Stabilizing Jacks

[Kharn]

Anybody just put one in the middle under the galley?

If the campsite is anything but perfectly level, you would create a see-saw. At a minimum, a front jack and two rear jacks should be used.

[markhusbands]

I guess I meant one in the rear center IN ADDITION to the tongue jack. Seems like you could level the wheels with blocks to your satisfaction for side to side, crank the tongue jack to just under front back level, drop the rear stabilizer jack, give the tongue jack another couple turns to level it and lift a little off the wheel, and call it good. But I guess it is true that with tire compression you'd still get a little side to side sway.

[markhusbands]

I think I'd level by eye and feel rather than fussing with levels. But it does seem like you'd be pretty stable with four points of contact - tongue jack, rear stabilizer, left wheel, right wheel - even if there is a little tire squish.

However, I definitely will be un-tethering the tow vehicle so that I can go mountain biking or hiking while the family slumbers into the morning.

[GuitarPhotog]

I think I'd level by eye and feel rather than fussing with levels. But it does seem like you'd be pretty stable with four points of contact - tongue jack, rear stabilizer, left wheel, right wheel - even if there is a little tire squish.

However, I definitely will be un-tethering the tow vehicle so that I can go mountain biking or hiking while the family slumbers into the morning.

Remember that 3 points establish a plane. What you are proposing will rock from side to side because of tire flex.

As I said earlier, I level mostly to benefit the galley, I can't cook on a stove that slants downhill.

<Chas>

[Greg Barrick]

On my old Cubby, (because I'm old, cheap & retired) I just took 4 (3/4") nuts, welded a 6" piece of rod onto the nut, threaded it onto a 3/4 threaded rod, inserted it into a piece of pipe witha 3"x3" piece of flat plate welded to one end of pipe. Welded a 2"x2" plate to the top of threaded rod. Walla! A screw pipe-jack for each corner for maybe an hour time.

[Junkboy999]

I use Two axle jack stands and the bottle jack out of my truck. I put it a little nose down, set up the axle
jack to touch the back of the frame and then level the camper with the bottle jack. I need to be level or
head up so sleep well. My trailer is so light and the hand crank wheel so flimsy the whole trailer will shake
when I roll over, so I need to take the weight off the wheels a bit.

[Todah Tear]

Another option is the white foam blocks that Northern Tool Supply uses to support the necks of their trailers during shipping. They usually throw them away. They are light, but very strong. Just ask them for 2 for an "art project". DO NOT tell them what you are going to use the for. They may start selling them .








Todah

[pmowers]

On my older trailer, I used two of the fold up tongue jacks mounted on the back of the trailer to level it for cooking. A small piece of 1/2" ply with 2x2 frame served to keep the wheels from turning, and each the three-point support made everything quite stable, even with the wheels off of the ground. I would just swing the jack wheels toward the center and lock, then a bungee held the crank arms together.

[mezmo]

My late Uncle Jake worked as a pipeliner in the 1950s -1960s and he
retired as a regional warehouse & equipment manager for the pipeline
company he worked his entire career for. He and his family lived in
house trailers and he pulled them from job to job until he got a 'permanent'
location at the warehouse.

He used wooden stabilizing jacks, that he made, and he placed them in front
and behind the wheels and then about every six to eight feet along the two
main house trailer chassis's longitudinal beams as well as as at the front and
rear-most spots, a few inches in. As far as I recall he used full dimension 2x4
Oak pieces. [You need a dense hardwood that will not split easily.] There was a
base piece with notches from close to its middle spaced evenly to one end
and the other end had two pieces of the Oak 2x4, that were hinged together,
hinged to it [all as shown in the Paint drawing below]. The hinges were the large
heavy duty door hinges of that era [not thin or flimsy], and they were bolted
through the Oak 2x4s, with machine bolts with beveled heads that fit into the
beveled holes in the hinges and secured with a fender type washer, a lock washer
and also double nutted. I don't know the hardware material, but knowing him
they were probably brass. [Now-a-days I'd try to use galvanized or stainless.]

