Jack Stand Placement

[Denis4x4]

I need to remove all four wheels on my '06 Safari FB 25'. Are what appears to be frame rail extensions at the rear of the coach strong enough so that I can put jack stands under them? We're talking about 24 hours or less to have it on stands.

[Too tall]

I've been looking at mine as well and am not convinced the marked "jack" points are ok.

The Axel mount plates should be good for your needs. I'd like to hear affirmative from some vets before I use that lift point.

Below is a pic. of the axle mount plate posted on another similar thread

[slowmover]

Inland Andy is your expert.

On mine the entire trailer (sig) can be suspended at frame ends. Something one would NEVER do with an AS.

[Bob Blarney]

If you have the original owners manual (maybe downloadable?), it should specify the jacking procedures. For my 95 Excella 30, the manual has a sketch that shows the hydraulic jack position aft of the axles. It also says that there is a sticker on the frame that indicates the position, but it's long gone from mine.

[cliffcharb]

Original jack point should be just behind the rear axle. On tandems I always jack between the wheels and place jackstands on the axle tube. I don't like using the jack points as I've had a trailer slip and the jack went threw the belly and through the floor.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Inland Andy is your expert.

Well send him to my house and have him point to the place.
All I've seen so far is conflicting information.

Then I'll get a sheet of these and put them on!

[GMFL]

When I did my lift kit I placed jack stands under the axle that I was not working on. Placing jack stands under the front or rear axle should be more than fine even for long term storage.

[rmkrum]

My '07 has a label that's still legible, and it points to a riveted on patch of aluminum (4 of them) that are the jack points. These points are just fore and aft of the axles on each side.

That said, my approach would be to put a jack under that point and go up slow--and signs of belly pan distortion, I would stop and re-evaluate the situation...

I have jack stands that include a hydraulic bottle jack to raise the load, and a locking jack stand to hold it. Of course, I over-killed the rating, as in theory ONE of these jack stands can hold the entire AS up in the air if I could balance it...

Not that I'm paranoid about working under a largish AS supported by a mechanism made in China, or anything like that....

[A W Warn]

In the last 20+ years I've jacked up my six different trailers several times to remove all of the wheels (25', 30', 31', and 34'), using the same method on each of them. I use a single jack under the axle mounting plate (as shown in the photo in post #2 above). Then use solid wood cribbing and/or jack stands to stabilize the trailer while it is elevated.

If one uses the jack plates as marked on the frame rails it is safer (required in my opinion) to use four separate jacks, one under each plate, keeping the trailer fairly level as it is elevated. If a single jack is used at the jack plates the jack will have a tendency to slide off of the plate due to the changing angle of the frame as it rises. Many people have damaged their trailers trying to do this.

[Bob Blarney]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

In the last 20+ years I've jacked up my six different trailers several times to remove all of the wheels (25', 30', 31', and 34'), using the same method on each of them. I use a single jack under the axle mounting plate (as shown in the photo in post #2 above). Then use solid wood cribbing and/or jack stands to stabilize the trailer while it is elevated.

If one uses the jack plates as marked on the frame rails it is safer (required in my opinion) to use four separate jacks, one under each plate, keeping the trailer fairly level as it is elevated. If a single jack is used at the jack plates the jack will have a tendency to slide off of the plate due to the changing angle of the frame as it rises. Many people have damaged their trailers trying to do this.

Sage advice.

[ROBERT CROSS]

.......I would NOT use the frame extensions, they really be skid rails.


You've already seen where I place the 'JACK'.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by GMFL

When I did my lift kit I placed jack stands under the axle that I was not working on. Placing jack stands under the front or rear axle should be more than fine even for long term storage.

I've read you should never use the axle as a jack point, being that the axles are hollow tubes and prone to deforming.

Then I read about the AS marked "JACK" which would make sense, except then someone pointed out that the jack shouldn't be put on the "Jack" label, but follow the arrow. What an idiotic plan. Put the label where the jack belongs.

My conclusion, until someone makes sense, is to put the jack on the vertical plate that the axles are attached to. If that plate can take the force of the trailer axles on a bumpy road, it should be able to withstand a jack stand.

Using blocks on the other tire is good for a flat, but if I'm taking my tires to the tire store (because I don't trust them to do anything right), I want to at least take off two tires at once.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by GMFL

When I did my lift kit I placed jack stands under the axle that I was not working on. Placing jack stands under the front or rear axle should be more than fine even for long term storage.

NOT!!!


Bob

[Denis4x4]

No “jack points” indicated on the frame in spite of the owners manual. Used a bottle jack on the axle at the furthest outboard point and jack stands on the axle just inside the frame. These are the Marathons made in Canada that I am replacing.

[Denis4x4]

OK....I should have known that if you stand on your head, spotting the jack pads and arrow would be easy! Wonder what fourth grader they get in Jackson Center to write the AS manuals?

My apologies to fourth graders....they probably would have done a better job than the “adults” at Thor,