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Old 02-17-2019, 04:27 PM   #1
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2019 25' Flying Cloud
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Jack Point "Missing"; I Used Axle......

Howdy,

Well my curbside axle label and square point are there but not my street side! Had a flat on street side and no indication of where to jack and surmising I could easily punch through if not in the right place so.... I opted to use the axle.

I put the jack on the square axle as far out board as I could..

Axle lift makes most sense to me but since actual jack points indicated (or not in my case) I'm wondering what the deal is.....

So for future reference could this be cleared up for me?

Thanks,

Rounder44
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Old 02-17-2019, 05:15 PM   #2
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There will never be anything unanimous on Air forums but I routinely jack our trailer under the axle at the frame mounting point.
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Old 02-17-2019, 05:28 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rounder44 View Post
<<snip>>
I put the jack on the square axle as far out board as I could..
<<snip>>
It is better to place the jack on the axle mounting bracket right beneath the trailer frame, or place the jack beneath the reinforcing plate that is welded to the trailer frame.
Jacking on the axle tube can damage it.
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Old 02-17-2019, 05:42 PM   #4
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My roadside label came off. On my trailer it was a square piece of diamondplate riveted to the trailer. I use the rivet hole as a marker. Previous jack pads have deformed the the belly pan making it easy to see the frame rails as well.


Al
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Old 02-17-2019, 05:45 PM   #5
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The axles structural steel beam is the thickest piece of steel on the entire trailer. Only damage will be scratched paint.
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Old 02-18-2019, 06:09 AM   #6
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this is copied and pasted from Dexter's website:
"Dexter recommends that you do not jack up the trailer on the suspension components because there is always the potential for damage. Bent hangers, leaf springs, or axle tubes can cause bad axle alignment with bad tire wear resulting. Also, many trailer builders do not use Dexter hangers and we have no idea how strong these hangers may or may not be. Therefore, we take the conservative approach and recommend jacking up only on the trailer frame."
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:14 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A W Warn View Post
this is copied and pasted from Dexter's website:
"Dexter recommends that you do not jack up the trailer on the suspension components because there is always the potential for damage. Bent hangers, leaf springs, or axle tubes can cause bad axle alignment with bad tire wear resulting. Also, many trailer builders do not use Dexter hangers and we have no idea how strong these hangers may or may not be. Therefore, we take the conservative approach and recommend jacking up only on the trailer frame."
That is obviously for their leaf spring suspension system and does not apply,
there are no hangers in the Torflex system.

If you go to the Torflex lit. you will see they call the center beam the "main structural member" and that the axle can be used as a load carrying cross member.

https://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/defa...).pdf?sfvrsn=4
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:42 AM   #8
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Jack point 22fb

Good Morning Rounder, I had the same issue with my 22fb, same location. I traveled to Colonial and had the tech show me where the street side jack point was.
I marked the jack point with tape. The jack point is located on a straight line opposite the curb side. Best of luck, We traveled 7000 miles from NJ to Montana, SD, ND and Wyoming. Great trip. Click image for larger version

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Photos: Number 1 : Located between Stabilizer and Gray tank
Photo #2 : About 11 inches from the curved outer edge of the street side.
Photo #3 Just different perspective of the seam.
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Old 02-18-2019, 09:07 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rounder44 View Post
. . .
So for future reference could this be cleared up for me?
. . .
What does your owner's manual say?
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Old 02-18-2019, 09:20 AM   #10
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I now use a stepped block to raise the flat wheel since I have dual axles, but I have routinely jacked using the axle frame that Dexter axles are mounted on. If this frame can handle impact loads from pot holes and curbs, it can certainly handle a jack. I'm sure Dexter don't want you to use the axle mounting frame because it removes any liability for misunderstanding as to how to do it.
BTW once the wheel is clear of the ground you should be using a Jack Stand to support the weight. I usually put under the axle frame in the middle between the wheels, and then ease the jack back down onto it if I'm leaving the trailer without the wheel for any length of time.
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Old 02-18-2019, 11:48 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rounder44 View Post
Howdy,

Well my curbside axle label and square point are there but not my street side! Had a flat on street side and no indication of where to jack and surmising I could easily punch through if not in the right place so.... I opted to use the axle.

I put the jack on the square axle as far out board as I could..

Axle lift makes most sense to me but since actual jack points indicated (or not in my case) I'm wondering what the deal is.....

So for future reference could this be cleared up for me?

Thanks,

Rounder44
You are over thinking it.
I only owned twin axle trailers and always place the Jack under the frame where schockabsorber is mounted. I Jack up mine frequently to check the tires and brakes . No issues whatsoever.
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Old 02-18-2019, 12:03 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OTRA15 View Post
What does your owner's manual say?

