No products in the basket.
level matters – 6 engineering based facts you need to know about your motorhome
When you park your caravan or motorhome levelling isn’t just a comfort choice it’s a safety essential.
Behind every peaceful night’s sleep and perfectly cold fridge, lies quality engineering and high-performance materials doing their job. Motorhome Pads is a dedicated website for motorhome and caravan owners brought to you by a team of industry experts.
Built on over a decade of technical expertise from the heavy lifting industry – supporting heavy lifting projects – we have brought our ground pressure and load expertise to help motorhome owners across the world feel, well … supported!
Selecting the right pad for your motorhome is important – here’s why
1. A Better night’s sleep
While some may not mind little sleep while on an adventure, sleeping on an angle doesn’t just feel strange it can strain your neck, hips and lower back. A level motorhome keeps your bed, seating and flooring aligned so you can rest without twisting or propping your pillow in a corner. Even a few degrees of tilt changes how weight distributes across your home from home reducing comfort.
2. Keep your appliances working efficiently
Your appliances depend on stability! Absorption fridges, common in many modern motorhomes, work best when level. If over just 2.5 degrees, cooling efficiency drops and internal fluids don’t circulate correctly. Over time this can cause damage due to the cooling cycle not working efficiently, that can eventually cause the cooling unit to overheat, heat stress to warp or damage the boiler section, or creating permanent internal chemical blockages.
3. High performance materials protect your motorhome
While some motorhome owners use pieces of timber, old blocks or even bricks to level their vehicle, these materials come with real drawbacks. Wood absorbs moisture which can lead to swelling and splitting, especially on wet British pitches which can cause sudden instability. It also distributes weight unevenly and can crack under concentrated loads from levelling jacks. Bricks and makeshift blocks can crumble shift or dig into soft ground, increasing the risk of sinking or damaging your stabilisers.
4. Engineering excellence helps your motorhome stay stress free
Uneven or soft ground places asymmetric stress on stabilising jacks and the motorhome’s frame. Over time, this can lead to: Jacks bending or sinking, doors sticking or frames misaligning, wear and tear, and long term structural strain. Using strong HMPWE load spreading pads reduces pressure points and helps keep the chassis stress free.
Our founder, Charles, developed the spreader pad calculator, which has been adopted as best practice by the world-renowned International Powered Access Federation. He has helped us bring this engineering knowledge to motorhome owners across the world.You can see the calculator here: IPAF spreader pad calculator.
5. Spread the load
Wet grass, mud and gravel challenge even modern well-built stabilisers. Motorhome Pads increase surface area, giving your motorhome a secure grip on the ground – especially during UK winters or coastal trips. For further reading on ground bearing pressure and safe load spreading, the CPA’s guidance on ground conditions offers valuable engineering insights.
6. Keeping wastewater where it belongs
Levelling ensures your sinks, shower trays and wastewater systems drain properly. A slightly off level vehicle can trap water, cause build up and overflow, or lead to unwanted smells.
Bringing our experience and load spread engineering knowledge from heavy lifting and access equipment ensures you have high strength, high performance pads – where you and your motorhome need them most. Add in superior grip, weatherproof durability, and a long, long lifespan – it’s easy to see why people choose Motorhome Pads their first choice.
You don’t have to worry about the engineering behind it – we’ve done that for you.