We have a 19ft Bambi that is setup with an Equalizer hitch. I recently changed tow vehicles and adjusted the hitch and bars according to Equalizer instructions so the trailer is level and there is a bit more weight on the back wheels of the tow vehicle vs the front. All looks good and works well.
I am having the same problem as we used to with my previous vehicle, and that is we are forever digging 'gopher holes' whenever we park the trailer because the aluminium jack stand seems to be too high to get under the jack post. I have to either dig holes or use a 2 by 4 to leverage up the tongue when the torsion bars are removed. What is the standard stand that is supposed to come with the trailer? Not sure if it was provided by Airstream when we purchased the trailer, or the dealer just tossed in whatever stand they had without considering height.
I don't have access to the trailer right now, but here is a photo of the jack stand. It look fine here on our sloped driveway, but normally the jack post sits right on top of the stand to get the trailer level, and usually that means I have to dig holes whenever we are camping.
My typical gopher hole...
Is there another one that most A/S owners use? I need something shorter than this one so I don't have to bring the backhoe along
a) is the jack foot I have the standard foot that comes with current Airstreams? Who makes this one?
b) what is the jack foot height of the one I have? I have not been able to find this one after searching on Google.
c) is the jack post a standard size on Airstreams? What size is it? (again I don't have access to the trailer right now.
d) what are the best options for a shorter foot that still has the sleeve for stability? Can I get this same foot in a shorter size?
My storage guy razed me about having my weight distribution set wrong since I was digging holes at the storage place. Makes sense to me that its simply my foot is too high!
Turns out it is an H&H (Barker) Super Power Jack 2500 model #12250. Kate just found the Airstream documents that came with our trailer, and then called Airstream. They say the jack foot is supplied by Airstream. There is only one model of the foot they offer. The H&H jack normally has a built in foot which obviously wouldn't cause the problem we are having. No clue why Airstream modified it.
Puzzling that Airstream made it so high. I would think there would be a ton of Airstream owners (at least Bambi owners) out there purchasing shovels to go with their Airstream!
Anyways no solution found yet, shovel is still packed!
Not sure what we would do if we ever camped on black top!
Can you lose the jack foot? I always just use a board. It looks like that's adding several inches to your height, but otherwise the setup looks normal to me.
In the second picture, it looks crimped... are they supposed to be that way? I thought the jack post went almost all the way down in them (I don't have one, so I don't know for sure).
You really don't need the sleeve on the jack stand. All it really needs is a lip to keep it from sliding. You can pick up one of these at the Airstream store online. https://store.airstream.com/product_...roducts_id=119
I use one of these Hitch Helper that allow you to move the trailer hitch side to side with a wrench. This way you don't have to have the hitch ball an the TV lined up perfectly with the trailer. You can just wrench the trailer over to the ball, as long as it's lined up front to back.
__________________ Steve
"THE OLDER I GET, THE BETTER I WAS"
Cutting off the factory crimp would let the pedestal go clear down in the stand but after some rust accumulates it may be difficult to separate the pieces. Your stand appears the same length as the ones I have. The site Minno gave you has some stands that should solve the problem.
Dan
We don't use an attached jack foot on our 19' ... we use a separate jack stand. You can get plastic jack stands from Camping World, etc, but we have a 7" cast aluminum jack stand that we bought from a family that makes them in Indiana. Ours is 7" but they also make a 4". The 7" works for most our situations, but when the slope of the campsite is such that we can't get the 7" jack stand under the jack post, we use a piece of wood instead. PM me if you want the info to order a cast aluminum jack stand.
I had a similar situation when I purchased my 86 Excella. The inner section was exposed about 10 inches and would not retract into the outer housing.I did some research and found the instructions. It IS possible to adjust the micro switches in the top of the housing to vary the "stick out" length. I KNOW because I DID THIS. Maybe , probably you have a different system up in the great white north.
In my research i found that it was not uncommon for those with longer trailers to need more "stick out" when parked on forward sloping area's.As long as the readjusted inner section was higher than the weight bars, no problemo.I wondered about it as it seemed possible for the inner to unscrew itself.
Hope this helps,
If your problem is the "foot", just don't use it, a small 2X4 or even a small steel plate would suffice.
I use one of these Hitch Helper that allow you to move the trailer hitch side to side with a wrench.
Whenever we are traveling, we also use the Hitch Helper and only use the much longer jack stand at home. Before we bought the Hitch Helper, we used, while traveling, a 6" x 6" x 2" block of maple as a base for the jack. That worked well, but, as CA Streamer says, the Hitch Helper is handy to move the trailer tongue. The Hitch Helper is also easy to store.
The "Fast way" above looks like a good idea, but never tried one.
It seems easier to move the TV than rachet the tongue over to meet the hitch with a wrench with the "Hitch Helper".
I have one of those aluminum post bases. Also a metal wheely thing for the post. I will sell them both really really cheap. One thing about the wheely things is you better have your wheels chocked before you unhitch or you may end up chasing your trailer. Guess how i know this. Another vote for wood blocks.
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