Stabilizer Jack Pressure

[indy roadrunner]

OK, I come from the Class A ranks where I push a button, hydralic jacks come down and I tweek here and tweek there to get level. Now I do understand that with the 5ver frame we can't be messing around with a lot of jacks so you use some blocks under wheels for left to right leveling and put the landing gear down and level up fore and aft. Now here comes the big question - are you ready? When you lower the aft stabilizer jacks how much pressure do you put on them. Once the pads touch the ground do you add one, two, three turns - just how much pressure are we allowed here without bending the Monty in the middle?

[Searchers]

There's at least one MOC member that's had the Class A type jacks installed on her rig Phil and it's a $nazzy $etup. I don't tighten my stabilizers more than a couple of turns once they hit the ground. I imagine you'll bend the stabilizers before you tweak the frame.

[deerrahn]

I just crank them firm. Don't want to hurt the coach or bend the jacks. Hopefully it will keep the coach from rocking. For this summers travels I would like to get a tripod since as we are going to be in one place for 2 months. It is all experimental. Suggestion is "Don't Overdo".

[RonS]

I dont know how tight to get them, but I do know that they and you will be happier if you take them back up before you pull out. Just removed mine and got all the bent parts back in place after I forgot.

[indy roadrunner]

Oh RonS - not good. Being a former Pilot - check-list is a good thing. I now work for a trucking company and we call it "pre-trip" inspection.
I think the other comments sounds fair. Put them to them ground and snug a little.

[Amps]

Here is what I have been doing:
I use a tripod in the front.
I level the 5th wheel, raise up 1/2 inch, set the tripod as thight as possible, lower back to level.
As for the back I lower the jacks just so they are really snug and then just about 1/2 to 1 turn. Recheck every week or so and adjust as necessary.
These jacks don't look like they were made to level the trailor.

[gkbutler]

When we stop, we get the side to side done then drop the stabalizers just to get the pressure off the hitch then unhook. We then raise the front until we get level. Then I drop the back jacks to stabalize the unit. Usually about one or two turns after the jacks hit the blocks. We use the tripod and the wheel chocks to stop the movement and they work very well.

[VanMan]

I use a cordless drill motor to run mine up and down. When the stabiliezr hits ground and the drill starts to labor, I quit. Sometimes the next day (after settling) I may tighten them up a little with the provided hand crank - but usually just a turn or two at the most.

[patodonn]

Level side-side and then fore-aft. Then extend the aft struts onto some sort of blocks. I also use a drill and appropriate socket until the drill motor "loads" up...so much easier. Once the aft struts are set, I go foreward and hit the fwd strut "EXT" switch for less than 1/2 sec. That gives the "extra" loading for the aft struts. Then, I install the tripod (bipod)under the kingpin and tighten it up "snug". Last step is to install the locking chocks between both curb and street side wheels.

When we get ready to leave, I reverse the process, except I hit the "RET" for the fwd struts for about 2 sec. Make sure the kingpin support is removed first. That "unloads" any pressure from the aft struts before I retract them, using the drill and socket.

Been doing this for 3 years full timing. We've done well over a hundred "set-ups" and "departures" in that time period, and have had no problems with the aft struts.

We just sat through gusting winds of over 45 mph last night and the rig didn't even hardly wiggle. The kingpin support makes a huge difference in side-to-side movement, and the combination of the aft struts, locking wheel chocks and kingpin support take out almost all verticle "bounce" and fore-aft "wiggle".

Best to all,

[HomeOnTheRoad]

Patodonn is it better to do the wheel chocks after everything else? I always do it first. Maybe your way is better.

I do a half turn on the rear stabilizers after snug.

Some members put jacks on the frame behind the wheels or in front of the wheels.

[patodonn]

Re the locking chocks in first or last, I suspect (defitely ONLY a H.O.) that last is better, only because there should be no tendancy for anything to move or shift, relative to the suspension and wheels, after everything else is all completed.

I have a set of four stabalizing jacks, as yet unused, because they are too short to reach to the frame from the ground. Maybe someday I'll get some more shoring for them, but have not found the need yet to do so. The Monty is pretty solid the way we have it set up now. I may sell the unused supports soon. I don't want to carry a bunch of shoring around, and I wouldn't go to the effort is setting them up unless we were going to be "in place" for several weeks or more.

This is all strictly opinion...but it has worked fine for us for 3 yrs.

Hope that is of some help..

[sreigle]

PJ, we sold the separate triangular trailer jacks and mounted scissor jacks to the frame. This eliminates the up and down bouncing movement. It does not help a lot on the side to side, though. The jacks came with self tapping screws. I had some doubts about how they would hold up but they're still tight as the day I installed them over two years ago.

I also like your idea about using the between wheel chocks after the other stabilizers are set. I have a set of those yellow behind wheel chocks so will use those to keep the thing from rolling into the lake while I'm trying to set it up, then will mount the between wheel chocks. Good idea. I'm anxious to see how it works for me. Thanks.

I also use a cordless drill, like VanMan, to get them snug, but fine tune that with the manual crank. I do the rear stabilizers first, then lower the scissor jacks until they are just snug. That's all that's needed to stop the up and down movement. If I cranke the scissor jacks any more then the rear stabilizers would no longer be snug.