By Gail Marsh
Wait! What?! Wheel chocks expire? That’s news to me, and I’m not an RV newbie. We’ve been enjoying the RV life for several years! How do you know if the chocks that currently help hold your rig in place are degraded or (gasp!) already expired?
Happenstance
It all happened accidentally. As per our usual routine when leaving a campground, I waited for my husband to back our rig up (just a bit) to allow me access to the wheel chocks. As soon as the fifth wheel’s tires backed off our chock, I quickly grabbed it. Then I hurried around to the opposite side of the rig to repeat my actions.
I jumped into the truck, tossed the wheel chocks into the back seat, and we were on our way. Only later, with the seemingly endless road stretching before us, I turned to look in the back seat. I wanted to find and read the book I’d packed along for the trip.
The sun shone through the truck’s window at just the right angle, I guess, because I noticed something printed on the side of a wheel chock. Curious, I picked up the chock to take a closer look. “REPLACE AFTER” were the words that intrigued me.
Look closely
We’ve had these yellow wedge-shaped wheel chocks since our very first RV. They’ve often held our truck in place on our sloped driveway and helped keep our RV securely in place at campgrounds all across the country.
Even though I’d handled our wheel chocks countless times, I’d never closely looked at them. But now? Now my curiosity was piqued. I pulled the chock up front to get a closer look. Below the ominous “REPLACE AFTER” was what appeared to be a clock. Squinting for a closer look, I could see that the numbers 1-12 formed a circle. An arrow in the middle of the circle pointed to 12, and on either side of the circle was the number 20. If I interpreted this symbol correctly, it seemed to indicate that our chocks should have been replaced in December of 2020!
If you zoom in to the yellow wheel chock at the top of this article, you can see the expiration date. It’s printed in the lower left part of the chock. (Hint: I used a crayon to rub over the “REPLACE AFTER” lettering and date. The crayon helped make the expiration date easier to read.)
Causes
Several factors can contribute to the deterioration of RV plastic wheel chocks:
- Incorrect usage. (I once saw teens using a wheel chock for a bicycle trick ramp!)
- Normal wear and tear. (I’ve often heedlessly slung our chocks into the back of our truck. That’s probably not the best way to care for them.)
- Direct sunlight. (We routinely cover our RV’s tires, but never the chocks. Hmm. Perhaps we should.)
- Cold weather or freezing temperatures. (In storage or during winter camping, our wheel chocks are often exposed to freezing temperatures.)
Consequences
What happens if you use an expired wheel chock? For us, up to now at least, nothing bad. But the chock manufacturers put the “REPLACE AFTER” warning on for a reason. So, I spoke to our local RV tech, and he told me that a compromised wheel chock can slip out of position or even shatter! The tech further explained that often a chock will appear to function properly and offer little warning before failure. He suggested that we replace our expired chocks, of course.
Maintenance
As with many RV tools and systems, it’s a good idea to check the expiration or replacement date on your wheel chocks.
Regularly inspect each chock. Look for hairline cracks or chalking along with any other signs of deterioration.
Replacement
We replaced our yellow plastic RV wheel chocks with these solid rubber ones and are very satisfied.
##RVDT2456
You can buy wheel chocks similar to these at Harbor Freight. Plus they have another rubber style wheel chock.
Yes, they are around $7.00 and I painted mine yellow so I’m wouldn’t miss them when packing up.
I find rubber industrial sized ones on the side of the road. I guess AT&T looses a bunch every year.
If you snatch them up off the side of the road they were probably accidentally left by a semi-driver who was getting a flat tire repaired (or replaced). I’ve got two big heavy rubber chocks that I found myself. They will never go bad.
Gail, the reasons you give, such as splitting and breaking, are exactly why I never use plastic chock blocks. Rubber ones are fine but wood is so much less money. Take a 2 X 8 X 8ft length of wood cut into 12inch pieces costs less than a dollar and a half each. They do not have an expiry date but they do deteriorate, so just cut new ones when needed. And if you forget and leave one behind no big deal.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 We used wheel chocks with our RV frequently, but stopped 5 or 6 years ago because of the parking brake of the RV. I think they can stand replacing in case we use them in the future. I like the appearance of your replacement chocks. Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Same people that throw food away when it hits an imaginary date. Most will say BEST BY, not if you eat this food after this date you will suffer unimaginable pain and death.
I got my chocks because the guy before me left them. Ranger told me to keep them Happens all time. I doubt if I’ll take that advice but interesting!
I bought the heavy rubber chocks many years ago, because I own a 54000 lb diesel pusher. Those cheap yellow plastic ones would never stop it from rolling. I have seen people drive off pulling a trailer without removing the chock and run right over the cheap yellow ones.
Sooooo, is there an expiration date on the solid rubber chocks??
Hi, Joerone. I just Googled it and don’t see anything (in a quick search) about expiration dates on rubber chocks. They may eventually “age out” like tires, however, but I would think they would be good for many years. (But what do I know?🤔 Zip about this, actually.🫢) Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Gail, i just discovered an expiration date on our yellow chocks a couple months ago so I replaced them with heavy rubber chocks. However, the new rubber chocks have such a strong smell of rubber that we will not be able to use them at a campsite. Do the MaxxHaul chocks you now use have a rubber smell?
I didn’t notice an odor. We put the chocks in the back of our pickup, so that might be the difference.