use hydraulic lifts down or up in winter for storeing

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Effy,
According to your profile, you recently purchased your FIRST motor home, which you rent out. Your vast amount of experience is all you need to make a logical decision as to what to do with your jacks.

Why you getting all riled up crustie? Actually I have 2 rentals and a personal one. How many do you have? And the fact that I have only owned motorhomes for 3 years does not take into consideration I have been rv-ing since I was a child. But even if I were a newbie and never stepped foot in an RV still does not dismiss the lack of evidence as to a benefit of storing with jacks down. All I asked was why and what benefit. Frankly I don't think there is one. More to the point I think it invites more risk and potentially more costly issues having them down. But that's my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own. I thought perhaps there would be some major advantage. Thus far I haven't seen one. Whatever helps you sleep better. No offense, lighten up.

Johnadam wrote:
The rig's leveling jacks are designed to hold up the rig.. NOT to keep it from moving side to side or front to back.. If you lift ONE rear wheel of the ground then the rig can move forward or back (Since the parking brake and locks are on the drive shaft) and turn your jacks into very expensive pretzels.

If you lift BOTH either front or rear wheels off the ground then a side wind can pretzel the jacks the same way.

However using other types of supports (Jacking the wheels up with, say a 12 ton air/hydraulic jack and lowering them down on Jack Stands or on vapor blocks) is OK. No problem there at all.

Dang.. I can not telly you how many times I've typed those exact words about tires off the ground.


That said.. It is recommended you extend the jacks as you would if camping to take PART of the load off the suspension and tires.

NEVER take it all off unless you take special precautions to insure no movement, Jacks cost about 500 a pop (hydraulic on E-Bay) plus installation and I fear that will be expensive as well.

Tires: About 600 a pop but installation is included in that price.

Effy wrote:
But what's the point? What's the advantage to doing it vs not doing it? I've never done it as I never could get a real explanation or definitive proof as to benefit of storing this way? Not trying to be difficult, I just don't get it.

My reasons are unique to my coach as I have a torsilastic suspension instead of air springs or leaf springs. Only way to allow my suspension to rest is to take some weight off with jacks. This proved to be something I wished I had been doing all along as I had a major component failure (rear torsilastic tube)this summer. Essentially my coach is used about 30 nights a year and the rest of the time it sits (indoors) on it's own suspension. Had I been relieving weight all these years my suspension likely would have lasted forever. That's why I relieve weight now.

On edit I also want to mention I didn't relieve weight with my previous coach either a 1995 Bounder with leaf springs. After about 7 years I had suspension work required as one side slumped. I feel like for the nearly 11 months a year of sitting it might have been better to relieve some weight with the jacks.

Effy,
According to your profile, you recently purchased your FIRST motor home, which you rent out. Your vast amount of experience is all you need to make a logical decision as to what to do with your jacks.

Blaster Man wrote:

Effy wrote:
But what's the point? What's the advantage to doing it vs not doing it? I've never done it as I never could get a real explanation or definitive proof as to benefit of storing this way? Not trying to be difficult, I just don't get it.

What everybody else has said...it takes half the weight off the coach/tires.

Certainly not half, maybe 25%. There really is nothing to understand, I see no real benefit and no tangible information has come out. If you all are so inclined than do it. Comparing using your jacks in sunny Florida versus leaving them exposed in a northern tier state is pretty ludicrous. I would say covering the tires will get you further than lifting a little weight off the suspension. JMO, if every single coach owner went out tomorrow and put their jacks down I would still leave mine up. In fact, if you were to leave them down for an extended period, I would think it wise to run them up once a month when you do your genny check. Still, I don't see what lifting 25% of the weight is doing to help.

Flat spots on tires? I leave mine on the tires all winter and never had a flat spot. Using them because you have them, another one for the "um ok" pile. Full timers use them to level their coach because to do otherwise would make it unlevel. No mystifying logic there either. It's being used and needs to be leveled, not being stored. Again I don't do it simply becuase no one has ever been able to prove any real benefit to doing so. "I've been doing it for 30 years" is not really a reason. On the contrary it seems like you invite more risk leaving the jacks exposed vs a potential flat spot on a tire - which I have never witnessed. And I have never seen a tire lose so much air as to cause damage. If so you need new tires. And wouldn't they lose the same air with weight off? I'd rather visibly see a low tire with weight on it, than not be able to tell come spring and lower the jacks on a flat tire. To each his own. Since the gen needs to be excercise for an hour a month, at the same time move the coach a few feet to "rotate" the tires if it makes you feel better. I also repeatedly hear horror stories about jacks being stuck in the down position. Seems like prolonged use might invite this issue too. Maybe not, but weighing the risks, I'll keep em up and protected in the winter and take my chances with the evasive flat spot.But whatever works for you. I am just struggling with the logic.

