Friday, December 4, 2015

Permanently Mounted Bullseye Level for RV Leveling

I bought an inexpensive bullseye level from eBay which I found to be pretty accurate comparing to my other levels and couple of Android apps. If you prefer, a T-level like this from Amazon (Camco 25543 T Level ) should also work ok. I decided to permanently mount the bullseye level on the driver seat base right uppermost corner. I picked this mounting location for easy visualization from the driver seat which makes it easy to instantly check RV "levelness" while parking or when finding a level ground on campsites and during RV leveling using my Andersen Camper levelers.

The bullseye level mounting bracket is fabricated from aluminum angle bar/ flat bar, and a recycled mini tripod head. With the tripod head, I can zero/recalibrate the level at my convenience. To zero the bullseye level, I use a second bullseye level placed on the bottom of the RV freezer compartment then drove the RV to a level ground, with the bubble level on the freezer reading zero, I adjusted the other level with the bubble at dead center.




 
With bullseye level epoxied on top of the fabricated bracket.

Mounted on the driver seat base using the existing seat bolt.

Side view shot. The bubble level should be mounted plush or lower than the seat base to prevent it from snagging into the swiveling seat.

A view from rear.

Top-view-up shot with the bubble almost at dead center. Each lines in the level represents about 1-degree in variation. My Dometic 3-way fridge manual does not specifically states how many degrees you can be off-level, some internet sources calls for no more than 3º off-level from side to side and 6º off-level from front to back of the fridge for proper fridge operation.

The picture above shows about 1º off-level to the front and about 2.8º off-level to the left. I do try to keep the RV level as much as possible to about a max. of 3º off-level front to back and side to side of the RV. When parking, a quick glance at the bubble level and I know if I’m level or way off-level. Looking at the Bullseye level from the top, I make two imaginary lines front to back and side to side of the level with lines intersecting at the middle of the bubble. The two lines corresponds to the angles (in degrees) of slope and tilt of the vehicle in relative to the gravity.


2 comments:

  1. So happy that I came across this website... so many ideas. I am currently using my phone to level the RV... permanently installing this will be easier in case my phone is dead or elsewhere... Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome. Yes, it is one of my favorite mods. I can pick the best level spot on the fly, no fiddling with the phone.

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