jacks up or down?

My seasonal I leave the jacks down. My trailer in storage I leave the jacks up.

WyoTraveler wrote:

mountainsam wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
Just wondering why Californians are discussing long term winter storage? :h

Great question. I ask myself that sometimes.

It does get down to 31F in Cobb, CA. In my 40 years I spent in So CA it actually freezes once in a while except close to the beach. In the desert down to the 20s. In the mountains very cold.

#1 jacks up nose at the level I disconnected at, ready to go.

We never pack up for winter storage, I hate to see the 5er sit more than 30 days without use! We can get down to the 20's or lower in the greater Portland area, no reason not to go out!

Reality is it doesn't make much difference.

For a static situation, the tires are massively overdesigned, so they don't need help.

Two possible issues with leaving them down:
- If the tires go flat, the stabilizers may become overloaded. Most of the simple scissor style stabilizers are not designed to life the trailer. Also the frame may not be designed to be lifted from the corners.
- When you go to collect the trailer, don't forget to retract the stabilizers.

Not major concerns but something to think about.

Jacks up. Less exposure to jack legs. One less place for critters to use to enter RV.
No advantage to leaving them down. The suspension can handle the full weight of the RV bouncing down the road. It can certainly carry the weight of the RV just sitting.

I am a fan of UP.

Less exposure to weather.

Less stress on jacks/frame. 50mph winds here yesterday...it rocked but it did not roll.

Less paths for the unwanted to climb.

I store mine under cover in a three sided shed and they are up. Never gave it thought to having them down. Earlier this year on the TT forum there was a trailer with the jacks down that blew over.

I keep the jacks up during storage.
If you chose to keep them down during storage, spray the shafts with silicone.
Clean well and spray again before retracting them after winter storage.

I think it's a personal choice, up or down during storage. Some like to take weight off the tires/suspension.
I chose to not expose the shafts long term, to wind, snow and ice. If I stored the RV in a garage, maybe I would consider leaving them down.

mountainsam wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
Just wondering why Californians are discussing long term winter storage? :h

Great question. I ask myself that sometimes.

It does get down to 31F in Cobb, CA. In my 40 years I spent in So CA it actually freezes once in a while except close to the beach. In the desert down to the 20s. In the mountains very cold.

Looks like a nice place if you like seasons, but not brutal winters.

Cobb, California - Monthly weather averages summary.

Unfortunately, looks like most of the town suffered from last year's fire.

Wikipedia - 2015 Fire

I don't have a FW, but I like less touching the ground. Less places for little critters to climb.

mountainsam wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
Just wondering why Californians are discussing long term winter storage? :h

Great question. I ask myself that sometimes.

I suppose there is a Southern California and a Northern California and Temps can be vastly different.

My Jacks are always down.