Camping Swaaaay

[surfgeek33]

When we camp overnight or multi-day, our sleeping arrangements are usually as follows; my wife and I are in the PH, and our little one and her dolls are downstairs in the Goucho. Every time that my wife and I move or any type of movement, our rig sways slightly. It doesn't really bother me cause' I hibernate like a bear, but it ends up waking my wife, since she's a light sleeper.

Does anyone here have this problem? Any solutions? Thanks.

Ray

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by surfgeek33

When we camp overnight or multi-day, our sleeping arrangements are usually as follows; my wife and I are in the PH, and our little one and her dolls are downstairs in the Goucho. Every time that my wife and I move or any type of movement, our rig sways slightly. It doesn't really bother me cause' I hibernate like a bear, but it ends up waking my wife, since she's a light sleeper.

Does anyone here have this problem? Any solutions? Thanks.

Ray

Yep, I've noticed this every time I camp with the kids. Any movement is felt by everyone in the van.

No idea how to minimize or eliminate this. Fortunately, we're all pretty solid sleepers.

Rob

[j.whitbread]

You can go big with a system.

http://www.powerpluslevelers.com/

[jage]

Regular jack stands would do the same thing, but placing them might be an issue (you don't want slight sway + BANG!) and the height is only adjustable in increments.

[Psomaki]

Gotta say the Power Plus system looks impressive and possibly worth the $$. We feel the sway too when we camp but are pretty much used to it. When I was a kid we lived near a major railroad line, so maybe I grew up untroubled by my bed moving, swaying, or vibrating at night. Our big issue is getting our Sporty level in the first place, using commercial molded ramps, rocks, boards, shoveled dirt - you name it.

[saabman]

How about something like this:

Similar to jack stands but threaded allowing precise adjustment to block the chassis...
These come from Reimo not sure if they sell in the US

[Switchfoot]

We fight sway with our travel trailer big time. The three large teenagers in the bunkhouse are like bears wrassling sometimes. You have to take the "give" out of the suspension to make things stable.

Saabman - They sell those adjustable jacks at any RV store in the states and they work really well. A bit tedious to use because the adjustment is so small (lots of turning). Block the bumpers or frame, not the axles, to keep the van from moving. Those jacks are not very tall so you'll need some cribbing to block them up. A hi-lift jack under each bumper would probably do the trick, but who carries two?

An airbag suspension front and rear would also work nicely. You could put them at max. pressure for camping and it would definitely stabilize things. If you plumbed them independently, I wonder if you could use them to level the van? May not have enough travel.

I'd think the softer riding (more flexible) Deaver springs would be more prone to sway that the stiff Ford springs.

[yvrr]

I've never noticed our van swaying and we sleep in the penthouse. Are your shocks in good condition?

[saabman]

Switchfoot - Yes I hadn't thought of the height problem (I have the 2WD)...

The Hilift front and rear would be good but wouldn't you need 4 to avoid left/right and front/rear sway?

[jage]

You only need two points towards the rear. There isn't really front-rear sway. One base type jack on the down rear corner might work if you put enough weight on it to compress the opposite side a bit.

The twin Hi-Lift jacks would probably be bad. Using them in tandem it is hard to get the pressure even, and even then they tend to fall out or flop over. Too little and they'll fall out, too much and they'll both go sideways.

Airbags at max sound like the least crawling around under the van, and they have added benefits you get from adding airbags to the suspension.