When guests turn up to our caravan site and set up their caravan or motorhome, many come with their own levelling ramps. At Horton Common, we provide fully serviced pitches. Part of our fully serviced pitches is grey wastewater removal, for this system to work, the pitches are slightly sloped from back to front. Therefore guests with motorhomes typically drive either the front or rear wheels up onto ramps. Guests with caravans on some of the pitches use a ramp on one side. However, over the years, there is something I’ve noticed, and its how frequently I see broken or snapped levelling ramps such as the one below.
So with this post, I wanted to discuss caravan and motorhome levelling ramps currently on the market and the pros and cons of each.
Using feedback from my guests and my own observations, I’ll provide comments on why some levelling ramps appear to snap and break.
I’ll also discuss how to reduce the chances of levelling ramps snapping to increase their usable life. Its also worth noting that along with a caravan jack, levelling ramps can come in handy to change a flat tyre.
Disclaimer: Hey! By the way… any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon or Caravan Guard are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you make a purchase, with no additional cost to you 🙂
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Table of Contents
How To Pull A Caravan onto Levelling Ramps
Levelling Ramp Options
So, below are the most popular ramps available on Amazon currently. I’ll provide some facts/specs about each one and also some of my own thoughts:
Fiamma 136/133 Ramp Level Pro
To start this product list, I’m going to include a product I wouldn’t recommend. If you can’t tell, the Fiamma are the levelling ramps from the image above.
These Fiamma levelling ramps should be familiar (my photo above): Image – Amazon.co.uk
I’ve seen these ramps used by guests several times now, and more than once, I’ve seen them snapped in the middle. I’m not sure if its user error (uneven/unsupported surface) or just low-quality/thin plastic.
The customer reviews appear very good, however, from personal experience, I wouldn’t recommend them.
Fiamma Level System Magnum
Fiamma also offers the yellow magnum set of levelling ramps. These are more expensive, but they also have a higher load rating of an 8-ton axle compared to the 5-ton for the 136/133 ramps.
The Fiamma Magnum ramps can be stacked to give additional height: Image – Amazon.co.uk
So you are probably thinking, another product from Fiamma, are these also prone to snapping?
Well, I have seen these ramps break in the middle as well, but I will say I do see it less often than the cheaper grey 136/133 ramps from Fiamma above.
Then again, these are a more expensive product, practically double the price. So you would hope they are made from a thicker/better quality plastic, which does appear to be the case.
Fiamma Level-Up Kit
The most expensive offering from Fiamma is their grey level-up kit, which also comes with a storage bag. You will notice these levelling ramps are stepped.
The stepped design helps to hold the wheel at various stages. However, I also think it helps to provide a more sturdy design that is less prone to snapping and breaking in the centre.
The level up kit from Fiamma is their most expensive ramps which also come with a carry bag: Image – Amazon.co.uk
Maypole MP4601 Level Ramp Set
The MP4601 ramps from Maypole are another budget offering, rated at 2 tons per ramp.
I’m aware that the Fiamma 136/133 are rated at 5-tons for less money. However, personally, I would still choose the MP4601 ramps for similar money.
They weigh less than 1kg per ramp. However, I think the plastic mould design is superior to the Fiamma.
As a budge option (less than £15) the Maypole MP4601 ramps are worth considering: Image – Amazon.co.uk
Maypole MP4607 Multi-Level Ramp Set
The multi-level ramp set from Maypole weighs 3.2kg each, which is considerably more than the 1kg of the MP4601 ramps. However, the ramps actually have a lower weight rating of 1.2 tons which is odd.
The stages are as follows 1st level height: 40mm; 2nd level height: 70mm; 3rd level height: 100mm, and they come with their own carry bag.
Milenco Levelling Ramps
Now, I’ve seen a lot of guests with the Milenco ramps over the last few years. I’ve also never seen (as yet) a Milenco ramp that is spilt or snapped in the middle.
It probably has a lot to do with the lattice design, which gives them increased strength and durability.
The Milenco levelling ramps are probably the toughest I’ve come across: Image – Amazon.co.uk
The downsides…well, first, there’s the price, you’ll have to spend a lot more compared to the other ramps above.
Secondly, there is the weight which is 7.6kg which is obviously significantly more than any of the levelling ramps above. There is also their physical size, and they are also by far the largest.
However, if you can cope with their weight, size and price, I think these are the best levelling ramps you can currently buy.
Milenco Levelling Jack
The only levelling jack that I’m currently aware of is offered by Milenco. Made from aluminium, the weight is not too bad at around 7.4kg.
In fact, the Milenco aluminium levelling jack is actually lighter than their plastic levelling ramps!?
