Snap Pads Falling Off: How Common Is It and Should You Bolt Them?

[DeadSalmon]

I have seen a couple videos of people bolting their snap pads to their landing gear. There is no mention of this in the install videos from the MFR. Have any of you lost a snap pad once installed? Is this a thing?

I’m guessing it is possible on rigs with especially low hanging landing gear. Maybe scraping on the ground when under way.

 

[dalford]

I have has Snap Pads on our 5th wheel for probably 9 years. I did loose the front left pad but it was because I hit a semi tire that was unavoidable. I was glad that is all the damage done.

Never heard of anyone loosing one but I guess it could happen.

I would recommend them if you don’t have them. They create a larger footprint and are really good for all surfaces, especially soft surfaces or hot asphalt.

 

[reidfo]

I did see one YouTube video where they lost a snap pad. But that was the least of their worries. They also lost an entire wheel.

I have just been putting plastic landing pads under my stabilizers but I plan on buying snap pads to replace them. Convenient and less stuff to clutter the small passthrough storage. Just need to get out and measure Audrey's shoe size.

 

[Sunseeker16]

Just curious, what do you need them for anyway?

 

[reidfo]

Just curious, what do you need them for anyway?

More surface area to stabilize on or jack up if you have leveling jacks. Also many places require some sort of jack pad before they will allow you to put out stabilizers. Helps on soft ground too.

 

[LittleBill]

I haven't lost any. But I had a situation where one got turned up half-way (my fault) where part of the snap pad wasn't attached completely around the rim of the foot. When I traveled I did wrap some Gorilla tape on it so it didn't shake off. Just had the bent foot replaced and the snap pad re-installed with no problem.

Be safe -

 

[dalford]

Just curious, what do you need them for anyway?

You don’t need them but they are really nice for all the reasons already mentioned.

I used to use the little plastic pads or pieces of wood under my feet. But the snap pads give me a larger area and when I put them down, especially on a muddy or wet surface, I don’t have to dig the pads that I put down out of the mud and then store those somewhere in the fifth wheel.

Some motorhomes have their leveling Pads underneath the motorhome so if you wanna put down pads you need to get down and somehow put them under there. That means when you take them up and it’s muddy and dirty you gotta get down in the mud in the dirt. It just makes it easier and gives you more surface area and goes down in the mud of the dirt or wherever you are and you don’t have to worry about stowing anything away that has been in the mud or stuck in the mud when you try to get it out.

 

[scayne62]

I have lost 2, one in a parking lot with a pot hole big enough for a truck I could not avoid and the other I have no idea where it was lost, they do not stay on as advertised in my opinion but it is what it is I like them, I now only have them on the 4 corners, the center levelers do not have them

 

[laprez]

On my Sunseeker Class C (which has a low rear end), I lost the 2 rears ones within a week. I think it was the concrete berms at COE campgrounds. My front ones, no problems.

 

[ralpht52]

If you look you’ll find nightmare stories of motorhomes and the damage they can cause to the under carriage and toad as they bounce around when on the highway at 55+ mph. I can see why bolting them in would be a thing. I do have rubber pads I put down on soft surfaces and hot asphalt. It is a hassle but no damage.

 

[laprez]

I have seen a couple videos of people bolting their snap pads to their landing gear. There is no mention of this in the install videos from the MFR. Have any of you lost a snap pad once installed? Is this a thing?

I’m guessing it is possible on rigs with especially low hanging landing gear. Maybe scraping on the ground when under way.

Not sure about bolting, although I understand it. The problem might be, instead of losing the snappad, you might lose the jack.

 

[Air Cooled Nut]

My first guess would be to keep people from stealin' 'em

 

[dalford]

If you look you’ll find nightmare stories of motorhomes and the damage they can cause to the under carriage and toad as they bounce around when on the highway at 55+ mph. I can see why bolting them in would be a thing. I do have rubber pads I put down on soft surfaces and hot asphalt. It is a hassle but no damage.

Can you link these “nightmare stories”. Maybe not on this forum? Live been here since 2013 and must have missed them.

I can see where MH may have a clearance issue though. They sit pretty low to the ground.

 

[Edonabike]

We had snap pads previously on a previous class A and now on our class C. We have never lost one. I know they have you specify the make of rv so I assume they have different sizes for different jacks. Both of ours have fit so tight that the only way to install them is to lower the jacks so that they do snap in place.

 

[Top Cat-FRF]

I had a set on my previous motorhome with no issue of them ever coming off. Installed correctly it should not be a problem. On my current motorhome I did lose the left rear due to no fault of Snap Pad. The pad is very close to a swing arm coming off the axle and I assume that is what took the pad off going down the highway. I was warned of this issue when purchasing the pads. I bolted on the replacement pad and have not had any other issues.