He used these on the house trailers he could pull himself [up to ~ 8x35] and he
even used them on the 12x60 mobile home he ended up living in at his 'permanent'
location (!). He'd level it with a hydralic jack, then put these wooden stabilizers
under the two main chassis beams with them resting in the wide "V" made by the
hinging smaller legs [The stabilizers thus being in a perpendicular position to the
chassis beam.].

Some kind of smaller version could be made for use with the TDs and TTTs I'm
sure.

Click pic for larger view.


[Note: Drawing not to scale, and the sizes of the 2x4 pieces would need to be
made to fit your trailer and needs, ideally try to keep it so that both 'legs' are
equal when deployed.]

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Bogo]

In order to level the stove I used to carry a bunch of 1/8" wood shims that I could put under the stove corners. Worked nicely.

I have a couple feeders that need levelling in the field. They have a simple, but robust, system. Each corner has an adjustable square tube post with a line of 3/8" holes drilled along it every 2 inches. These tubes slip into slightly larger 6" long square tubes at the corners, and they also have a row of 3/8" holes drilled along them, but at every 3/4". Depending on which holes on the trailer and legs I use I can set the lengths at 1/4" increments. To get it levelled in the field I detach the hitch from the vehicle, and lower the tongue end of the feeder a bit more than the amount the feeder is out of side to side level when on its wheels. I then lower the rear legs so they would lift the feeder a small bit, and set their lengths so they level it. It may take a try or two to get it levelled side to side. Then, using the tongue jack, I crank up the front to about 1/2" higher than the rear. I then drop the front legs to the ground and set the pins in the hole sets that line up, and lower it to the ground. Usually 1/2" is about how much the ground settles under leg pressure so it ends up level, but I can lift and reset if needed. A hassle with this design is the posts must stay in the tubes at the corners because they are to long to be dropped out and removed during transport. For moving the pin needs to remain in place and not vibrate out. The feeders use a clip through a hole in the pin. This is fine for farm use, but I'd want something more secure for road use. With my feeders the levelling posts are mounted to the outside of front and rear walls of the feeder. It would be possible to mount them in a pocket inside the side walls of a TD. Hinged plates of metal secured with latches could be used to retain the pins in place.

Hopefully I described that well enough.

I was just thinking if the 6" long tubes mounted on the trailer were instead mounted on square tube that could be plugged into receiver tubes at each corner, they, and the post tubes could be removed for transport.

[scotty_pac]

Just ordered the BAL jacks from Amazon. Thanks for the advice.

[Jim Edgerly]

I don't have them, and don't miss them either. The front jack levels the trailer from front to back just fine, no complaints. And I have yet to be on a site that the camper is off so much sideways that I notice it. And I certainly haven't noticed the camper squeak or tip in the slightest when either my wife or I get in/out. I don't know if having leaf springs with shock absorbers over having just leaf springs is what makes the different or not. I have thought of having some simple boards that I can place in front of one wheel and drive up on to level it out if the site was really sloped, but I have yet to make them...and yet to need them.

[pmowers]

In order to level the stove I used to carry a bunch of 1/8" wood shims that I could put under the stove corners. Worked nicely.

Great idea! I just spent a weekend camping and had to level the stove with folded up pieces of cardboard- not good. We then designed an overly complicated system of stainless, brazed nuts and thumbscrews, what can I say, we overthink everything.

Pat

[scotty_pac]

Got four of the BAL type ones on and it makes a huge difference. With only the tongue jack alone it was really wobbly. The only other option for me to sleep comfortably is to leave the trailer attached to the tow vehicle.

Much better now with it's unhitched. Thanks for the advice.

[bdosborn]

Now you need to make an cordless drill adapter for your new BAL jacks:



Bruce