Fixing manual scissor jack stabilizers

[Daxbuddy]

On our small Clipper travel trailer, I noted our rear manual scissor jacks did not descend evenly. They were off center, coming down on an angle. I finally removed them from the frame (two different sized bolts per side), and remounted them. The small tabs that mesh to allow the two sides of the jack to descend in sync had either been installed incorrectly or had jumped a spot. I'm thinking the former...
I realigned them and re-installed, and they now work perfectly. Just a PITA, really, but now getting the trailer stabilized is much easier.

[jjscsix]

I would not have thought you would want to lower then in synch in case the ground is uneven. Mine are electric and each one has its own switch.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by jjscsix

I would not have thought you would want to lower then in synch in case the ground is uneven. Mine are electric and each one has its own switch.

Past R/Vs we've owned only had one switch for the electric rear stabs and they self-adjusted to the terrain. Once one leg hit, the motor kept running till the other stab hit and then they rose together.

Not all R/Vs are the same.

[Bob K4TAX]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Past R/Vs we've owned only had one switch for the electric rear stabs and they self-adjusted to the terrain. Once one leg hit, the motor kept running till the other stab hit and then they rose together.

Not all R/Vs are the same.

That's the way ours works too. Both front and rear.

Just remember, they are stabilizers and not levelers. There is a difference. The trailer should be leveled before the stabs are deployed.

Bob

[Capacitor]

The op states his stabilizers are manual.

[Bob K4TAX]

Originally Posted by Capacitor

The op states his stabilizers are manual.

If the motor or switch fails on ours, they become manual. But still, they work the same way. Just a bit of sweat involved.

Bob

[Capacitor]

He also states they are scissor type stabilizers, assuming not these.

[Believer45]

Can you post year and model of your trailer? And, if you can, a picture showing both rear jacks in an extended position?

[Flagger]

Lippert 191025 JT's Strong Arm Travel Trailer Stabilizer Kit , Yellow https://a.co/d/hliw8y4

Next step! I did these this year. They are awesome.

[Daxbuddy]

Yes, my meaning was that each stabilizer is a scissor setup, like many car jacks. The two sides of the jack did not raise in unison. Nothing to do with syncing each corner stabilizer. This is a tiny trailer with minimal electric controls anywhere.
Just letting folks know that to get them to work correctly, they had to be detached, tabs aligned, and re-attached.

[Rastor728]

on my 2017 Surveryor 200MBLE they only had 1,000 pound rated "stabilizer" jacks mounted on frame of a 6,000 lb trailer.
Two collapsed on our first trip with 4, 250lb adults sitting in the slide dinning area.

I went and bought four new 3,000 lb rated jacks and had them re-welded in place of the others.... No problems since.

[Bob K4TAX]

Originally Posted by Rastor728

on my 2017 Surveryor 200MBLE they only had 1,000 pound rated "stabilizer" jacks mounted on frame of a 6,000 lb trailer.
Two collapsed on our first trip with 4, 250lb adults sitting in the slide dinning area.

I went and bought four new 3,000 lb rated jacks and had them re-welded in place of the others.... No problems since.

Let's see now. Since 4 adults at 1000 lbs total were located some 3 to 4 ft outside of the stabilizer jacks footprint, the lever action placed some 3000 to 4000 lbs on the jacks. I see no reason for them to fail.

Bob

[Daxbuddy]

Interesting. I've been warned that stabilizer jacks are just for that - stabilizing. Since this is our first travel trailer, more experienced folks said not to try to take a lot of load on the jacks, as they are neither designed or positioned for a lot of weight.
Perhaps you're talking about a different RV type, or certainly a different jack type.

[Bob K4TAX]

Originally Posted by Daxbuddy

Interesting. I've been warned that stabilizer jacks are just for that - stabilizing. Since this is our first travel trailer, more experienced folks said not to try to take a lot of load on the jacks, as they are neither designed or positioned for a lot of weight.
Perhaps you're talking about a different RV type, or certainly a different jack type.

One should level the trailer left to right with pads, blocks, or boards under the tires as needed. Then level from front to back with the jack at the hitch. Then deploy the stabilizer jacks such that they just tighten up the trailer but not lift it.

Bob