Park it on something solid
RV and trailer pads poured five to six inches thick with rebar, sloped so water runs off. Built for the weight, not just the footprint.
RV and trailer pads
An RV parked on gravel sinks a little every season. The tires settle, the jack pads tilt, weeds come up through the rock and the side yard turns into a rut. A boat trailer or a loaded utility trailer does the same thing, only slower. A concrete pad gives the rig a flat, hard place to sit. It makes leveling quicker, keeps the tires out of the dirt and gives you a clean place to load up.
A pad like this sits beside the house, where access is tight and the forms take longer than the pour. Crews that pour foundations all week tend to pass on that. We do not, because side yard pads are the size of job our schedule is built for. A full length RV pad can use most of a truck, so it gets its own. A trailer pad uses far less and rides with other small jobs in your town.
Common sizes
- Utility trailer pad, 10 by 20
- Suits a small utility or cargo trailer, or a couple of side by sides.
- Boat or camper pad, 12 by 30
- Fits many boats on a trailer and shorter travel trailers, with room to walk around the tongue.
- Single RV pad, 12 by 40
- A common side yard size for a motorhome or a long fifth wheel.
- Wide pad, 14 by 45
- Leaves room for slide outs and for opening compartment doors without stepping into the rock.
How the job goes
- 1
Measure the rig and the route
We size the pad to what you park, including slide outs and the tongue, then look at how it gets there. The gate width, the turn off the driveway and the swing of the trailer decide where the pad should sit.
- 2
Dig, base and steel
We cut the ground deeper than we would for a patio, compact a gravel base, then set forms and tie rebar in a grid. The steel sits up on supports so it ends up inside the slab, not lying in the dirt.
- 3
Pour and broom
A long pad is poured from the far end back toward the truck. We screed it, float it and broom across the width so tires have grip on a wet day. Edges get a rounded tool finish, which helps them resist chipping.
- 4
Cut joints and wait
We cut control joints across the pad, then comes the hard part, which is patience. Cars can use it after about a week. The RV stays off for about a month, when the concrete reaches full strength.
What makes it last
Concrete fails from the bottom up. These are the parts you will never see once the job is done, and they decide how the slab holds up.
- Five to six inches thick
- A loaded motorhome puts thousands of pounds on each tire. We pour RV pads five to six inches thick, because an extra inch or two of concrete adds far more strength than it sounds like.
- Rebar grid
- Steel does not stop concrete from cracking. It holds the slab together when it does, which helps a crack stay tight and both sides stay level under the wheels.
- A base that stays put
- Heavy loads can push water and fine soil out from under a weak base, and the slab ends up bridging a hollow. Compacted gravel, placed in layers, supports the pad from edge to edge.
- Slope and runoff
- A long pad collects a lot of rain. We slope it about one eighth to one quarter inch per foot toward the street or the yard, which helps keep water from ponding under the rig or running to the house.
Start with a photo.
435·220·5536Text us a photo of the spot and rough measurements. We will tell you what we can from the photo, or come out and take a look. Rather type it out? Use the form.
RV and trailer pads: straight answers
How thick should an RV pad be?
Five to six inches with rebar is typical for motorhomes, fifth wheels and heavy trailers. A light utility trailer can sit on less, but people often park something bigger on the pad later. Tell us the heaviest thing that will ever use it and we will size it for that.
Why wait a month to park on it?
Concrete gains strength slowly and reaches full strength at about 28 days. It looks finished after a day, but a heavy axle on young concrete can crack it or leave it stressed. Light vehicles are fine after about a week.
Do I need to check with the city or HOA?
You might. Your city or HOA may have rules about where an RV can be parked, how close a slab can sit to the property line and how much of a lot can be paved. Check before we pour. Moving a pad later is not an option.
Can the pad tie into my driveway?
Yes. We can pour the pad up to the existing driveway with an expansion strip between them, and add an approach strip so the wheels stay on concrete the whole way in. Send a photo that shows the driveway, the gate and the side yard together.