Storage - jack up to protect axles?

[dmac]

Is it worth the effort to store the trailer on jacks to relieve the load on the axles? Would this extend the life of the rubber torsion suspension, or do road bumps cause this problem?

[Pahaska]

My answer is no, but I don't think someone who jacks up a trailer that is unused for a signifigant period is anal.

I don't jack mine up because I use it several times a month, 12 months a year. If I lived in North Dakota, I would probably jack it up for 6 or 7 months of the year.

For long time deterioration of the axles, I believe it would happen by sitting unused for months with weight on the axles, not weeks.

[85MH325]

I'm not an engineer by any means, but thinking this through... the trailer's strength is derived not merely from the frame, but from the frame in concert with the monococque structure body. It is designed to be stressed with weight over the axles and the tongue, and to take torsional vector stress forward over the tongue and in a vertical motion over the suspension.

Jacking the trailer up to get the axles off the ground would entail lifting it at the jack and corners, causing it reverse stress at the axles; in other words the axles would hang off the suspended frame, and all of the weight of the trailer would be centered in the vicinity of the axles; exactly opposite of the way it was designed to handle a load.

I may be all wet with my assessment here, but it would seem to me that suspending the axles wouldn't be a good thing for the trailer.

Any other opinions?

Roger

[Pahaska]

I believe that the proper way would be to jack up and support the trailer at the axle mounting plate (re: Inland Andy) and then lower the stabilizers to steady the trailer. I wouldn't necessarily clear the ground with the wheels, just take the weight off them. In that way, the frame would support the trailer just as if it were on the road but the rubber rods would be in a relaxed state.

[overlander63]

Originally posted by Pahaska
I believe that the proper way would be to jack up and support the trailer at the axle mounting plate (re: Inland Andy) and then lower the stabilizers to steady the trailer. I wouldn't necessarily clear the ground with the wheels, just take the weight off them. In that way, the frame would support the trailer just as if it were on the road but the rubber rods would be in a relaxed state.

This is the way I store old vehicles, long-term. Use a suitable support device in the approved jacking position, and relieve some of the weight, but don't let the tires dangle.
Terry