With the Milenco jack, you have to be quite patient as it can take some time to lift the axle: Image – Amazon.co.uk
The obvious advantage of the Milenco jack is that you don’t have to use your car to pull the caravan up onto ramps.
However, you do have to be pretty patient while you turn, and turn, and turn…… . There is also the price, you will have to spend close to £120 for the aluminium levelling jack.
I’ve had one guest who had one of these jacks, and he was quite happy with it. However, the reviews on Amazon are a mixed bag.
Some people have noted that if the ground underneath the jack isn’t hard and smooth, it’s not the easiest to use.
Why Do You Need To Level Up?
When you visit some sites with a significant slope to their pitches, it’s pretty obvious that you would need to level your caravan or level your motorhome.
However, at Horton Common, our pitches are only sloping very slightly. Therefore you may be wondering, do our guests actually need to use levelling ramps or blocks?
You wouldn’t notice the slope while sitting or sleeping, it wouldn’t be noticeable in those cases. However, your appliances may notice. Your fridge may stop working properly if it’s not level.
Some fridges will stop working altogether if they are significantly off-level. With others, you may hear the compressor making some very strange noises.
So, making sure your caravan or motorhome is level is more comfortable for you and your appliances.
The Surface You’re Trying To Level On
So as you can probably guess, how easy it is to level your caravan or motorhome depends a lot on the surface. All our pitches are hardstanding, so your levelling ramp, block or jack will not sink.
However, if you’re visiting other sites with grass pitches, you need to think about the potential of soft ground. Therefore, levelling ramps and jacks with a wide footprint will serve you best in these conditions.
Always Pull A Caravan onto Levelling Ramps
When you want to level your caravan, it’s important to pull the caravan onto the ramps and not to reverse onto the ramps. The reason is to do with your caravan’s brakes.
In reverse, you are pushing the caravan’s brakes into ‘over-run‘, which effectively means the brakes on the caravan are no longer working.
So by pulling a caravan onto levelling ramps, you have much more control. Also, once the caravan is level and you apply the handbrake, it will be properly engaged to hold the caravan in position.
Another reason to only pull your caravan onto levelling ramps is to protect your clutch. Getting a van up onto ramps is a slow and steady process that requires feathering the clutch (obviously not in an automatic).
I have often come across guests on their first time towing and reversing a van and smelling that nasty clutch smell.
Using A Motor Mover To Level A Caravan
I would say over 50% of our guests now have a motor mover fitted to their caravan. When those guests arrive, they generally pull up on the road in front of their pitch and unhook their caravan.
They then engage their motor mover to reverse the caravan into the pitch and up onto levelling ramps when required.
If you had a caravan self-levelling device from Emove, the motor mover will automatically climb the ramp until level.
To say that using motor movers is easier for most people than using a car to get the caravan into position and onto levelling ramps would be a massive understatement.
I’ve noticed guests who follow this approach also appear much more relaxed when I come to meet them.
With a caravan motor mover, you are able to adjust the position of the levelling ramps if the van is riding up off-centre.
Trying to pull a caravan up onto the levelling ramps with a car is more tricky, especially on your own.
FAQs
Which Are Better, Levelling Ramps Or Jacks?
There is no one-size-fits-all, it depends on how long you have been towing your caravan. If you are not confident pulling your caravan up onto ramps with your car, a jack may be the better option.
However, if you have a motor mover, you’ll be fine with ramps. The problem with jacks is they generally take up more space, and it can take quite a while to get the axle high enough.
Are There Any Issues Leveling A Caravan & Fitting Wheel Clamps?
Potentially yes, you can experience issues properly levelling your caravan and fitting your caravan’s wheel clamp. This can be especially true when it comes to fitting an AL-KO lock.
If you want to fit an AL-KO wheel lock, you may fit it easier to use a levelling jack or the airbag system from Lock-n-Level.
What About DIY Levelling Ramps For Caravans & Motorhomes?
For each pitch at our caravan site, I provide some blocks of wood and a few boards.
Guests use these boards mainly for putting under the feet of their corner steadies. However, some also use them as levelling ramps.
I have had other guests who have made their own levelling ramps which they bring with them. Typically made from 3 or 4 pieces of plywood screwed together in a stepped arrangement.
These forms of DIY levelling ramps are very durable and don’t snap easily like some of the plastic levelling ramps above. They are also easy and relatively cheap to make. The only real downside is their weight.
A DIY levelling ramp made of plywood could weigh between 5-10kg each. If you are close to your caravan’s payload weight, every kg of weight comes under scrutiny.
However, if you are ok with the extra weight, by all means, make yourself some DIY levelling ramps.
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