# Caravan Levelling Systems in Australia — Airbags, Jacks, Ramps & Apps Compared

> Levelling a caravan isn't one job — it's two: side-to-side, then nose up or down. That's why the "systems" on offer range from a $40 set of ramps to a five-figure jack kit, and why the "auto-levelling" airbags everyone talks about are, at the price most vans carry, mostly manual. Here's the honest guide to what each actually does.

*By Ross Bolden — B.E. (Mechanical), Founder · July 2026 · 8 min read · Written for Australian caravanners*

Canonical: https://ozlevel.com.au/blog/caravan-levelling-systems-australia.html

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## The honest version upfront

This article is written by OzLevel. We make a $9.99 caravan levelling app, so we'd obviously rather you didn't spend thousands on hardware to do the same job. We're telling you that upfront because the comparison below is still accurate — and the caravan market is full of marketing that blurs what these systems really do.

The single most useful thing to understand: a caravan levels on **two separate axes with two separate tools**, and no cheap system does both. Get that clear and the whole market suddenly makes sense.

## First, how a caravan actually levels

Unlike a motorhome, a caravan is a trailer — supported at the front by the jockey wheel and sitting on one or two axles. Levelling it means fixing two things:

- **Roll (side to side):** corrected by driving the low wheel up a **levelling ramp**, or by an **airbag** raising that side. Airbag travel is limited to a few inches, so big corrections still need ramps — and tandem axles make ramps fiddly (which is why split ramps exist).
- **Pitch (nose up or down):** corrected only at the coupling with the **jockey wheel** — wind-up or hydraulic. No airbag, and no amount of ramp, touches pitch.

> ✅ **The rule every workshop repeats:** your corner steadies are *stabilisers, not jacks*. They stop the van rocking once it's level — they are not rated to lift or level it, and winding the van up on them bends legs and stresses the chassis. So, unlike some overseas trailers, an Australian van's corner legs never do the levelling.

So caravan levelling is a **two-axis, two-tool** job. Every product below is really just a different way of doing — or avoiding — those two steps.

## The five ways to level a caravan

| Method | What it does | Manual or auto? | Typical cost (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levelling app (OzLevel) | Tells you exact roll & pitch; you use ramps & jockey | Manual, guided | $9.99 |
| Wireless indicator (Ezylevel) | Tells you roll to ~1°, you still place ramps | Manual (indicator) | ~$200–$250 |
| Bluetooth sensor (SavvyLevel) | Tells you both axes, you still do the work | Manual (indicator) | ~$350 |
| Airbag suspension | Raises a side for roll; nose still on jockey | Mostly manual* | ~$3,500–$5,500 fitted |
| Electric levelling jacks (Redfoot) | Push-button, levels both axes automatically | Auto (true) | Premium, four-figure |

*Prices are device/system only — the app and both indicators still use the same ~$40 ramps and your jockey wheel. \*Only premium airbag tiers auto-level, and only for roll — see below.*

## The "auto-levelling" airbag myth

This is where most of the confusion lives, so it's worth being blunt. Airbag suspension is a fine *ride* upgrade — it's bought mainly for towing comfort, load-levelling and clearance. Levelling on site is a side benefit, and one that's oversold.

Take the most common Australian system, Cruisemaster. Its entry **Level 3** kit has a compressor and a dual pressure gauge — and that's it. You watch the gauge and inflate or deflate each side **by eye and by hand**. There's no auto-levelling at all. **Level 4** adds only auto-return to *travel* height, not campsite levelling. Automatic "Horizon" levelling is exclusive to the top **BCS** tier — and even there, some auto functions are listed as "future."

And every airbag system, no matter the tier, only corrects **roll**, within a few inches of travel. The nose is always the jockey wheel, and a big side slope still needs a ramp. So "my van auto-levels on airbags" is, for most owners, simply not what's happening.

> **Worth a read:** we pulled this apart in detail in [Do airbags actually level your caravan?](https://ozlevel.com.au/blog/do-airbags-level-a-caravan.html) — the honest answer, tier by tier.

## The real cost of each system

Set against the two-step job, the spread is enormous.

| Cost item | OzLevel + ramps | Airbags / jacks |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase & fitting | $9.99 app + ~$80 ramps | $3,500–$5,500+ (airbags) · four-figure (jacks) |
| Added weight (ATM) | None — ramps & phone already aboard | Tens of kg off your payload |
| Installation | None — open and use | Professional fit, van off-road |
| Levels both axes | Yes — tells you roll & pitch | Airbags: roll only · Jacks: both |
| Maintenance | None | Compressor, bags, seals, motors |
| **Effective cost** | **About $90** | **Thousands, plus weight & upkeep** |

Weight matters more on a caravan than a motorhome. Vans are frequently tight on ATM already, and airbags or a jack kit can eat tens of kilograms of payload you'd rather spend on water, batteries or gear. Ramps and the phone in your pocket add nothing.

> **Try $9.99 before you spend thousands.** Open OzLevel free at [van.app.ozlevel.com.au](https://van.app.ozlevel.com.au) and level with ramps and your jockey wheel on the next trip. If it does everything you need — and for most caravanners it will — you've saved a fortune.

## Where each option genuinely wins

It's a fair comparison, so here's where the hardware earns its keep.

