Parking On Grass Journey 36G

[Scos36g]

Brand spanking new to all of this. Picking up my 36G this week and parking on a "grass" site for a few months. Wondering best option for a pad for leveling jacks. Read about building some but wondering what the veterans are doing. Thanks in advance.

[Morich]

What might work best may vary due to type of soil and weather.
Grass might indicate some sod, I assume! That means it might get wet?
I find concrete pads break if they are even slightly on some higher spot.
For ease of getting them, if you have some big box store, etc. that will cut for you, I might lean toward wood like 2X8 cut to about 10-12 inches long.
If the ground is not too boggy to let the boards sink too far, the 2X is often plenty to keep from splitting and any extra sticking out too far at the ends, may just let the wood bow up, so no big help.

If you are in some of the boggie areas and the wood may sink to the point it becomes hard to recover, I might suggest double the wood. I tend to abandon it if I have to dig it up and deal with that dirt covered stuff!

An idea that you may want to consider if this is going to be a long term item to use over and over, I might offer an idea on placing them. When raining, etc. I found getting down on hands and knees to place the boards was a bummer.
We had a spare fork for use at campfires that had two points. I found drilling a couple holes in the boards and then bending the tines on the fork at a 90 degrees at the end and then something like a 40-45 degree up further toward the handle was a handy item.
Being 30-36 inches long and then the working end near horizontal let me move the boards all around until I got them directly under the jack pads as my wife worked the controls inside!
You may find that REALLY nice if dealing with sudden overnight snows!
Something like this fork bent to fit?
https://www.rei.com/product/884357/c...70001&store=32

[be happy]

A few years back I was at a rally. All different kinds of campers were parked on grass. Well it rained, I do not know how much but it was enough for the ground to become soggy.

Some of the MH with just there jacks down sunk into the grass, where they had to dig out the jacks so they would retract. My rig, of which I always use extra pads of some sorta on grass or even gravel. I want to extend the jacks foot print.

Anyway I was using at the time the lego style pads to increase the foot print. Both of the rear jacks had pushed the lego pads well below the surface of the ground.

It was at that point I started looking for different items to use. I ended up with RV outrigger Pads. I got the 15x15x1.5 pads and have never looked back. They are worth every penny!!
https://outriggerpads.com/for-rvs/

[Cooperhawk]

2x8s will split on you. I make a sandwich of two 2x8s nailed and glued together cross grain with a layer of plywood in the middle. I also drill holes in them so I can simply hook them with a rod and pull them out.
Works great.

[Zigzag03]

Camped overnight at Sebring IR Saturday, I used what I always carry, 18" square plywood base and 2x6 screwed/glued pieces with eye bolts on the ends for easy hook point to withdraw. I carry a selection, because I know that one of my rear jacks is sticky, and I try to make it so it never has to go far in either direction. Then keep an eye on the state of level, as nothing is static, and over time you may sink a little.
Other thing of note, it wasn't 10 minutes before the heat from the genset browned the grass beneath it. I was only overnight, and doubtless you'll be plugged in, but something to think of.

[wahoonc]

I have a couple of different sets. My 18"x18" doubled up 3/4" pressure-treated plywood ones are the best. I built them originally to go under the outriggers on my boom truck. The downside is they are HEAVY! I have a second set that is single ply 16"x16" I mainly use those on paved sites to protect the asphalt or concrete.

Aaron

[Jim_HiTek]

I think SnapPads are the absolute best landing pads. I did make a set of 2" X 10" square pads using 3/4" CDX plywood before SnapPad came out with a size that fit my 36' Winnie 36DL Class A with 4 jacks. I use the SnapPads alone for 95% of the parking I do, even on grass. The other 5% I put my home made pads under the SnapPads for mushy ground. I did a personal product eval of the SnapPads (I did get a reduced price on a set) here: SnapPads...

[Morich]

What we each have on the bottom of the jacks, like the snap pads, as well as what weight and what surface will all make a difference in what we each may need.
Snap pads have always been my choice after finding them and that may be why we were able to use the 2X for our smaller weight RV.
Using different types of lumber is also likely to be a factor as some of the cheap stuff like pine and fir certainly do snap much easier. A good hardwood type like walnut or oak lasts much longer. Rough sawn is naturally somewhat thicker.

[MDJDCarter]

I use the yellow plastic Lego type pads and have 3 sets of 10. I also use a cap on each stack to make one smooth surface across the top of each stack. I always put a stack of 3 and no more than 5 under each jack on our Cambria 30J. I do not want the jacks to extend very far as the more they are extended, the more stress this places on each jack (basically a lever arm with a moment of inertia).
I also purchased a tool that truckers call a "pin puller." It is about 36" long, strong steel rod with a handle on one end and a hook on the other (about $30 on Amazon). Very useful tool for all sorts of stuff. I use it to put the blocks under the jacks, retrieve them when we leave, put and retrieve the tire chocks, etc.
My wife purchased on Amazon a padded kneeling stool for gardening that I commandeered. It unfolds and is a kneeling pad one way or a little sit stool the other. It saves the knees from gravel or dirt or whatever.

[Brooks]

I bought a 12"×8'x2" laminate beam and cut it into 4 equal lengths works perfect

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by MDJDCarter

~snip~
I also purchased a tool that truckers call a "pin puller." It is about 36" long, strong steel rod with a handle on one end and a hook on the other (about $30 on Amazon). Very useful tool for all sorts of stuff. I use it to put the blocks under the jacks, retrieve them when we leave, put and retrieve the tire chocks, etc.
My wife purchased on Amazon a padded kneeling stool for gardening that I commandeered. It unfolds and is a kneeling pad one way or a little sit stool the other. It saves the knees from gravel or dirt or whatever.

We have a boat hook that collapses down. My wood pads have a pull rope on them. I use a garden kneeler pad, just the cheap flat one. It also gets used when dumping tanks.

Aaron