How to level your motorhome – Air Cushions for RV stabilising

If you are a fan of caravaning, you will no doubt associate problems with stabilising your vehicle on uneven parking areas. Even slight deviations of the vehicle from ground level make it considerably less comfortable for daily activities such as sleeping or cooking. There are a number of ways to solve these inconveniences - one of which is camper stabilisation cushions, which we will look at in this article. If you want to make your motorhome level on any ground - feel free to read on!

Why levelling of motorhome is important?

Many caravanning enthusiasts ignore the importance of levelling their motorhomes, which can result in a very uncomfortable journey and a much worse night's sleep. There's a reason why these vehicles are called 'homes on wheels' - if you decide to go on this type of trip, you need to remember that you'll be doing all your daily activities, such as cooking and sleeping, in your vehicle and an uneven floor will certainly not help.

There is nothing worse on a trip than cooking on a stove with pots slipping off or sleeping with your head down. Due to the fact that motorhomes are often parked in areas without an asphalt surface, unfortunately these situations can occur if you do not equip your vehicle with some kind of system to level the camper. There are various answers to this problem on the market, ranging from classic overruns to all-electric stabilisation systems to air cushions for levelling the camper.

What are air cushions for motorhome?

Camper levelling pads (which appear on the market under various names such as air cushions, air jacks or Lock'n'Level) are a very simple and effective solution to the problem of parking your camper on uneven ground. Their use is absolutely uncomplicated and does not require you to use any additional tools. In appearance, they do indeed resemble inflatable cushions, but they are made of robust and reinforced plastic so that they can cope with the weight of heavy vehicles.

How do you level a campervan using air cushions? Simply place the item under the wheel of the vehicle and inflate it. You can use either a regular manual pump (hand or foot) or an electric compressor to do this. You will find standardised valves in the air cushions from various manufacturers, which should make them easier to use.

Air cushions vs other levelling systems for a camper - advantages and disadvantages of different solutions

You already know what air pads for motorhome levelling are and how they are used. So let's look at them in the context of other popular solutions for levelling a camper on unstable terrain, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of camper air cushions over other systems.

Levelling chocks vs levelling cushions – what is better choice?

We will first take a look at the simplest and most popular levelling system for a motorhome, a set of levelling ramps. They work in a similar way to air cushions, but the blocks are pre-profiled at the factory to support the wheel and do not need to be inflated. All you have to do is drive the motorhome onto them and you're done - the vehicle is much more stable.

However, the ease of use of camper invasions does not necessarily mean that they are a better choice than air levelling systems. Why not? With these you have a much greater ability to accurately adjust the height of the vehicle on the site. Inflating air levelling pads can be a bit of a hassle, but it allows you to fine-tune each wheel individually, which can prove invaluable when parking your motorhome on uneven terrain.

Hydraulic and electric stabilisers vs. air cushions

But how do the pneumatic levelling pads compare with the electric camper support system? Definitely, hydraulic or an electric set of stabilisers, such as the one produced by the TESA brand, are a more precise and convenient solution. They don't require you to do any additional pumping, as everything is automated - you simply press the appropriate button on the control panel of your vehicle level system and can lengthen or shorten the camper support accordingly to suit the specific parking area.

Unfortunately, even this solution is not without some downsides - in the case of hydraulic supports and electric levelling jacks, it will be the price. A set of electric stabilisers is relatively expensive, especially when juxtaposed with other solutions, just like air cushions, which may require more commitment from the user, but will repay with a much lower price. Everyone needs to make their choice on an individual basis and consider which aspect of the product they care more about.

The most popular air cushions for levelling campers

Not all campers are created equal, just like the various pneumatic pads for camper wheels. The market offers many such products that differ in brand, appearance, and specifications. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.

Flat-Jack levelling cushions

One of the variants of camper levelling pads available in the X-CAMPING shop are products from the Flat-Jack brand: a round (305 mm) air cushion and a rectangular (255 mm) air levelling pad. They have quite an interesting origin, as their German manufacturer, the Flat-Jack brand, originally saw them as a solution to another problem, namely the issue of classic car wheels distorting during long stops. This is due to prolonged pressure at one point on the tyre, which in the long term can lead to damage. Placing the tyre on a cushion changes its gravity distribution and prevents deformation of the material.

After a while, however, it became apparent that these air cushions were also ideal for RVs and made it possible for caravanning enthusiasts to effortlessly level their vehicle at any rest stop. This is how Flat-Jack CAMPER came onto the market - specially reinforced levelling pads designed for different types of motorhomes- Class-A, Class-C, coach built and even Class-B.

They are available in two sizes:

• Rectangular Air cushions with radius of 255 mm;
• Round cushion with width to 305 mm.

Both options provide the ability to raise the camper by 20 centimetres and offer a maximum load of up to 6 tonnes. Their main difference lies in the size of tyre it can be used with - the round pneumatic camper levelling cushion works well for vehicles with double wheels on the axle.

EMUK reinforced air cushions

Another major player in the campervan levelling air pad market is the EMUK brand, which, like the Flat-Jack mentioned earlier, originates from Germany. In their case, from the beginning, the air pad was designed specifically for use with campers and offers great performance in terms of load-bearing capacity and durability..

As with the Flat-Jack products, EMUK's camper cushions are available in two sizes:

• RV levelling cusshion with size of 48 x 43 cm and with maximum load capacity of 11 tonnes;
• Double motorhome air cushion with size of 72 x 43 cm with maximum load capacity of18 tonnes.

The double camper levelling pad has been specially designed for vehicles with double wheels on rear axle. Thanks to its great strength, it can be used not only as a levelling pad for a campervan, but also for much heavier vehicles – even lorries and trucks.

Find the right solution at X-CAMPING and level your motorhome to perfection

In today's article, we take a little closer look at the subject of camper levelling pads, a somewhat underrated vehicle stabilisation system in Europe - at least compared to chocks and electric or hydraulic camper stabilisers. With the help of air cushions, you can easily level your vehicle on almost any terrain and gain much more comfort on each of your motorhome trips.

You can find EMUK and Flat-Jack camper air cushions and other stabilisers for your camper at X-CAMPING. We also encourage you to browse the rest of our range - we have loads of products that any campervan and caravanning fan will appreciate!