**Airbag suspension.** If you tow far, off-road or heavy, airbags are a real *ride* and load-levelling upgrade — and being able to trim one side by a few inches without ramps is a genuine convenience on mild slopes. Just buy them for the towing, and treat easy roll levelling as the bonus it is — not as a reason on its own.

**Electric levelling jacks.** Push-button jacks like Redfoot AutoLift are the one true caravan auto-leveller: four legs drop and level the van in under a minute, both axes, no ramps, no bending down. For heavy vans, for owners who can't manage ramps and jockey winding, or for daily movers, that convenience is worth real money. It's a premium spend and adds weight — but it does exactly what it says.

**Wireless indicators.** An Ezylevel or SavvyLevel does one useful thing: it tells you when you're level so you're not walking around the van with a spirit level. That's genuinely handy — it's just the one job an app already does, on hardware you have to buy, mount and charge.

> 💡 **Notice what's missing from every "win" above:** accuracy. A phone reads level to better than 0.5° — well inside the ~2.5–3° your fridge needs. You're paying the hardware premium for effort saved or ride quality, never for a more level van.

## Feature comparison

| Feature | OzLevel Pro + ramps | Airbag suspension | Electric jacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost (AU) | ~$90 | $3,500–$5,500+ | Four-figure |
| Levels roll (side to side) | ✓ ramps | Within bag travel | ✓ |
| Levels pitch (nose) | ✓ jockey guidance | ✗ jockey still needed | ✓ |
| Tells you the exact correction | ✓ both axes, mm | ✗ | ✗ auto |
| Accuracy (static van) | <0.5° | Eye/gauge (manual tiers) | Sensor-driven |
| Fully automatic | ✗ you do the work | Premium tier only | ✓ |
| Adds weight to ATM | No | Yes | Yes (~60 kg) |
| Professional installation | None | Required | Required |
| Hitch Memory (re-hitch height) | ✓ Pro | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pair Mode (two-device display) | ✓ Pro | ✗ | Remote |
| Hands-free audio guidance | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Also a ride/suspension upgrade | ✗ | ✓ its real job | ✗ |

## Who should choose what

**Choose the app (and ramps + jockey) if…**

- You're happy to use ramps and just want the guesswork gone on both axes
- Payload matters — your van's near its ATM
- You don't want hardware to install, maintain or lose
- You want the exact ramp height and jockey direction told to you, plus Hitch Memory for re-hitching
- You'd rather keep thousands for the trip

**Consider airbags if…**

- You want them for ride quality and load-levelling on long or off-road tows — with easy roll trim as a bonus
- You accept the nose still comes down to the jockey wheel

**Consider electric jacks if…**

- Your van is heavy, or ramps and jockey winding are physically difficult
- You move sites often and want true one-button levelling, and cost and payload aren't the deciding factors

> **Smart first step:** level with OzLevel free at [van.app.ozlevel.com.au](https://van.app.ozlevel.com.au) for a few trips. You'll learn exactly how much correcting your usual sites need — and whether that's worth spending thousands to automate. Most people find it isn't.

## The verdict

For the vast majority of Australian caravanners, a $9.99 app plus ramps and the jockey wheel does the whole two-axis job — accurately, with no weight penalty and nothing to break. Airbags are a worthwhile ride upgrade that happens to help with roll, not a levelling system in their own right, and mostly manual at that. Electric jacks are the real automation, and genuinely good, but they're a premium spend for convenience — never for a more level van.

Buy hardware for the reason it's actually good: airbags for the tow, jacks for the effort saved. But if the goal is simply a level van, the cheapest thing on the list is also the one that tells you precisely what to do — and never lets you down in a remote site.

**Get OzLevel Pro — $9.99 AUD once:** https://ozlevel.com.au/get-pro.html
**Try free first:** https://van.app.ozlevel.com.au

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## Frequently asked questions

**How much does a caravan levelling system cost in Australia?**
It depends entirely on what you mean by a system. Levelling ramps and a jockey wheel — the method most caravanners actually use — cost well under $100, and a phone app like OzLevel that calculates the exact correction is $9.99 AUD once. Airbag suspension kits run from roughly $3,500 to $5,500 fitted, but they are primarily a ride-and-suspension upgrade and only the top tiers level automatically. True push-button levelling via electric corner jacks (such as Redfoot AutoLift) is a premium four-figure investment.

**Do airbags automatically level a caravan?**
Mostly no. Entry and mid airbag kits are manual — you watch a pressure gauge and inflate or deflate each side by eye. Only premium tiers (for example Cruisemaster's BCS "Horizon" levelling) do it automatically, and even then airbags only correct side-to-side roll within a few inches of travel. The nose of the van, front to back, is always set with the jockey wheel. So airbags assist levelling rather than fully automate it.

**What is the cheapest way to level a caravan in Australia?**
A set of levelling ramps for the low wheel, the jockey wheel for the nose, and an app that tells you the exact ramp height and which way to wind. Ramps are about $40 for a two-pack at Supercheap Auto and OzLevel Pro is $9.99 AUD once, so the whole kit is around $90 — against thousands for airbags or electric jacks.

**Do I need an automatic levelling system for my caravan?**
Most Australian caravanners do not. Automatic electric jacks are a genuine convenience for heavy vans or owners who can't manage ramps, but they are expensive and add weight to a trailer often already tight on ATM. For everyone else, ramps and the jockey wheel guided by a precise app get you level within your fridge's tolerance for a fraction of the cost.