Jack Stand

[Cracker]

This week was a first for me as I had to set up on a site that sloped downhill so fast that I had to put the spare tire holder under the front of the trailer practically on the ground to get things level. Likewise, I didn't have anything other than my plastic ground pads to put the jack on and I worried for the three days that we were there that the tongue would slip off onto the ground and sink in. The rear stabilizers barely touched the ground so there was a lot of wiggle when we moved around. I had used my standard jack support initially, not realizing the severity of the slope, but it holds the tongue jack foot about 6" off the ground and when I tried to level off I couldn't. My next purchase will be a flat heavy-duty ground pad for the jack, indented to keep the jack post from slipping off.

[Splitrock]

What's a "standard jack support"?

[Bill M.]

That is a severe slope. Sounds like you need the pad you describe and another bag of Lynx blocks to put under the stabalizer pads. Our 'standard jack support" is a cast aluminum thing like a upside down flower pot with a ring for the jack post. A flatter site would be most helpful.

[eubank]

Hummm. You must have had the site we had at Zion NP, except that you came in from the other direction. When we were there, I had to place everything but the kitchen sink under the jack so that we could get the front high enough.

Lynn

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by Splitrock

What's a "standard jack support"?

What I called a "standard jack support" is an 8" long round tube with an 8" diameter flat plate welded to the bottom. The jack leg goes about two inches into the top of the tube and then stops at indents - leaving about 6" between the bottom of the jack leg and the ground. That said, the support stops the trailer tongue from being lowered below the point where the jack leg mount hits the top of the tube. Most of the time, given a reasonably level sight, this support works well and it even offers the caveat that, if the slope is reversed, (i.e. - lower at the tongue) it usually eliminates the need to build up a (---not so safe) platform of blocks for the jack leg to rest on. I've seen flat ground plates with a center depression for the leg to fit into and that's what I'm either going to purchase or build.

[Cracker]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

That is a severe slope. Sounds like you need the pad you describe and another bag of Lynx blocks to put under the stabalizer pads. Our 'standard jack support" is a cast aluminum thing like a upside down flower pot with a ring for the jack post. A flatter site would be most helpful.

For the record - I had already used two of my "nesting" 2x8 planks under the curb-side tires to level side to side. That didn't help the rear stabilizer situation any! Normally I would simply have looked for a better site but, we were infringing on the Memorial Day weekend, and all of the "reservable" sites with electric and water (State Park) had been taken, leaving a limited choice.

[Splitrock]

Originally Posted by Cracker

What I called a "standard jack support" is an 8" long round tube with an 8" diameter flat plate welded to the bottom. The jack leg goes about two inches into the top of the tube and then stops at indents - leaving about 6" between the bottom of the jack leg and the ground. That said, the support stops the trailer tongue from being lowered below the point where the jack leg mount hits the top of the tube. Most of the time, given a reasonably level sight, this support works well and it even offers the caveat that, if the slope is reversed, (i.e. - lower at the tongue) it usually eliminates the need to build up a (---not so safe) platform of blocks for the jack leg to rest on. I've seen flat ground plates with a center depression for the leg to fit into and that's what I'm either going to purchase or build.

Oh, okay, Thanks! So it's a peg leg for a jack post . . .

How about tossing up a picture of it. I might want to make me one. Maybe two, one regular and one longer than regular.

[xrvr]

I thought all AS came with one, perhaps yours is missing. Jim

[Sphere Guy]

In case like that, I don't use the "standard" support at all. I just put a slab of wood or a concrete pad. With those it gives me about 3-4 inches off the ground. Also the 2" jack post is better at holding on a slope better than a 8" flat metal plate. The angle of the 8" plate on he ground also could wedge the jack post in the "standard" support once all the weight is applied on it.

[Cracker]

I've never had a problem with the post "wedging" in the support - but, without an indent or some other means to keep the post from slipping off a flat slab of concrete or a block of wood (due to high winds, too much partying, etc.) you have the makings of a real problem - especially on soft ground. The front stabilizers may keep the trailer post from sinking in if it slipped off the support - or they may collapse - dropping the tongue onto the ground or the spare tire (---if so mounted under the front of the trailer.) Getting the trailer back up and onto the ball wouldn't be a lot of fun!

[xrvr]

Good wheel chocks are a necessity to keep the trailer from moving. Jim

[danlehosky]

I bent the extention tube on my electric jackstand by pushing on it to hard while trying to engage the stinger on my Hensley hitch. It was almost fully extended. I had to take the whole assembly off and to the shop where we have a press and straighten it out. I will use blocks under this from now on so I don't extend to much of the tube.

[Kamiak]

I typically avoid sites that slope down from the road for that reason; but sometimes you can't. Usually I can guess whether or not there's sufficient room between the coupler and the ground to level the coach with the baseplate attached, though sometimes not, and when that happens it's a pain because you have to reattach to the TV to remove the baseplate. When lowering the jackpost, I always hold the jackplate up against the post manually until it engages the ground; I've never had it bind using that approach. I use the same approach as "Sphere Guy", i.e., in those downward-sloping situations, I place the jack post directly on a piece of 2x6. The 900+ pounds will easily indent the wood to a point, and with friction between the wood and the ground, I've never been concerned about that slipping off the jack. Plus, I'm a chocking fool...I use wood chocks in both directions between the tandem wheels while I'm unhitiching, then once leveled up and stabilizers down, I add the expansion chocks between the tires. I've never had the sensation that there was any instability.

[Cracker]

I use the old fashion wheel chocks that lock between the tamden wheels. They definitely prevent fore and aft movement but there's still enough slop to wiggle side to side unless the stabilizers are firmly down. In my initial thread I mentioned that the rear stabilizers barely touched the ground. Accordingly, it did wiggle more than usual. (No comments about bedroom activity please!)