Tack welded leveling jacks

[krcoulombe]

I have a 2014 24’ Surveyor Sport with manual leveling jacks. Two of the jacks were tack welded with no bolts or screws to the mounting surfaces. The other two were fastened with two sheet metal screws. I found this by accident while emptying my black and gray water tanks. I put weight on the left rear jack when I went to stand up and it fell off. It had two small weld tacks holding it on. Just an FYI for those that have the model. I can only imagine if it had fallen off on the highway.

[SeaDog]

Thats good info let the forum know how you corrected the problem on your rig.

[bubbles]

Does sound like a poor install but are they levelling or stabilizing jacks not to be used for levelling but used that way?

[Jeffjeeptj]

When the jack is extended, the load on the welds or screws is in compression, so they generally will not fail.
When the jack is retracted for traveling, the welds or screws ARE loaded and that is when they will fail, as in bracing a person standing up or traveling down the road.

I would not like a jack falling off in front of me on the road. Those jacks have enough sharp edges and mass to ruin one’s day in a number of methods.

OP is good to notify us of the issue. I will be checking mine before I move again.

Thanks, OP.

[rollscanardly]

I don't really care for the sheet metal screw option, either. When I rebuilt my camper, I took off the stabilizer jacks to "spruce them up".

Prior to re-installing them, I took 2 pieces of 3/8" x 1" flat bar (about 2" long) and transferred the jacks' screw hole location onto the flat bar. After drilling and tapping 3/8"-16 holes in them, I welded the flat bar to the camper frame.


Now, the jacks have bolts and lock washers securing them.

Rich

[aircommuter]

If he could push on it with his hand and it came off it is definitely not welded enough. Sounds like they took lunch after tacking them on.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by rollscanardly

I don't really care for the sheet metal screw option, either. When I rebuilt my camper, I took off the stabilizer jacks to "spruce them up".

Prior to re-installing them, I took 2 pieces of 3/8" x 1" flat bar (about 2" long) and transferred the jacks' screw hole location onto the flat bar. After drilling and tapping 3/8"-16 holes in them, I welded the flat bar to the camper frame.

Now, the jacks have bolts and lock washers securing them.

Rich

I sometimes use elastic stop nuts for applications like this. You know, the hex nuts with the nylon ring at the top. Even if they somehow loosen, they will not spin off under vibration.

[rollscanardly]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

I sometimes use elastic stop nuts for applications like this. You know, the hex nuts with the nylon ring at the top. Even if they somehow loosen, they will not spin off under vibration.

In the case of the stabilizer jacks, the sheet metal screws go through the top plate of the jack, and into the frame. There's no nut involved.


Although, my frame is rectangular tube. Perhaps a channel iron or I-beam frame could have a nut??......



But, I'm very familiar with nylock nuts. I have an entire assortment of those in a bunch of different sizes.



Rich

[boonebiker]

I believe those nuts with the nylon are called lock nuts.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by boonebiker

I believe those nuts with the nylon are called lock nuts.

In the trade, they are called elastic stop nuts. See this page for example. "Elastic" for the nylon insert which stretches, "stop" because it stops free spinning.

Not to be confused with castle nuts, also called castellated nuts like these.

[krcoulombe]

That's exactly what I did. Bolts and self locking nuts. Thanks

[krcoulombe]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Thats good info let the forum know how you corrected the problem on your rig.

I redrilled the mounting plates and added bolts, washers and nylock nuts!