Stabilizers

tko9900 wrote:

RinconVTR wrote:
I have used BAL locking arms on my last two trailers. They are cheap and work exactly the same. Difference being T handle vs bolt to lock them.

I highly prefer the bolt, and use a jack arm to reach the bolt to tighten and loosen. If I had the T handles, I'd have to reach under and twist/untwist which I find awkward.

I never tighten the locking bolt until the jacks are down and trailer is level. All you need is to forget that bolt is tight when the jack is up and you'll make a mess of the shaft when you try yo lower the jack.

The bolts on the BAL's do not back out on their own FYI. Come to think of it, I do not recall ever removing any one of the locking bolts!

Think this is the route that I will go. (The bolts on the BAL's do not back out on their own FYI.) One last thing to deal with breaking down to hit the road & than setting up again.

Well not any chipper than JT’s as the are two arms for $70+ and JT’s can be bought with six arms for about $230, I got mine for $184, and I don’t need a wrench or tool to tighten the T bolt.

RinconVTR wrote:
I have used BAL locking arms on my last two trailers. They are cheap and work exactly the same. Difference being T handle vs bolt to lock them.

I highly prefer the bolt, and use a jack arm to reach the bolt to tighten and loosen. If I had the T handles, I'd have to reach under and twist/untwist which I find awkward.

I never tighten the locking bolt until the jacks are down and trailer is level. All you need is to forget that bolt is tight when the jack is up and you'll make a mess of the shaft when you try yo lower the jack.

The bolts on the BAL's do not back out on their own FYI. Come to think of it, I do not recall ever removing any one of the locking bolts!

Think this is the route that I will go. (The bolts on the BAL's do not back out on their own FYI.) One last thing to deal with breaking down to hit the road & than setting up again.

I have used BAL locking arms on my last two trailers. They are cheap and work exactly the same. Difference being T handle vs bolt to lock them.

I highly prefer the bolt, and use a jack arm to reach the bolt to tighten and loosen. If I had the T handles, I'd have to reach under and twist/untwist which I find awkward.

I never tighten the locking bolt until the jacks are down and trailer is level. All you need is to forget that bolt is tight when the jack is up and you'll make a mess of the shaft when you try yo lower the jack.

The bolts on the BAL's do not back out on their own FYI. Come to think of it, I do not recall ever removing any one of the locking bolts!

thinking somebody would remove one of our T handles I carry 2 short bolts of that thread size. I have never tighten for traveling but ??

chevman

We have JT's and love them! they make our 32' 5er rock solid without X chocks. The hardware is top quality and strong instillation was easy. I got my set from CW on sale for $185, both Amazon and PPL Motor Homes have very good pricing currently.
I feel the six shorter arms are much better as the front two corners have two direction bracing and the rear one direction. Set properly 5er is like a rock.
I hand tighten the T bolts tight when setting up and then per instructions tension it all with a short final lift of the front landing gear.

I keep T bolts snug when traveling.

Halmfamily wrote:
Checkout Steadyfast Stabilizers, three knobs to tighten and your set up. Took about two hours to install. A little more expensive than JT's but they are with it, in my opinion. Also, outstanding customer service and the owner of the company will answer any questions you have.

+1 on Steadyfast

Good to know that not much force is needed to snug up. If you do lose the JT handles it's pretty expensive for replacements.

I have the JTs. They are pretty heavy duty and well made. From pictures they look to be a bit heavier grade than the Bals. I always tighten the handles when travelling. Partly out of fear of them falling out but more to stop anything from rattling.

I haven't tried but I imagine you could replace the handles with a bolt of the same thread if you'd prefer to use a tool to tighten. My handles only take a 1/2 turn to tighten and don't need a lot of force so I never felt the need for tools.

JTs are standard on Open Range. On our first trip with it I didn't tighten the T-handles while travelling and lost one. The best deal I could find for a replacement was on ebay- about $20 for a 2-pack.
JK

I have the BAL's. I have lost a couple of the locking bolts, they are a standard hardware store item. I bought strickly on price as they were the cheapest I could find.

Having said that, next trailer it will be Steady Fast. I have a friend who has the SF. After watching him use his, that is what I want. Only three to tighten instead of six. JMHO