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Old 07-09-2020, 10:18 PM   #1
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Question Has your TT ever fallen off the red cone?

Attachment 233588
Not sure if my image attached. We've used the red cone to rest our hitch on for years. Last week we camped on a site with gravel. We were all set up and the first morning, I'm sitting under the awning drinking my morning coffee when BAM!!! The whole trailer fell about 3 inches and the wheels on the side with the awning slid totaling off the orange leveling pads they were sitting on !!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?! I jumped up thinking my husband had fallen in the trailer and he was racing out the door at the same time to see what happened. Somehow the red cone had slid over, causing the hitch to drop down!! When we came around the red cone was lying on its side and the hitch was only being held up by the stabilizers. OMG ... we could have rolled backwards in the creek if it had not been for the chucks. The only thing we can figure is the gravel must have shifted overnight. Has this happened to anyone? I'm thinking we will go back to a cement block to rest the hitch on. What are your thoughts?
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:25 PM   #2
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The tongue jack nor whatever is under it has anything to do with preventing the trailer from rolling. It rolled and fell off of the cone because the tires were not properly secured by wheel chocks.

Always make sure the tires are properly secured against wheel chocks before unhitching. The fact that it also rolled off of the leveling pads should be a wake up call that you guys aren’t properly setting your trailer up. If you want help or suggestions just ask.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:43 PM   #3
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I don't rely on the hitch to hold the camper stable. Once I have chocked the wheels and put some weight on the stabilizers, I often find that there is little or no weight even on the hitch.

But I may be doing it wrong.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:59 PM   #4
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Not sure why people use those cones. I just use the foot that comes with the jack and that sits on the ground.

The stabilizers should have little weight on them. Their only job is to stabilize. I run them until they hot the ground and maybe half a turn after that.Not nearly enough to take the weight off the tongue jack.
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Old 07-10-2020, 12:20 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdshess View Post
Attachment 233588
Not sure if my image attached. We've used the red cone to rest our hitch on for years. Last week we camped on a site with gravel. We were all set up and the first morning, I'm sitting under the awning drinking my morning coffee when BAM!!! The whole trailer fell about 3 inches and the wheels on the side with the awning slid totaling off the orange leveling pads they were sitting on !!!!
The image didn't attach.
Gravel can shift if you're on a thick gravel base and the base below it isn't stable. We've moved the gravel out of the way to get a stable base to put the hitch on. Then we move it back before leaving. When you use the leveling pads, that can make the trailer a bit more unstable.
What did you do to stabilize it for the remaining camping days?
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Old 07-10-2020, 05:45 AM   #6
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I can personally testify that if a camper is parked on a thick bed of bluestones that was used to level a sloping site, your camper CAN slide! It is an unstable base.

If you must park on such a site, and I never will again, park as far away from the downhill side as you can. There will be less chance of a “rock slide” being caused by the weight of your camper.

I think the campground thought they were making the site better by leveling it. IMO they made it more dangerous. They should let the campers take care of leveling the RV—or they should use something more stable than bluestone.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:04 AM   #7
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FWIW- my tongue jack has little weight on it when my front stabilizers are down tight. I don't lift the front jack but I could.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:15 AM   #8
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FWIW- my tongue jack has little weight on it when my front stabilizers are down tight. I don't lift the front jack but I could.

That is not good. The tongue jack and wheels should be supporting the weight, not the stabilizers. They are for stabilizing only, not weight supporting.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:22 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by phipps33 View Post
That is not good. The tongue jack and wheels should be supporting the weight, not the stabilizers. They are for stabilizing only, not weight supporting.
Everybody's got an opinion.
This is mine.
I've been camping for 15 years with 4 different trailers and traveled almost all 50 states and parts of Canada.
If I'm on a level lot and set up my front tongue jack has little weight on it.
Some but not much.
It works for me.
On my previous Rockwood Ultralite 24 footer I had to be careful or I'd raise the tongue jack off the ground with the front stabilizers and a drill motor.

YMMV.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:29 AM   #10
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I am with phipps33 on this one.

My stabilizers have virtually no weight on them at all, just enough that they are making a solid connection between the ground and my RV.

