Jack shell from front/back or side/side?

[SkatiePower]

From the other threads I've read, it seems that people are jacking up the shell from the front and putting a sawhorse underneath, then from the rear and putting a sawhorse underneath (unless you use a gantry).
I was thinking about lifting one side using two jacks, putting blocks underneath, then lifting the other side, lowering it onto the saw horses and then lowering the first side onto saw horses. To be clear, I am wanting to lift each long side, one at a time.
My logic behind this is first, that an arch is stronger than a beam and second, that the length of the Airstream shell is roughly 4 times shorter width-wise than length-wise (for my 34') and since torque is directly proportional to length, there would be 4 times less force acting on the shell.
Does anyone lift from side to side instead of front to back? Is there anything wrong with doing this?
We're paranoid about lifting our 34', if you couldn't tell.

Thank you,
Scott and Kate

[rugjenkins]

Many methods have been used. I would worry to much, these shells are tougher than you think. Any method you are comfortable with will probably work. I prefer the gantries. Quick and easy and you get support all the way down. Good luck.

[Belegedhel]

Well, if you are paranoid about doing this, then why not use techniques that are tried and true. You may be perfectly successfull lifting sided to side rather then end to end, but one thing for sure is that many people have lifted end to end, and I have never heard of a mishap associated with that technique. Now, most of the descriptions I have read of jacking operations infolve jacking up the front and the rear of the trailer at the same time (roughly), rather than one and then the other.

I am a big proponent of hoisting from above with gantries. I figure by the time you obsessively brace your shell so that you have something to jack against and place it on, you could have built gantries and foregone all the bracing. The gantry lift spreads the lifting force along the entire length of the shell, and then you can use the gantries for other things like lfting and flipping your frame, or as scaffolding for work on the roof.

good luck!

[SkatiePower]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Well, if you are paranoid about doing this, then why not use techniques that are tried and true. You may be perfectly successfull lifting sided to side rather then end to end, but one thing for sure is that many people have lifted end to end, and I have never heard of a mishap associated with that technique. Now, most of the descriptions I have read of jacking operations infolve jacking up the front and the rear of the trailer at the same time (roughly), rather than one and then the other.

I am a big proponent of hoisting from above with gantries. I figure by the time you obsessively brace your shell so that you have something to jack against and place it on, you could have built gantries and foregone all the bracing. The gantry lift spreads the lifting force along the entire length of the shell, and then you can use the gantries for other things like lfting and flipping your frame, or as scaffolding for work on the roof.

good luck!

This is a good point. I could even bury the posts and turn it into a pavilion afterward, since we plan on full timing in our Airstream

[Flp]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Well, if you are paranoid about doing this, then why not use techniques that are tried and true. You may be perfectly successfull lifting sided to side rather then end to end, but one thing for sure is that many people have lifted end to end, and I have never heard of a mishap associated with that technique. Now, most of the descriptions I have read of jacking operations infolve jacking up the front and the rear of the trailer at the same time (roughly), rather than one and then the other.

I am a big proponent of hoisting from above with gantries. I figure by the time you obsessively brace your shell so that you have something to jack against and place it on, you could have built gantries and foregone all the bracing. The gantry lift spreads the lifting force along the entire length of the shell, and then you can use the gantries for other things like lfting and flipping your frame, or as scaffolding for work on the roof.

good luck!

I've stepped into reality and gantries are the plan for our little project. I've seen plans for the gantries and it seems straight forward but I don't see any photos of the inside. How long do the 4x4s need to be that are inside the vents that the hoists attatch to? Not the whole length from front to back right? Also, if I leave the interior skins on (except the lowest) can I just set the shell on a level surface without worrying about distortion or damage?