Tires off the Ground

[knapper42]

I store my rig under cover on a dirt floor so I park the tires on rubber mats to insulate them from the ground. On occasion I will lift the tires off of the ground and spin the tires so they will sit on a different spot.
Today for some reason after lifting the tires and then re-leveling all the tire stayed off of the ground. Usually the tire sit with on the pads but with most of the weight on the leveling jacks. I've never left the tires off of the ground for any length of time so I thought I would ask the forum for thoughts and advice for how long can one leave the tires off of the ground.

 

[Carl n Susan]

I have had one side off the ground for a month. And the whole RV in the air for almost that long to pack wheel bearings (I am slow and was interrupted by house guests). The jacks have more than enough capacity to lift and support the RV. As long as the seals are good, I suspect it can stay that way for a long time.

However, I would manually lower the RV by retracting the jacks and then re-level. Having the tires on the level ground seems like a good idea to me,

 

[knapper42]

Thanks Carl. Just the info I needed.

 

[foldbak]

The jacks will certainly raise the wheels off the ground and stay as long as the system is stable. Personally I'm not a fan of leaving a prolonged strain on the frame by keeping the wheels off the ground.

 

[Theunz]

The jacks will certainly raise the wheels off the ground and stay as long as the system is stable. Personally I'm not a fan of leaving a prolonged strain on the frame.

I would think that the wider spaced jacks would distribute the weight more evenly than the closely spaced spring hangers, but I’m certainly no engineer.

 

[scottz]

I would go to manual mode, lower the wheels and level again (I usually level manually).

My RV sits on its wheels all the time; I only lower the front jacks while in storage.

I frequently use the jacks for maintenance, but always use jack stands before getting under the RV.

 

[beeje]

In the offseason say from beginning of December to April my unit stays in a pole barn with all the jacks down and the wheels off the ground. Same situation in between trips. Never had any issues

 

[tractorman2]

I don't know what the fuss is about with leaving the rv up in the air. The front jacks have the weight of the rv all the time anyhow.

 

[bigred715]

I have our trailer under cover on gravel with small pieces of plywood under the tires. I also have wheel covers and spin the tires every 2 months so they don't get flat spots on tires. The trailer sets all winter until July. Don't know if spinning tires does any good, but can't hurt.

 

[Kfinnert]

Another Viewpoint -

We use hydraulic rams to lift all sorts of equipment at the farm. As long as the seals are good, you should be good for a lift; but I am very hesitant suggesting that using the rams as a long-term solution is a good idea.

I do not depend upon the rams to maintain the lift due to the weight of the object being lifted. I will place blocks under the equipment and rest the equipment on blocks (jack stands); and release the pressure off of the rams and seals.

Over the long term, the weight of the rig will weaken the seals and, eventually, the rams will settle. When this occurs, it will be time to rebuild the rams and replace the seals. In my humble opinion, blocking the axels saves money and down time in the future.