I use a drill to lower them till they are touching. Then I give them a final zhhht with the drill to make sure that they are snug. I check level once more to make sure that I have not over-zhhted any of the stabilizers.
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:35 AM   #11
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.....that I have not over-zhhted any of the stabilizers.
Is that a technical term?
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:37 AM   #12
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Is that a technical term?
yes it is. if he had used an impact gun it would be ugga-dugga which is not only a technical term but a torque measurement
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Old 07-10-2020, 06:38 AM   #13
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Yes. I found it in my Tell-You-How-to-Do-Things book.
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:18 AM   #14
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I’m surprised with the several people saying they have little weight or have even lifted the trailer jack off the ground. I would think if you’re trailer is properly balanced you should have a good amount of weight on the tongue so it’s surprising to me that people are saying there is very little weight on the tongue when they are set up.

To the OP, a 1 foot square piece of 3/4 plywood can help under than cone you’re using to prevent it from settling. Cement blocks are not recommended for supporting vehicle weight but certainly use wood in between if you do.
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:21 AM   #15
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yes it is. if he had used an impact gun it would be ugga-dugga which is not only a technical term but a torque measurement
How many zhhhts are in one ugga-dugga?
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:51 AM   #16
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How many zhhhts are in one ugga-dugga?
Three.
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Old 07-10-2020, 07:54 AM   #17
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Out of curiosity, and sorry to partially hijack the thread, but for those of you that "barely put down the stabilizer jacks, how are you getting a stable trailer? I've done what you say, and my trailer rocks and bounces WAY to much. And yes, I have X chocks (and regular wheel chocks) when I setup.

When I setup now, per my dealer instructions, I level the trailer to a bit nose down. Then lower my rear jacks, then level the trailer with the tongue jack, which puts weight on the rear stabilizer jacks. Then I lower the front stabilizer jacks until the motor almost peters out, or I see the trailer actually try to raise. Check level again, and I'm always spot on. I have very little wiggle in the trailer, but still have some noticeable bounce / give in the trailer floor.

I wouldn't want to camp in my rig if I didn't follow that process. My 40lb daughter or 50 lb dog would make it feel like an earthquake.
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Old 07-10-2020, 08:06 AM   #18
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I don’t think anyone said that they “barely” put down the stabilizers. They have to bear some weight to stabilize, just not so much that the trailer is depending on them to provide any lift.

Almost all of the weight of the trailer should be on the three to five points that are your tongue jack and wheels. Those are designed to handle thousands of pounds. Stabilizing jacks are not.

Stabilizing jacks won’t provide perfect stability. At least mine don’t. But they do provide enough stability.
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Old 07-10-2020, 08:16 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by GXPWeasel View Post
Out of curiosity, and sorry to partially hijack the thread, but for those of you that "barely put down the stabilizer jacks, how are you getting a stable trailer? I've done what you say, and my trailer rocks and bounces WAY to much. And yes, I have X chocks (and regular wheel chocks) when I setup.

When I setup now, per my dealer instructions, I level the trailer to a bit nose down. Then lower my rear jacks, then level the trailer with the tongue jack, which puts weight on the rear stabilizer jacks. Then I lower the front stabilizer jacks until the motor almost peters out, or I see the trailer actually try to raise. Check level again, and I'm always spot on. I have very little wiggle in the trailer, but still have some noticeable bounce / give in the trailer floor.

I wouldn't want to camp in my rig if I didn't follow that process. My 40lb daughter or 50 lb dog would make it feel like an earthquake.
That sounds like an overly complicated process that might be putting too much strain on the corners of your frame. I simply level my camper then use the hand crank to lower the stabilizers. Once they touch the ground I just snug them up. I’ve never had issues with the trailer bouncing around. Keep in mind it’s a trailer on wheels with a suspension. It’s not on a foundation.
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Old 07-10-2020, 08:27 AM   #20
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I don’t think anyone said that they “barely” put down the stabilizers. They have to bear some weight to stabilize, just not so much that the trailer is depending on them to provide any lift.

Almost all of the weight of the trailer should be on the three to five points that are your tongue jack and wheels. Those are designed to handle thousands of pounds. Stabilizing jacks are not.

Stabilizing jacks won’t provide perfect stability. At least mine don’t. But they do provide enough stability.
Most stabilizer jacks have a load capacity of 5,000-7,500 pounds, or more. However, there will still be noticeable bounce from the suspension. That’s easily solved by installing jacks immediately in front of or behind the axles.
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