on one side.
Even with the perfectly flat level, you will experience rocking and wobbling with each step you take. Stabilization jacks reduce this rocky motion by creating a balance in the weight distribution.
We have seen amateurs ignoring the need to stabilize their mobile home, and we're sure they have paid the price for it.
The rocky motion keeps moving the frame as well as the contents inside it, including you.
This, in turn, puts strain on the bolts that hold your furniture together and the body frame of the vehicle. And so, it is important to stabilize your trailer after the leveling process.
Key Takeaways
- Leveling jacks can withstand the heavy load of an RV filled with people, but a stabilization jack cannot do so independently.
- Stabilization jacks keep your vehicle stable without any wobbling as you walk inside. Leveling jacks only bring the RV to level ground.
- Stabilizers require you to use a tongue jack to keep the vehicle raised at an angle. On the other hand, scissor jacks are used to raise the vehicle when you want to level it.
Conclusion
We hope that our stabilizer jacks vs. leveling jacks guide was able to bring all your confusion to an end.
So, the next time you're planning for a road trip with your buds or want a comfy trailer experience, be sure to bring both your stabilization and leveling jacks.
While it's true that using all these different types of tools can tire you out, we assure you it will be worth it.
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