Trailer bounces with any movement!

[Jtmavs]

With the front and rear stabilizers down and solid, the trailer bounces like crazy any time someone walks in it or even rolls in the bed! How do I get rid of this? I am buying slide stabilizers, but don’t know if that’s enough. X wheel locks? Any ideas are appreciated!

[JohnD10]

The X-chocks will help, and the slide stabilizers will help if you have a lot of weight in the slide.

However, on the stabilizers on all four corners extended all the way to the ground?

If so, try putting some blocks under them so you don't have to extend them down so far.

This will help steady up the trailer.

By the way...what trailer do you have?

[5picker]

Slide stabilizers are not recommended by most manufacturers unless you have the R/V on piers or cement blocks. If a tire loses air, the trailer drops and you have a stabilizer under the slide, it will ruin things!

X-Chocks work well but your best bet is triangulation stabilization like JT's Strong Arms or SteadyFast.

Do a forum search and you will have days of reading.

[Summit1]

Originally Posted by Jtmavs

With the front and rear stabilizers down and solid, the trailer bounces like crazy any time someone walks in it or even rolls in the bed! How do I get rid of this? I am buying slide stabilizers, but don’t know if that’s enough. X wheel locks? Any ideas are appreciated!

When we bought our V-Lite, the dealer suggested the X-Chocks, and they work really well. Somebody suggested testing this by doing the following:

With the trailer parked, unhitched, and reasonable level on a solid surface, wedge a thin (1x4") short board in front of and behind one of the tires. Have somebody walk aound inside the trailer as they normally would. While that is happening, see how one or both of the board becomes slightly/moderately loose, indicating wheel movement while the trailer is occupied. Then, place the X-Chocks between the tires on both sides and repeat the test. There should be a marked reduction in the loosening of the boards, indicating a correspondng reduction in overall movement. Wheel movement is a considerable cfactor in trailer movement.

In addition to the X-Chocks, ensure the stabilizers are all four corners are solidly in place, and the "feet" of each are on a somewhat wider block (or blocks) which contacts solid ground. These will likely need some tightening after the first twelve hours or so. If your RV has the "outrigger" style stabilizers, remember that "squatty" (farther extended laterally) is much better than "tall"(farther extended vertically). It is like standing with feet spaced a couple of inches apart versus a foot or so apart... which makes the person more (laterally) stable?

We asked about the use of "slide stabilizers" and they strongly advised against it, suggesting rather the above measures. The slide stabilizers, after a while, can cause undue wear (or worse) on the slide mechanisms, which can be expensive to repair. The slides are neither intended nor designed to support any part of the RV's inherent weight, but rather their own individual weight and capacity.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Slide stabilizers are not recommended by most manufacturers unless you have the R/V on piers or cement blocks. If a tire loses air, the trailer drops and you have a stabilizer under the slide, it will ruin things!

The flat tire part is a myth...

Slide stabilizers, if put under the slide to just stabilize the slide, will not cause any problems.

Too many scare tactics out there...

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

The flat tire part is a myth...

Slide stabilizers, if put under the slide to just stabilize the slide, will not cause any problems.

Too many scare tactics out there...

What ???

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

The flat tire part is a myth...

Slide stabilizers, if put under the slide to just stabilize the slide, will not cause any problems.

Too many scare tactics out there...

I don't know if it's a myth or not because I've never actually seen any kind of study or testing on it, but it seems to be pretty common sense to me. If the level of the trailer drops and the level of the slide doesn't, you're probably going to have problems.

The part about manufacturers not recommending them is true though. They did at one time. But the slides are built better now and are able to handle weight much better than when they were made.

If you put stabilizers on the frame of the trailer itself there shouldn't be a need to put them under the slide.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

The flat tire part is a myth...

Slide stabilizers, if put under the slide to just stabilize the slide, will not cause any problems.

Too many scare tactics out there...

Believe what you wish John, my advice stands and aligns with every major R/V manufacturerers recommendations.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

I don't know if it's a myth or not because I've never actually seen any kind of study or testing on it, but it seems to be pretty common sense to me. If the level of the trailer drops and the level of the slide doesn't, you're probably going to have problems.

If the four corner trailer stabilizers are all down on the ground and a tire goes flat...

Then how is said trailer going to drop?

That is the myth of this...

I used slide stabilizers on my previous TT as it had a large U-shaped dinette in it, and when more than two people sat in the dinette, it would bounce and droop slightly.

Putting those stabilizers under it absolutely fixed this issue 100%.

Most people that talk about these issues with slide stabilizers have never actually used them...

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

If the four corner trailer stabilizers are all down on the ground and a tire goes flat...

Then how is said trailer going to drop?

That is the myth of this...

I used slide stabilizers on my previous TT as it had a large U-shaped dinette in it, and when more than two people sat in the dinette, it would bounce and droop slightly.

Putting those stabilizers under it absolutely fixed this issue 100%.

Most people that talk about these issues with slide stabilizers have never actually used them...

