Tripod support for too-short stabilizer jacks
Since I flipped my axles for extra ground clearance, my stabilizers don’t reach the ground; I usually bring a stack of big wooden blocks to make up the difference. But the blocks are a little bit uns...
Forum Discussion
Now I see what you are saying, Kiwi and Newman! Yes, that is a good idea, but it just adds more complication to the design -- the goal was to have something sturdy and easy to assemble and disassemble and store. To make up for a base plate, I have those very deep holes in the top of the tripod, so that the legs can't spread out -- they are firmly in place.
Precisely because there was no base plate, I was worried about what would happen on loose ground -- on our most recent trip (the maiden voyage for the tripods), one of the tripods was on rocky soil, but the other one was on very loose dirt. I cranked the jacks down quite firmly -- the legs barely budged. They did not penetrate the soil much, because the legs are so wide.
This design, by the way, is based on an old style three legged milking stool, a very sturdy object that can support a very sturdy milkmaid! Usually, of course, the legs are permanently attached with a wedged tenon coming through the top -- I have made several pieces of furniture using this joint, and it is rock-solid. But in this instance, I wanted the legs to pull out of the hole for storage.
Precisely because there was no base plate, I was worried about what would happen on loose ground -- on our most recent trip (the maiden voyage for the tripods), one of the tripods was on rocky soil, but the other one was on very loose dirt. I cranked the jacks down quite firmly -- the legs barely budged. They did not penetrate the soil much, because the legs are so wide.
This design, by the way, is based on an old style three legged milking stool, a very sturdy object that can support a very sturdy milkmaid! Usually, of course, the legs are permanently attached with a wedged tenon coming through the top -- I have made several pieces of furniture using this joint, and it is rock-solid. But in this instance, I wanted the legs to pull out of the hole for storage.
