Wheel chocks are likely one of the simplest additions to your trailer or 5th wheel, but they are an important item that every trailer and RV should have. The wheel chocks are the wedges which wedge under the tires keeping your trailer from moving. These chocks are a crucial safety measure and can easily fit your storage bin so there is no reason not to take them with you on every trip. You should use these chocks anytime you park your trailer, even if you don’t feel like you are on an incline as the smallest incline can cause the trailer to roll. They can also save your life if you are working under your trailer.
According to How Stuff Works,“(b)asically, all a wheel chock does is prevent a wheel from doing what it does best — rolling. The physical phenomenon of friction (created by the constant exertion of gravity on everything on the planet), keeps the bottom of any wheel pressed firmly against the ground. What a wheel chock does is provide a ramp that the wheel must go up if it wants to continue revolving.
Thanks to our friend gravity, a wheel on an inclined plane will always try to roll to the bottom of that plane (say a gentle hill along your street). A wheel chock provides an opposite angle the sought by a wheel by countering the slope of your street. Voila! Your car’s tires can rest easy knowing they’ve done all they need to do — find equilibrium.
Wheel chocks also provide a challenge to a wheel. If there’s anything a wheel naturally doesn’t want to do, it’s go uphill. A wheel chock presents this uphill challenge, and it doesn’t matter if the hill presented is two inches or two yards, it’s going to serve as a barrier and keep your wheel in place.”
If you have a tandem axel trailer, you’ll want to make sure both sets of wheels are locked. Chocks also specify the weight they can handle and since camping trailers are heavier than passenger vehicles, make sure your chock can hold the weight of your trailer. You will also want to research the different kinds of materials that chocks are made of as well as the “grip” they have to find one that best fits your trailer.
Chocking your wheels is such a simple task and is an extremely important safety measure. If you don’t have chocks or happen to forget them, you can shove a rock in front of the tires to keep the tires from rolling and keeping your rig in place. Just always make sure that you place the chock or rock in front of the tire where the incline is (sometimes this may be on the back side of the tire if the incline is leaning towards the rear end of your trailer). To be extra safe, I recommend you chock both sides of each trailer.
Stop by ExploreUSA RV Center to get a some chocks today!
