Which caravan levelling ramps to buy

The first night, the pitch is not flat. The bed runs downhill and the shower tray holds a puddle. A gas fridge is happier when the van sits closer to level.

Key takeaways

• On a sloping pitch you need a raise for the low wheel and a stop so it does not roll back.
• A pair of stepped ramps gives you set heights as you drive on; a curved or round leveller gives a finer change along the curve.
• Chocks keep the wheel from rolling off once it is up.
• A heavier van or a twin-axle means you read this kit’s own weight line, and whether it will sit under the wheels you are lifting.

The pitch is off

You notice it as soon as you walk through the door. One side of the bed is higher than the other, and water sits in the shower instead of running away. That is when a pair of ramps earns its keep, so you can sleep and wash without the van sitting downhill.

The raise is the part that comes up first. On a single-axle van that is usually one wheel on the low side. A pair of stepped plastic ramps will take that wheel in a cradle, and how far you drive on sets how high that side comes. A curved or round leveller does the same job with a smoother roll, usually under one wheel, and the height changes as you move along the curve. I’d take the stepped pair when I do not know the pitch yet, and the curved one when I want a smaller, finer lift.

How high you need to come up

You will not know the slope until you arrive, so buy for a useful range rather than a guessed number of centimetres. Drive further onto a stepped ramp and that side comes up more. Stop sooner and you stay lower. A curved leveller lets you roll to the height you want instead of choosing a step. A pack with one curved ramp, a lead-in plate, and a chock is for one wheel, so a van that needs both sides up will need more than that one pack.

Do not pile two stepped ramps on top of each other to chase extra height, and do not sit them on bricks. Some interlocking blocks are built to stack. Ordinary stepped ramps are not. If the listing says the pair stacks when not in use, that is for the cupboard, not for the pitch.

Keeping the wheel where you put it

Once the wheel is up, it still wants to roll. A chock goes tight behind the tyre on the low side, and another behind the raised wheel once you are on the ramp. Some kits clip the chock onto the ramp so it lives with the pair. I’d keep chocks in the same bag as the ramps. They are the cheap part of a first night that does not end with the van creeping back down the slope.

A few stepped ramps have a pocket that holds the tyre, and the maker says you can skip the chock. That is their claim about the pocket. On a slope, a chock is still the simple stop. If the handbrake has to come off so a motorhome seat can turn, a chock matters even more.

A heavier van, or two axles

Read the capacity line on this listing. Some brands rate per wheel, some per axle, and some add their own motorhome and caravan totals. Those motorhome and caravan totals are how that brand adds the wheels up, and a twin-axle caravan has four wheels, so the per-wheel or per-axle line is the one to read as well. Match the plate already on the van to the wording in front of you. There is no single safe kilogram figure that covers every kit.

A twin-axle is a which-wheels problem. One low side may mean two tyres. Ramps are often too long to sit in the gap between them. Some curved packs will slide between some twins. Some listings say not for twin-axle at all. A few kits add a bridge to span two levels. Check the gap, the length, and the twin-axle line before you buy. A twin may need one ramp, two, or a bridge, depending on what will actually sit under the tyres.

If the van is still off after the wheels are up, winding the corner steadies harder will not flatten the slope and can damage the floor. They come down last, to stop an already level van rocking, and a motorhome only has them if they were fitted.

Once you know what you want, see current listings for a pair that will lift the low side and a chock that will keep it there.

Editor’s picks

Cassette toilet chemicals — the other first-night kit, for the cassette rather than the pitch.

Get the lowdown on axle weight — the plate on the van, which is what you match to a ramp’s load line.

Motorhome, caravan and camper security — wheel locks after you are on a ramp, when alignment can be awkward.