Rear 'stablizer/jacks'

[Alphacarina]

I guess this is the best place for this

I'm still fairly new here, so maybe this has been addressed before and I just missed it

I bought a pair of rear corner stablizers from Northern which are really neat - They look to have been designed/engineered just for we teardrop builders. Check out Northern part number 127564

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200307337_200307337&issearch=127564

These only weigh about 9 pounds per pair, weld or bolt to your frame, easily lock up out of the way and fold down and lock at the correct angle, are infinitely adjustable and come with a 'jack handle' which allows you to level the rear of your tear quickly and easily. Combined with a screw jack on the tongue, you'll have a super stable 3 point platform to sleep in, even when you're disconneted from the tow vehicle

I can already tell this is going to be one of the best $40 investments I've made

Don

[Joanne]

You've made wayyy to many good posts for me to fall for the newbie bit...

I have a pair of those on the back of my trailer too. They really work well keeping the trailer stabile. I don't like welding parts like that directly to the trailer because I'm as likely as not to have to replace it at some point. I welded a plate to the frame and bolted to the plate.

Joanne

I guess this is the best place for this

I'm still fairly new here, so maybe this has been addressed before and I just missed it

I bought a pair of rear corner stablizers from Northern which are really neat - They look to have been designed/engineered just for we teardrop builders. Check out Northern part number 127564

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200307337_200307337&issearch=127564

These only weigh about 9 pounds per pair, weld or bolt to your frame, easily lock up out of the way and fold down and lock at the correct angle, are infinitely adjustable and come with a 'jack handle' which allows you to level the rear of your tear quickly and easily. Combined with a screw jack on the tongue, you'll have a super stable 3 point platform to sleep in, even when you're disconneted from the tow vehicle

I can already tell this is going to be one of the best $40 investments I've made

Don

[Alphacarina]

Great idea, Joanne - I hadn't considered that. I'll do the same

Don

[nikwax]

how would you bolt these to the frame? They don't come with mounting hardware apparently.


In the "you can find anything on the internet department," there are videos on youtube of the Atwood Stabilizer Jack in action.

[mikeschn]

I had those on my first teardrop, and I have them on one of my other purchased trailers. The are not my first choice cause I don't like bending down to lower and raise them.

I prefer the crank style BAL jacks.

But if you don't have a bad back, like I do, you'll probably like them.

Mike...

[Darren]

You might be able to mount them like I mounted the BAL jacks.



The forward support is one of the trailers cross pieces and the back support is a piece of HD angle iron. I drilled and bolted all of it.

[Alphacarina]

They come with two holes, meant for bolts which can bolt them to any flat surface that you've bored two corresponding holes into

I'm not 'crazy' about bending down to actuate them, but they are far and away lighter than any 'screw' type jack and weight is a major concern for me (4 cylinder tow vehicle) so I can live with the aggravation of bending over to use them

Don

[bobhenry]

Ya get um free with drywall , paint and pickles. Redneck stabilizers.

Installed them right after I sat down in the galley area and forgot I just had the tongue on blocks and not hitched up. Butt is still sore !

alternate uses water fetchin' firewood totin' greywater disposal, and as a redneck porta potty just add a seat.

PS don't use the porta pot as water gettin' bucket later !

[Loader]

You might be able to mount them like I mounted the BAL jacks.



The forward support is one of the trailers cross pieces and the back support is a piece of HD angle iron. I drilled and bolted all of it.

Did you just bolt those to the frame?


I have stabilizers similar to the Atwoods installed, got them at Northern as well.

[caseydog]

Most of the stabilizers I have seen on TDs at gatherings are mounted parellel to each other. They may be inline along the back fram member, or parellel on each side rail.

Beacuse of this, I have seen several that have been damaged because the TD moves, and they buckle under.

It occured to me that this could be avoided if they were "cornered" on the back of the TD diagonally, so that they could work against each other to stabilize the movement front to back and side to side.

Does this make sense? Anyone done this?

CD

[caseydog]

I have stabilizers similar to the Atwoods installed, got them at Northern as well.

Ah, this is what I mean.

If the TD moves front-to-back, the stabilizers can fold under the trailer.

Now, if they folded out from the corners at a 45-degree angle, they would "push" against each other, and against backward movement. It the third point is your tongue-jack, and it has a wheel, forward movement would still be possible, but nothing would get hurt, eh?

CD

[Darren]

Did you just bolt those to the frame?

Yep, just bolted on.

[Loader]

I have stabilizers similar to the Atwoods installed, got them at Northern as well.

Ah, this is what I mean.

If the TD moves front-to-back, the stabilizers can fold under the trailer.

Now, if they folded out from the corners at a 45-degree angle, they would "push" against each other, and against backward movement. It the third point is your tongue-jack, and it has a wheel, forward movement would still be possible, but nothing would get hurt, eh?

CD

I see your point, and in fact, I have even seen the stabs rock so to speak, before I'm completely set up. However, I use a donut under the tongue jack wheel, and I place a couple tripod style jacks under the trailer too, not a lot of movement once I'm all set up.

I think if I wold have welded up my own frame, vs the HF frame, it would have been possible to install the way you suggest.

[Alphacarina]

It occured to me that this could be avoided if they were "cornered" on the back of the TD diagonally, so that they could work against each other to stabilize the movement front to back and side to side.

Does this make sense? Anyone done this?

Yes, there's a good deal of sense in what you propose

I'm not too worried about it because 1.) Much of the time, my trailer will be used while still attached to the tow vehicle and 2.) My tongue jack bottom is just a piece of pipe with no wheel or 'foot' on it, so it will (hopefully) hold the tear immobile from any front to back movement

Bolting or welding the stabilizers on at a 45 degree angle as you propose would make them even harder to deploy (because you would have to reach under even farther to raise/lower them) and I'm not sure that the extra trouble would be worth it, if my tongue jack holds it all as stable as I predict (hope) it will

Don

[nikwax]

Most of the stabilizers I have seen on TDs at gatherings are mounted parellel to each other. They may be inline along the back fram member, or parellel on each side rail.

Beacuse of this, I have seen several that have been damaged because the TD moves, and they buckle under.


CD

If they are mounted "pointed" back, so they are at an angle pushing the trailer forward, how much force would it take to bend them? Seems like it would be hard to push the trailer back hard enough to overcome the jacks. Unless they are wimpy jacks.