Stabilizers and power jack

[t0rnado]

How much weight do you put on the stabilizers? I usually crank them a couple times after they touch the ground but then I noticed there is little or no weigh on the power jack. If I put more weight on the Jack then the stabilizers don't have enough pressure to work...any thoughts?


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[Robs1968]

I give my stabilizers on turn after they touch the jack pads.Seems to work well


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[jking46]

Sounds like you are putting way too much pressure on the stabilizers. The should not be used to level or elevate the camper, only to help eliminate rocking and sway. They work much better if you place several wood or plastic blocks under them rather thean extend them fully.
End result, the weight of the camper should rest on the tires and tongue jack, not the stabilizers.

[emm-dee]

What is your normal tongue weight? Mine is in the 1,200 pound range and I'm not strong enough to crank the scissor jacks enough to lift the tongue.

[SeaDog]

These are stabilizers and not jacks with that said what I do is get my rig level and then lower the stabilizers just until I see the trailer move up a little

[JustB_Rad]

I look at it this way....I always level the camper side to side first with a digi level on the floor inside the door. When I get the digi level within a 0.2 degree slope (less than 1/2") with my lego blocks, I stop. If I set my level up and I'm at 0.2 or less, I don't add any blocks. Then I level front to back and will put down my stabilizers. In most cases, I can make that 1/2" up with an extra turn or less on that side. Using this method, I've never seen the situation described above, and I'm always at a 0.0 in on direction and at worst a 0.1 in the other. I also added mid ship jacks which are my best indication of how far to put them down. After I put my corner jacks down, I move to the middle and put them down MAYBE a half turn after they hit the block.

[itat]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

These are stabilizers and not jacks with that said what I do is get my rig level and then lower the stabilizers just until I see the trailer move up a little

X2 They need to be snug, not lift the trailer.

[ddbck]

Just snug them up. I always re-snug after the 1st night due to settleg/shifting ext....

[Dave Lyon]

Originally Posted by jking46

Sounds like you are putting way too much pressure on the stabilizers. The should not be used to level or elevate the camper, only to help eliminate rocking and sway. They work much better if you place several wood or plastic blocks under them rather thean extend them fully.
End result, the weight of the camper should rest on the tires and tongue jack, not the stabilizers.

X2 !

After snugging up the stabilizers, I usually check them daily as they will work their way loose from the movement in the trailer.

[jeff64]

I've been using a 18v cordless drill. When the drill starts to slow down and twist in my hand, that's good enough for me

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by jeff64

I've been using a 18v cordless drill. When the drill starts to slow down and twist in my hand, that's good enough for me

My drill has a torque setting (0 to 30). I don't know what the numbers actually mean in terms of ft-lbs or in-lbs, but I usually set it around 26 and crank them down until it torques out.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

My drill has a torque setting (0 to 30). I don't know what the numbers actually mean in terms of ft-lbs or in-lbs, but I usually set it around 26 and crank them down until it torques out.

I do pretty much the same. Have a Makita cordless with six "torque" settings, with #six being full lock. I set it on five, run the scissor until torque release, and then give each jack 1.5 turns with the manual speed handle. That appears to put the same amount of pressure on each of the six jacks and no point on the frame is unbalanced.