Stabilizer mounting pics and dimensions needed

[Esteban]

I'm about to have a welder build a frame for me. I'm undecided whether to use BAL or Atwood stabilizer jacks. It would help to see some pictures of how they're mounted with dimensions of the mounting assembly/bracket so I can give the welder the go ahead. Putting them at a 45 degree angle to the rear corners makes sense to me. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[doug hodder]

Steve...check the frame tutorial...I put the Atwoods on a 45 degree angle on the aft end..used some 1" angle for the bracketry and bolted them up, with a "captured" or welded up nut...however, there is some discussion whether or not Atwoods or the Bals are the best....you decide. I've had good luck with the Atwoods... Doug

[Dale M.]

I used Atwoods and just put a 9 inch square plate at all four corners. They act as gusset and mount for stabilizers.... I mounted mine perpendicular to main front to rear frame rails... You could actually drill sets of holes for any direction you want. By the way, plate is 1/4 inch and set at bottom of rail's so there is wrench room between plate and floor (frame rail is 2x2x.120 square tube)...

Dale

[bledsoe3]

I put mine at 45* too. I wish I had put them inside the frame.

[Woodyperk6]

I bought sizzor jacks from Nothern Tool. I welded gussets in the corners & put the jacks at 45*. The gussets are big enough so the jack does not stick out past edge of the trailer frame when they are raised up. I use a cordless drill to lower & raise them.

Woody

[Joanne]

Hi Steve,

I used Atwood stabilizers on the back and crank-down BAL stabilizers in the front. Both are mounted square to the frame (not 45). My trailer is wide enough that I didn't see any value in setting them at 45.

My thinking is that the rear stabilizers act as nothing more than feet while the front jacks are used to level the trailer front-to-back and side-to-side.

I don't have really good pictures, but these should give you the idea.





I would strongly suggest that you purchase your stabilizers before you welder starts building the trailer. That way he can make certain that his mounts are correct.

Joane

:thinking: I'm about to have a welder build a frame for me. I'm undecided whether to use BAL or Atwood stabilizer jacks. It would help to see some pictures of how they're mounted with dimensions of the mounting assembly/bracket so I can give the welder the go ahead. Putting them at a 45 degree angle to the rear corners makes sense to me. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[Joanne]

Hi Steve,

I used Atwood stabilizers on the back and crank-down BAL stabilizers in the front. Both are mounted square to the frame (not 45). My trailer is wide enough that I didn't see any value in setting them at 45.

My thinking is that the rear stabilizers act as nothing more than feet while the front jacks are used to level the trailer front-to-back and side-to-side.

I don't have really good pictures, but these should give you the idea.








I would strongly suggest that you purchase your stabilizers before you welder starts building the trailer. That way he can make certain that his mounts are correct.

Joane

:thinking: I'm about to have a welder build a frame for me. I'm undecided whether to use BAL or Atwood stabilizer jacks. It would help to see some pictures of how they're mounted with dimensions of the mounting assembly/bracket so I can give the welder the go ahead. Putting them at a 45 degree angle to the rear corners makes sense to me. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[Esteban]

Thanks everyone for your helpful ideas.

I ordered a set of BAL stabilizers from a local muffler/trailer supply shop. They will arrive in a few days. The shop owner said the BALs are easier on your back. Especially if you use a battery powered drill motor to raise and lower them. That sounds real good to me.

There was an all fiberglass teardrop in his shop today. It has too little ground clearance for the rear stabilizers to work right. They have to lower the tongue from the hitch to raise the back up high enough, kind of like a teeter tooter, to be able to swing their Atwood style stabilizers down. It was very timely for me to see.

It's the third TD I've seen in the wild. The owners are locals.

[mikeschn]

That was the right choice buddy. BAL is easier on your back. I know!!!

Mounting them at 45 degrees is a good choice too. Mine are no where near 45 degrees, but I wish they were.

Mike...

[Nobody]

Steve, I think Joanne's correct 'bout the direction orientation of the stabilizers on a wider (60" or so) trailer. I have 4 of the BAL 'jacks' on mine & they're great, easy on the back too, even using the supplied 'manual' crank handle . I see that Joanne installed hers longitudinally while mine are mounted crosswise at each end. I think some members were concerned that the 45deg mount might provide greater resistance to sidewise stress/flex but I just chock my tires front & rear then lower the 'jacks' & the TD is absolutely stable. Since the BAL 'jacks' have several hundred pound capacity (over 500) each, I've also used 'em to level the trailer on severely inclined sites. It really came in handy during my build when I was trying to get the frame level for the floor construction/installation -

[doug hodder]

Steve...those will work out well for you I'm sure...In defense of Atwoods though, they come in several lengths and it is entirely possible that they had a taller jack installed when a shorter one would have worked in that situation. Doug

[Esteban]

Well, part of my camp fire story is that I "bounced" off my concrete driveway almost two years ago. I'm very lucky to be alive. I'm also really lucky not to be a paraplegic in a wheelchair. Now a days I don't bend over as easily as I used to. So the BALs suit me better. The Christmas lights on my roof never did get lit up. And I'm not about to climb up on my ladder ever again to take them down.

Once the BALs and a few other parts come in I'll have the welder start my frame. I'm going to build a profile similar to Andrew's Grumman II on a 61" x approx. 115" (still working out the exact length) frame. My wheels will be on the outside, unlike Andrew's plan.

[Weerider]

Steve,

I got these at the junkyard and welded them on as shown.

Howard

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[Big DE]

Esteban,
I did the same as Nobody with a jack on each corner ans I use a cordless impact wrench to lower and raise them, it works great

Big De

[brian_bp]

I used the Atwood style once on a rented tent trailer, and certainly prefer the BAL units which I put on my travel trailer.

On caution about the BAL models: some are leveling jacks, and intended to lift a load to the desired position, while others (like mine) are stabilizing jacks, intended only to be cranked to a snug position under a level trailer. Even if used way under their rated capacity, I don't think the cheezy nut running on the threads of the stabilizing version should be used to lift. This annoys me, since there is no light leveling model from BAL.

Another caution: a light duty cordless drill like my old 9.6V unit won't run the BAL leveling jacks, even under no load (i.e. before hitting the ground). A cordless impact driver is a more effective plan for getting enough torque. The hand crank is also easy, but I understand some people would rather have power.

The point of angled installation is that in the light versions these jacks are not braced in the direction perpendicular to their own length. If all of the jacks on the trailer are parallel, there isn't much stiffness in the other direction. Angled at every corner seems ideal to me, but it's easiest to mount them along or across the frame, so one pair in each direction seems more practical. Mine are mounted across the frame, so fore-and-aft motion is really controlled only by the wheel chocking and (wheel-less) tongue jack.