Should You Unhitch Before or After Levelling?

The most common caravan setup mistake

Pull into a campsite and watch how caravanners set up. The most common sequence you'll see is: unhitch the van, then scramble around trying to get it level. It looks industrious. It's also doing things in the wrong order — and it makes an otherwise simple job unnecessarily difficult.

The short answer to the question in the title is: after. You unhitch after you've corrected side-to-side lean, not before. But to understand why, it helps to understand what levelling actually involves — and what each piece of equipment is actually for.

Two problems, two tools

A caravan can be out of level in two directions. Roll is the side-to-side lean — one wheel is lower than the other. Pitch is the front-to-back lean — the nose is either higher or lower than the rear.

Roll and pitch are fixed by completely different tools. Roll is corrected by driving the axle wheels up onto ramps. Pitch is corrected by winding the jockey wheel up or down to raise or lower the nose.

This is the key to understanding the sequence: driving onto ramps requires the tow vehicle. The tow vehicle can only drive the caravan onto ramps while it's still hitched. Once you unhitch, you cannot drive a free-standing caravan anywhere.

The correct sequence — step by step

Here is the full sequence OzLevel Caravan walks you through. Each step builds on the last, and the order is not arbitrary.

• 1

  Survey — measure before you touch anything

  Park in your chosen spot. Leave the van hitched, apply the tow vehicle's park brake, and open OzLevel Caravan. Place your phone flat on a level surface inside the caravan — the kitchen bench or a dinette seat works well. Read your current roll and pitch readings. OzLevel tells you which side is low, how many ramp blocks you need, and the exact millimetres of jockey wheel travel required for pitch.

  ⭐ Pro: OzLevel saves these readings and uses them throughout the wizard — nothing to write down
• 2

  Side level — drive onto ramps while still hitched

  Retrieve your ramps and place them in front of the low-side axle wheels at the step height OzLevel calculated. Get back in the tow vehicle and drive slowly forward until both low-side wheels are fully on the ramp platform. Apply the park brake. You're now side-level — and the van is still hitched to the tow vehicle. This is the step most people skip to the wrong side of unhitching.

• 3

  Unhitch — now it's safe to disconnect

  With the van now level side-to-side and sitting stably on its ramps, it's safe to unhitch. Lower the jockey wheel to take the load, release the hitch coupling, and disconnect the electrical and breakaway cable. Move the tow vehicle clear. The caravan is now stable and correctly positioned — you've done the work that required the tow vehicle.

• 4

  Pitch level — jockey wheel adjustment

  With the van unhitched, OzLevel Caravan shows you the pitch reading and exactly how many millimetres to wind the jockey wheel — up if the nose is low, down if the nose is high. Wind slowly and check the reading as you go. The target is within 0.5° of level on both axes.

  ⭐ Pro: audio assist gives you a live tone — hands on the jockey wheel, ears on the app
• 5

  Stabilise — corner steadies last

  Wind down your corner steadies to firm contact with the ground. These are not levelling devices — they simply stop the van from rocking when you move around inside. Chock the wheels not on ramps. You're done. Awning out.

Why the order matters

You can't drive onto ramps without the tow vehicle

This is the fundamental reason unhitching must come after side levelling, not before. A caravan on its own cannot be driven. If you unhitch first and then realise the van has significant roll, your options are to push or winch it onto ramps manually — which is difficult, dangerous with a heavy van, and often impossible on a soft or uneven surface.

Some caravanners try to correct roll after unhitching by levering one side up with a jack or using a manual caravan mover. These methods work but are dramatically harder than the simple act of driving onto ramps with the tow vehicle attached.

Pitch is a one-person jockey wheel job — but only after unhitching

The jockey wheel cannot correct pitch while the van is hitched — the hitch coupling holds the nose at a fixed relationship to the tow vehicle's tow ball height. Once unhitched, the jockey wheel is completely free to set the nose height, and OzLevel Caravan gives you the exact travel in millimetres to reach level.

Corner steadies are the last step, not a levelling tool

What happens when you get it wrong

Unhitch first, then try to correct roll

You're left with a heavy, free-standing van that needs to move sideways onto ramps. Even with two people, manhandling a van onto ramps is awkward and potentially dangerous — a van on soft ground can tip if pushed unevenly. On hard sites, it's simply very hard work.

Try to use steadies to fix lean

Best case: the steadies dig into the ground on one side and lift the van slightly — you spend twenty minutes adjusting all four. Worst case: you buckle a steady or stress the chassis. No case: the fridge is happy, the appliances are happy, or you are happy.

Skip the measurement step

Going straight to ramp placement without measuring means guessing. You either undershoot (van is still leaning), overshoot (van now leans the other way), or get lucky. OzLevel removes the guesswork entirely — measure once, place once, drive on once.

Frequently asked questions

• Do you level a caravan before or after unhitching?

  Both — in the right order. Side level (roll correction with ramps) happens while hitched, because you need the tow vehicle to drive onto the ramps. Then you unhitch. Then pitch correction with the jockey wheel. Unhitch between steps 2 and 3, not before step 1.

• What if my van has very little roll? Can I unhitch first then?

  If your van is within 0.5° of level side-to-side on the site without ramps, yes — you can unhitch and go straight to jockey wheel pitch adjustment. OzLevel Caravan will confirm when you're within tolerance. For anything beyond that, ramps first.

• Can corner steadies level a caravan?

  No. Corner steadies are stabilisers — they stop the van rocking under foot traffic loads. They are not rated to lift or support the caravan's static weight. Using them to correct lean damages the steadies and risks the chassis. Always level with ramps and jockey wheel first, then lower steadies to firm contact.

• Does OzLevel Caravan guide me through the full sequence?

  Yes. OzLevel Caravan's wizard walks you through every phase in the correct order: survey, side level, unhitch, pitch level, stabilise, and done. Each step shows you the exact numbers — ramp blocks, jockey wheel travel — so there's no guessing at any point.