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Old 08-24-2011, 09:10 PM   #1
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My fifth wheel front stabilizers

Here are a couple of pictures showing my version of the steady-fast system. I welded a 1x2 rectangular steel tube between the leg towers so I had a solid attachment point for the stabilizer bars, plus it adds strength to the legs.
The side bars are mounted (at the back) to the camper frame. The mounts are bolted solidly to the frame. I had to remove the basement door opening tubs (those black plastic tubs by the door) to gain access to the frame, but that was easy.
The ball-and-joint ends come in many sizes, I just got some that had bolt ends about the same size as the holes in the legs.
There is virtually no slack in the system anywhere, and is very quick to use. And it looks a lot slicker than the real Steady-Fast. I don't know why they made it so complicated, other than they could charge more.
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Old 08-24-2011, 09:25 PM   #2
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Here are my home made ones

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Old 08-24-2011, 09:30 PM   #3
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Those look pretty slick too!
Are those bars the ones they sell to keep loads in place in a truck box? I see they have the ratchet tighteners on them. If so, how did you attach the eyelet ends?
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Old 08-24-2011, 09:39 PM   #4
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I bought them at Homedepot I cut off about ten inches each end removed the rivet that held the crome cap on removed the foot pads and drilled the end caps to fit the rod eyes and put a lock nut inside and another outside to sandwich the nuts on each side of the caps then to reattach the caps I used two #10/32 screws and threaded the holes where the rivets were. I also bought the rod eyes from Mc master Carr for about five bucks each and they were american made belive it or not.
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Old 08-24-2011, 09:47 PM   #5
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Nice job. Where the two bars meet in the center between the legs, did you find something solid to attach the mount there? Mine is pretty flimsy in that area, thus the need for the steel tube addition.
Up here in Canada the ends you used are about twice the price of the ball-and-socket type, so I went with them.
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Old 08-24-2011, 09:48 PM   #6
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Here is the complete kit I built for a friend. and it just bolts on.

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Old 08-24-2011, 09:56 PM   #7
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Looks like you are ready to go into business!
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Old 08-25-2011, 06:39 AM   #8
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Here is the complete kit I built for a friend. and it just bolts on.



What is the cost including shipping to Canada? I may want to order a set. Looks impressive.
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Old 08-25-2011, 08:12 AM   #9
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I bought a pair of those cargo jacks today at Midwest wheel for 16.00 dollars ea.
thanks for the mod post. Heim joints at a race car shop for 5.00 ea
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Old 08-25-2011, 09:08 AM   #10
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After a bit more thought, those cargo jacks probably are not the best thing to use. They are meant to push in one direction. Much better to just have a simple slide with the lock nuts like the ones onetonford uses for the front-to-rear stabilzers. That way all motion is stopped.
Using the cargo jacks would tend to spread the legs apart, and that probably is not the best idea.
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Old 08-25-2011, 12:20 PM   #11
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After a bit more thought, those cargo jacks probably are not the best thing to use. They are meant to push in one direction. Much better to just have a simple slide with the lock nuts like the ones onetonford uses for the front-to-rear stabilzers. That way all motion is stopped.
Using the cargo jacks would tend to spread the legs apart, and that probably is not the best idea.

Mine have a pretty "fine" toothed ratchet so I think that it will not be a big problem . besides on one end i am going to use a heim joint which will allow fine adjustment . I believe for the most part once installed and adjusted they will be "pretty close" for most camp grounds.


I am going to start another thread when I go to fab mine up .
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Old 08-25-2011, 01:01 PM   #12
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My concern with the cargo bars is that if they are all like the ones I have, there is a bit of slop in them, about 1/4 inch on mine. That would allow the front leg feet to move around, eventually loosening the bars. Tightening the bars to take up the slack would push the legs outward, and if that process were repeated a few times, I think you can see my concern.
I just don't think it is the best solution. I wonder why the poster onetonford only used them on the front, and then used ones like mine on the sides?
What I do know is that once I am set up, the camper is rock-solid, and the bars never loosen at all. And I am not putting any side pressure on the front landing gear legs.
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Old 08-25-2011, 04:39 PM   #13
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altho when you hook the legs in any fashion to the frame there will be a side load on them. look at the side load or front to rear load without them . no different I am thinking .

My theory is if you have any style of stabilizers for a wobbly rv and you make them solid by mounting them in a triangulation fashion or any other fashion and theres a side wind on your rv its going to put a side load on them regardless
am I wrong in my thinking ?
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Old 08-25-2011, 05:57 PM   #14
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I have found that one click is plenty to take up any slop and they stay solid I also have found that length wise didn't have any because of the wheel chocks prevent almost all the back and forth and the bars take enough of what is left. The best thing about the rachetts is when you release them is they stay released until you lower the legs and rachett them they also rachett freely when going down not up so it works at almost any camp I have been to so far.
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Old 08-25-2011, 06:44 PM   #15
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f1100turbo, the beauty of the triangulation is that it transfers any sideload on the legs down to the feet. With the double bars on the front, locked up with no slack, it is like the whole front end is a rigid box. Nothing can move, so the legs don't get any side pressure.
With the ratchet bars, the first thing you do is put a side load on the legs, as tightening the ratchets pushes the feet outwards. Then if you have to retighten them, you increase the side load on the legs. I just don't see how that is desirable, especially when you don't have to go that way.
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Old 08-25-2011, 06:48 PM   #16
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so what if you just get it close not loose but not tight then use a bolt in the center to tighten ? as the "standard ones are "

just askin
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Old 08-25-2011, 08:17 PM   #17
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I don't really put side pressure on them just taking up the slack and that is it simple and I don't have to worry about them has always worked fine I think if a person uses the rod eyes and the rods they work just fine also I had it that way before works great also. I used 3/4" rod inside 3/4" EMT it is both light and strong on the side units if I have problems with it the other way I still have the others I can put back but so far it is working just fine.
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Old 08-25-2011, 09:30 PM   #18
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f1100turbo, check your cargo bars to see if there is any movement back and forth. If there is, your camper will move as well. Because mine allows no movement whatsoever, my camper is rock solid. I am very sensitive to movement, so am a tad fussy about my camper moving around.
If the cargo bars have any slop in them, as the ones I have seen do, then there is no way they will work as well as my setup. This isn't a contest, but just simple fact.
But you probably aren't as sensitive to movement as I am, so the cargo bars would probably be ok. I just don't see any advantage.
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Old 01-02-2012, 09:46 PM   #19
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I'd like to do something like this, what size are the tubes that slide into one another? Also, with the bolt that locks them, does it go into a detent on the inner tube or just crank down on it?
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Old 01-02-2012, 10:58 PM   #20
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It is only about a 1/2 " diameter solid rod that slides inside a 1/8" wall tube. The lock bolt just squeezes the rod, no 'detent', as the position changes with the difference in the slopes of the camping sites. You need to use a solid rod on the inside, as the lock bolt would collapse a tube.

I did not make one for the rear as of yet, as I would have to crawl under the camper to tighten the lock bolt. There is still a bit of movement because of that, so I bought a set of X-chocks for the tires, hoping that will make up the difference. I haven't tested them out yet. But it is already a billion times better than not having any stabilzers, and quite a bit better than using the fifth wheel pin stabilizer I had before. (and much easier to use).
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