Electric Leveling Stabilizer Jacks

[okeithbowman]

Hi Airstreamers, Has anyone used the Electric Leveling Stabilizer/Jacks like the unit sold by Ultra-Fab as a Powertwin II? I was thinking of using it on the back to level across and then use the front power jack to level in line on our Bambi and forget the blocks etc.

Any body tried anything out there?

Thanks, Keith

[CanoeStream]

Hello Keith. Welcome to the forums! This is a well documented subject. Unlike a motorhome chassis, an Airstream trailer's chassis was never designed to stay rigid against torquing forces. The BAL stabilizers and their like should be used for stabilizing only -- removing the rock inherent in a trailer sitting on rubber. It is necessary to do the side to side leveling with blocks or stacked lumber under the tires. We can give the stabilizers a little bit of 'English' to gently improve that level. The frame will distort if using corner jacks to level -- potentially binding the door or putting more force on the shell-floor junction than it can bear. "Monocoque" describes an airplane fuselage or some integral frame-body automobiles with full circumferential stability. An Airstream's semi-monocoque design doesn't provide the stiffness to hold the frame flat -- and a deformed frame will stress the shell-floor junction.