Spizzer wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Effy wrote:
But what's the point? What's the advantage to doing it vs not doing it? I've never done it as I never could get a real explanation or definitive proof as to benefit of storing this way? Not trying to be difficult, I just don't get it.

As mentioned,this keeps a lot of the weight off of the suspension and tires, which ALWAYS lose air while in storage. To me the main reason I use them is because I HAVE THEM. They are an asset only if you use them. Stored in the "up" position they serve no useful purpose other than to add additional weight to the tires. Not using them is just wasting something that you paid for when you bought the coach.

I'm sorry but this logic escapes me. Do you leave your genny running, too?

Also, they are called leveling jacks, not suspension/tire relief jacks. So technically aren't you using them for the wrong purpose? This has been a curious discussion for me. In the end I guess if it doesn't cause any long term effect on the hydraulic system, it doesn't really hurt, and it is accepted that leaving weight on one spot on the tires is not good, then it may be a good practice. What happens if one of the rams leaks down so it has little or no force on it?

Jeff

Jeff,
Comparing a generator, with a running engine, to a static object, like an extended leveling jack, is obviously comparing apples to oranges. I leave my coach sitting level during storage, so my jacks are being used exactly as they were designed. My jacks are also the RVA jacks where the cylinder that is extended is not subject to rust if left exposed.
The people that are full timers also use their jacks 365 days a year so they are designed to be used regularly. As far as a ram leaking down.......sure it could happen but it won't cause any damage other than to just allow more weight on a tire or suspension. It also would alert the owner to a problem with his jacks that he would otherwise not be aware of.

the main reason for the ? was to get the tire of the ground was so they did not ruin the tires. by having them sit and get flat spot taking half load off i do that now. second was so when it drops in the neg degrees here the tire sit on concrete and i heard that was no go either.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Effy wrote:
But what's the point? What's the advantage to doing it vs not doing it? I've never done it as I never could get a real explanation or definitive proof as to benefit of storing this way? Not trying to be difficult, I just don't get it.

As mentioned,this keeps a lot of the weight off of the suspension and tires, which ALWAYS lose air while in storage. To me the main reason I use them is because I HAVE THEM. They are an asset only if you use them. Stored in the "up" position they serve no useful purpose other than to add additional weight to the tires. Not using them is just wasting something that you paid for when you bought the coach.

I'm sorry but this logic escapes me. Do you leave your genny running, too?

Also, they are called leveling jacks, not suspension/tire relief jacks. So technically aren't you using them for the wrong purpose? This has been a curious discussion for me. In the end I guess if it doesn't cause any long term effect on the hydraulic system, it doesn't really hurt, and it is accepted that leaving weight on one spot on the tires is not good, then it may be a good practice. What happens if one of the rams leaks down so it has little or no force on it?

Jeff

The first winter we had our Georgetown, I figured taking most of the weight off the tires, rather than having them stationary for 5 months in one position was probably better. It might have benefitted the tires, but. within a week or so, I noticed rust on the exposed piston rods of the jacks.

I polished it off and retracted the jacks. I contacted the manufacturer of the levelling system to inquire about leaving them out. Their reply was "As long as you're not close to salt water, you can leave them extended." When I inquired what their definition of "close" was, their reply was "within 60 miles". Since we're within about 60 yards (houses across the street are salt-water marina waterfront), I don't leave them down any more. I'm even leery about using them at waterfront campgrounds!

What I do now, about once a month during winter season, is to levitate front or back jacks until the wheels at that end are just off the ground (my third driveway is nearly flat and was specifically laid as an RV storage driveway), then I rotate the wheels at that end about 2/3 of a turn. Repeat at the other end the following month. At the end of our approximately 5-month annual downtime, the wheels on both axles have supported the static load in three different directions.

I don't know if it helps the tires or not, but I figure it can't hurt.