RV Wheel Chocks Facts: the Right Mix of Material, Size and Weight

When camping out with your RV, you won’t always have the fortune to park securely on a leveled surface. For this reason, a lot of newer RVs have installed an electric or a hydraulic leveler, however, that isn’t always the case. If your caravan doesn’t have a leveling system installed, no need to worry – there’s an easy and affordable solution to fix that problem – wheel chocks.

Wheel chocks help you lift the tyres in case you don’t have an automatic system to do it for you. They’re a good way to put your RV in an even position when parked on uneven or slippery surfaces. In other words, they’re that much needed extra layer of safety that will help you sleep with a peaceful mind at night while out in the wilderness. As a general rule of thumb, you should always want to keep at least one tyre on the ground, while the others can be adjusted as you want them to in order to keep your unit leveled.

High-quality wheel chocks will have the right mix of weight, size and material type, and to a lesser extent, texturing and chock patterning can play a role as well. When shopping for one, keep the following things in mind.

Chocks are available in rubber, aluminium, urethane and other materials. All of them offer something different, from heavier weights and lightweight portability, to better grip on the tyre. Thus, the type of material you choose will have an impact on its weight. A lightweight chock doesn’t work as well with RVs on steep hills as it wouldn’t prevent the RV from pushing it away.

Aluminium chocks are lightweight and extremely durable and sturdy, which makes them one of the better options. Rubber ones provide strong grip traction and they are tear, abrasion and weather resistant. Moreover, they are engineered to prevent sliding, which makes them a solid option as well.

Check the amount of chocks that come as a package. Most come in sets of two, while others are sold in singles. Some chocks can be designed to fit inside each other (also known as nesting) for easier storage, while others don’t have this feature. This is important if you want to save some space.

And lastly, check the vehicle weight rating on the chocks before buying them. Heavier vehicles require heavier, stronger and more expensive chocks. You can usually see the weight rating on the package, or if you’re shopping online, it should be listed in the product’s description.

Interesting facts:

• Wheel chocks are most commonly used on train cars and aircraft.
• There are chocks for bicycles and motorcycles which support them and prevent movement.
• They are also used in the mining industry to protect heavy maintenance vehicles from slipping on off-road terrain as well as to protect lubrication trucks.