Because they are stabilizers and not meant to hold the weight of the camper. I don't think I'd trust mine to not bend.

[5picker]

The four corner stabilizers are just that, stabilizers and NOT intended to hold the weight of the R/V. They WILL bend like a pretzel.

If they were corner JACKS then that is different but they are stabilizers.

No myth about it and you don't need to use them to understand physics.

[JohnD10]

That's a whole lot of if's.

Slide stabilizers work if you need them.

I needed them with my last TV...used them for two years...and loved them!

There are countless thousands of campers using them and not one true story of a flat tire damaging a slide.

I'll let you guys hash this out from here.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

That's a whole lot of if's.

Slide stabilizers work if you need them.

I needed them with my last TV...used them for two years...and loved them!

There are countless thousands of campers using them and not one true story of a flat tire damaging a slide.

I'll let you guys hash this out from here.

That's kinda the problem though. There are no reports that I've found of someone that actually had a slide stabilizer and had a tire go flat. So there's really no proof either way. But common sense seems to be that it's a possibility. If that's a risk you want to take, then that's your choice.

It's like saying there are 100s of people that drive without a seat belt on and have never had a problem. Well if you don't wear a seat belt and never get into an accident, of course you're not going to have any problems.

But the first time you do...

[Mr. Dan]

'Someone "doing it for years with no problems" doesn't mean YOU should!'

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

That's kinda the problem though. There are no reports that I've found of someone that actually had a slide stabilizer and had a tire go flat. So there's really no proof either way. But common sense seems to be that it's a possibility. If that's a risk you want to take, then that's your choice.

It's like saying there are 100s of people that drive without a seat belt on and have never had a problem. Well if you don't wear a seat belt and never get into an accident, of course you're not going to have any problems.

But the first time you do...

Maybe with a single axle trailer I can see a possible issue with a flat tire and slide stabilizers.

And even then it is questionable...

Although I'm not even sure if there are any single axle trailers with slide-outs.

But with a double axle trailer, if one tires goes flat, the other tire is there to hold it up.

There are lots of things about RV ownership that are a gamble...

Heck, just pulling them out of our own driveway and hitting the road is dangerous!

Everything about an RV has the possibility of failure...at any moment!

Does that stop us from hitting the road?

Nope.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

'Someone "doing it for years with no problems" doesn't mean YOU should!'

Funny...

Somehow I knew that you might chime in with that one...

Although we are talking about an actual product here, and not doing something just because someone else has been getting away with if for a long time.

Anyway, I'll leave the rest of the conjecture to you guys!

[gbaldwin]

Have no idea on OP solution. when my stabilizers are down and snug, on a block or pad of some type I have no bounce whatsoever. If I do, I find that one or more stabilizers needs re-adjusting. It has worked loose.

[TitanMike]

I've had both the BAL stabilizers that lower a strut and they did a pretty good job with side to side movement but nothing for front to back movement. I just chocked wheels tight as I could and lived with what little movement remained.

I did find that this kind of stabilizer worked best if the struts weren't at a high angle so I started carrying some blocking material to keep from having to lower them more than about a 30 degree angle.

My new trailer uses the scissor jacks which are OK if you don't have to lower them too much but if extended so they are almost straight they don't stop any movement. Again, back to blocking so I don't have to lower them more than half their length and then use between the tire chocks similar to the X-Chocks.

If one wants to remove as much fore and aft movement as possible it would appear to me that the accessory struts that brace the jacks when lowered would do the best job.

Actually, the BEST stabilizers I ever had were for my old 1972 Prowler. Simple triangular jack stands with screw adjustment for height. They were simple and easy to store. Just took a few minutes to set up but I couldn't use my cordless drill to lower/raise. I recently saw a trailer with the corner stabilizers down and the owner had placed four of these "Old School" jack stands under the frame near each wheel. This supported the frame in it's middle, taking out any possibility of tire flex as people moved about in the TT.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Actually, the BEST stabilizers I ever had were for my old 1972 Prowler. Simple triangular jack stands with screw adjustment for height. They were simple and easy to store. Just took a few minutes to set up but I couldn't use my cordless drill to lower/raise. I recently saw a trailer with the corner stabilizers down and the owner had placed four of these "Old School" jack stands under the frame near each wheel. This supported the frame in it's middle, taking out any possibility of tire flex as people moved about in the TT.

I still carry my old screw-up jacks in my 5'ver...have had them for over 20 years!

Only use them if I will be set up more than a week.

I typically put them directly under the leaf springs just behind the tires when using them.

[Mountndream]

back to the main topic. How to stabilize your trailer.


I am a heavier guy so my trailer bounced alot. X chocks helped, but the thing that made the trailer solid was JT strong arms. BAL makes a version called SteadyFAST i believe.



one other thing.. if your stairs fold under the door and you experience a lot of bouncing entering and leaving the trailer. The MorRYDE stepAbove elimanate this. Some people don't like them, but they can't argue the physics involved