Carolyn J. Braden • 2 Minute Read
DIY RV Jack Pads
RV jack pads are an essential accessory for any avid traveler or camping enthusiast. These handy pads are designed to provide stability and support to your RV's leveling jacks, especially on uneven or soft surfaces. Made from durable materials such as rubber or heavy-duty plastics, RV jack pads are built to withstand the weight of your vehicle and prevent sinking into the ground.
If you want to try to make your own jack pads, it can be done with a few tools. Making your own jack pads can be helpful and cost effective if you want to see if they’ll help keep your RV more level before spending big bucks on some. Read on to learn how to make your own DIY jack pads for your RV.
Using a mitre to measure DIY jack pads
We purchased our RV, Annie the Ark, to return to our home after Hurricane Ian hit our area in Sanibel Island, Florida. We knew our air conditioners were destroyed from the salty water thrown on them by the wind and flooding, and wanted to ensure we had a cool place to sleep until we could get our A/C units fixed.
Annie needed some stabilizing, and while her jack stands did the best they could in our gravel driveway, we knew we needed some jack pads to help her feel more level. Because we did not plan to keep Annie long term, we decided to make our own pads that would last long enough for what we would need them for.
Jack pads not only protect your RV's jacks from damage but also help distribute the weight evenly, preventing unnecessary stress on the suspension system. With their compact size and lightweight design, jack pads are easy to store and transport, making them a must-have for any RV owner looking to ensure a safe and stable setup at their campsite or at their house, like in our case.
Measuring wood for DIY jack pads
In order to make our DIY jack pads, we needed some tools. Many of Tommy’s tools were ruined in the flooding that Hurricane Ian brought to a lot of SWFL. He kept many items in our house, but some were kept under the house. He saved what he could but he and numerous others lost a lot of tools, which are necessary in our rebuilding efforts.
We like a Kapro mitre
Tommy used a mitre square in a lot of our DIY projects, and with his being destroyed, we reached out to KAPRO tools and they sweetly sent us their 353 Ledge-It Try & Mitre Square complimentary. We are so grateful! It’s honestly better than any he’s used before as it has lots of little helpful details.
He really liked the retractable ledge, the weight (it’s extremely durable), has angled marking lines and more. We had to buy a few other tools, but with having Amazon to count on, we bought what we needed and started making our DIY jack pads.
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Completed DIY jack pad
Here’s how he used his new tools to create our DIY RV Jack Pads.
You’ll need the following items:
Rope (we used 0.5 inch jute)
Heavy duty scissors (to cut the rope).
1 piece of 2x8x8 wood (pressure treated)
Measuring tool (we used a Kapro - 353 Professional Ledge-It Try & Mitre Square)
Tommy’s DIY jack pad works great
How To:
With your measuring tool, measure and cut your wood (using a circular saw) to 18” in length. You’ll need to cut your wood into as many pieces as you need (according to how many jack stands you have). The 2x8x8 will give you 4 jack pads. We needed 3.
Cut your rope into as many pieces as you need. We cut 3 pieces at each being 3 feet in length for our 3 jack pads. Use the staple gun to staple a piece of rope to each wood “jack pad”. This will serve as the handle to easily place the jack pad under the jack stand AND to pull them out from under the jack stand.
When you are done, it should look like a piece of wood with a rope handle. It’s a very simple and inexpensive jack pad, so it will not last forever (actually our first attempt at using old wood cracked in half when the jack stand put full pressure on it) but it’s a good DIY version if you don’t want or need long term usage.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.