Leveling Wedges Done Right — What You Need to Know
Leveling wedges look like a simple piece of plastic. They are — until you actually need them, and you realize: not that trivial. Here's everything you should know.
Which wedges are out there?
Stepped wedge (standard). Classic. Two or three fixed steps. Pro: cheap, robust, nothing to break. Con: you rarely land exactly on a step — you're always slightly too high or too low.
Multi-step wedge. Like a stepped wedge but with more steps or a continuous ramp in 1 cm increments. More precise, slightly more expensive.
Air bag / leveling pillow. You lay it flat under the wheel and pump air in. Pro: continuously adjustable to the millimeter. Con: needs a pump, theoretically can leak.
Support plates (not wedges). When the ground is soft (grass, gravel), you need plates under the supports or wheels — otherwise the camper sinks crooked.
For most campers, a multi-step wedge set plus a few support plates is enough.
Which wheel? Front, back, diagonal
Rule of thumb:
- Lateral tilt (roll, left-right): wedge under the lower wheel — either both on one side (if front and back are equally low) or just one if, say, only the left rear wheel is in a dip.
- Longitudinal tilt (pitch, front-back): for motorhomes, usually raise the front (rear sits lower because of the rear garage). For caravans, the jockey wheel handles the longitudinal axis.
- Diagonal tilt: combine both. This is the classic case where a lot of campers give up — the app helps a lot here because it tells you exactly: "left front 4 cm, right rear 0".
Important: with caravans, ALWAYS level before unhitching. If you unhitch first and then go looking for a wedge, the axle is locked.
Calculating wedge height — rule of thumb
If the app doesn't tell you: roughly 3–4 cm of wedge height per 1° of tilt at typical wheelbase. Example: camper sits 2° crooked → 6–8 cm wedge under the low wheel.
More precisely: wedge height = sin(angle) × wheelbase. For a caravan with ~2.5 m wheelbase and 2° tilt = ~9 cm. But the rule of thumb is good enough in practice.
When is a pitch not worth it?
Some spots can't be saved by any wedge:
- Over 5° tilt. Even max wedge height won't get you level. Find another spot.
- Soft ground + big height difference. If you'd need to lift onto a 10 cm wedge and the ground is soft, the wedge sinks in and the whole setup gets dangerous.
- Steep slope + reversing onto the wedge. If you have to roll backward to drive onto the wedge and it goes downhill again — bad idea. Check first.
- Absorber fridge on board + over 7° tilt. Physically possible, but the fridge will shut off or take damage with prolonged tilt.
How 040 Level helps
We build a sensor + app that automate exactly this: you see not just the angle, but get a direct recommendation — which wheel, which wedge height. Plus: the app beeps as you roll on, faster the closer to level. No need to step out after every inch of travel and check.
The 040 hack: one air bag + one multi-step wedge is enough for 95% of all pitches. Pack both in the car, done.
See you on the road — Your 040 Team