Hi,

Owners manual says use jack point and has a photo of a label saying "JACK" with an arrow pointing to a square plate jack point.

Both are missing on my coach..


R44
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Old 02-18-2019, 12:06 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JCWDCW View Post
I now use a stepped block to raise the flat wheel since I have dual axles, but I have routinely jacked using the axle frame that Dexter axles are mounted on. If this frame can handle impact loads from pot holes and curbs, it can certainly handle a jack. I'm sure Dexter don't want you to use the axle mounting frame because it removes any liability for misunderstanding as to how to do it.
BTW once the wheel is clear of the ground you should be using a Jack Stand to support the weight. I usually put under the axle frame in the middle between the wheels, and then ease the jack back down onto it if I'm leaving the trailer without the wheel for any length of time.
JCW
Begs the next question... where would one place a jack stand for extended service?

I'd have to say obviously the axle....

Since the "jack point" in ~ 3 square inches that doesn't leave room to add supplementary support.

Thanks,

R44
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Old 02-18-2019, 06:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlinCal View Post
That is obviously for their leaf spring suspension system and does not apply,
there are no hangers in the Torflex system.

If you go to the Torflex lit. you will see they call the center beam the "main structural member" and that the axle can be used as a load carrying cross member.

https://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/defa...).pdf?sfvrsn=4
The link you provided does not mention jacking.

This is where I found the information I posted above, advising to not place a jack under the "axle tube". Scroll down to find it.
http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/page/398255222

An axle tube is an axle tube, regardless of axle type.
Yes, the center beam, or axle tube, or whatever you want to call it is a structural member. But, bending it will change alignment of the wheels/tires on any kind of axle. Jacking on the axle tube might damage it.

The axle mounting brackets is the point that carries the axle load. I agree that the bracket where it is attached to the frame reinforcing plate (frame carrying the load) at the end of the axle tube is a good place to jack to lift the trailer (that is what I posted above)

If the jack is place on the square tube to lift multiple tires of a tandem or triple axle off of the ground, then that point will be carrying more than the design load of one side (half) of one axle. Whether or not the tube will deform under this load I do not know, but I doubt it. I do not want to find out the hard way.

The trailer frame is reinforced with a plate that carries the load of all of the axles. That plate is where I place a jack to lift all tires on one side of the trailer at the same time.

When it is necessary to use jack stands to support the whole trailer at once, those jack point plates that are riveted to the belly is where I suppose it is proper to place those jack stands. Therefore when placing the jack stands, it is impossible to place the jack to lift the trailer and the jack stand at the same location at the same time. That is why I think it is proper to use the frame reinforcing plate where the axles are attached for lifting one side of the trailer.
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Old 02-18-2019, 07:30 PM   #15
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What I have found with my Classic 30 Slide is that if I jack from the rear jack point the frame bends enough that the entry door will not open (or close). Since as AW Warn stated the axle mounting bracket on the frame carries the load of both axles and must be designed to handle impulse loads I'm confident that (at least for my trailer) slow and easy jacking on that point is better for the frame than jacking at the jack point. The frame (and monocoque body shell) are apparently designed to sag away from the axles. It would seem that reversing that curve by jacking at the rear wouldn't be a good thing. I'm just saying.....
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Old 02-18-2019, 07:42 PM   #16
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Ok fair enough, jack at your own peril. I have been the crash test dummy for 25 owners though and jack on the axle tube with no steel deformation or any other known issues.
Common sense applies here.
The axle beams are 3 times thicker steel than whats used in the frame so I'm not going to worry much.
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:53 PM   #17
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When I jacked up the AS, I've used the vertical steel plate the axles attach to. I figure if it can support the entire trailer it should support a jack.
There's not a lot of extra room, and I avoided between the wheels because mine has the plastic tank drain right there. So I put the jack in front of the wheels and a jack stand behind the wheels.
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Old 02-18-2019, 09:33 PM   #18
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You can jack anywhere on the main frame rail under the belly pan. Just use your knuckles, screw driver butt, or magnet to determine the frame location above the pan. Use a block of wood between your jack's pad and the trailer.
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:12 AM   #19
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I always jack between the axles on the axle support frame..with a 4x 8x 1/2” steel plate between the flange and jack...so as not to bend the flange...
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Old 02-24-2019, 11:27 AM   #20
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Follow rivet line

Follow the rivet line on the bottom of the trailer...bottom of belly pan. That's where the frame of the trailer is and you can put the jack anywhere along that rivet line. I ran into this issue about a year ago and called the factory for advise. This is what they said to do. They emphasized "DON'T USE AXLES" to jack.
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