Ultra-Fab Electric Stabilizers

I have I think the Lippert version that came with my fifth wheel and to be honest if they puked tomorrow I don't think I would replace them. They will stop the side to side motion ok but doesn't do much for the bounce factor. Not to mention they are painfully slow. I added a couple of scissors jacks to the back that I operate with a cordless drill, I could drop about a dozen of those in the time to lower the stabilizers lol. When my electric stabilizers puke someday I will put some JT strong arms on my scissors jacks.

Dan

Go to an RV show and give a side to side shake to trailers with those installed, then tell me they are worth squat.

When we ordered our present trailer I really wanted them...was dead set on them...the dealer talked me out of it. They were an expensive option that he could have easily included in our order and could have made money on.

Said they were problematic over time. Said keep using your driver drill.

Your choice, this was our experience.

Maybe those would work better than the ones that came on our toyhauler. Like was mentioned they are very slow, and I also would go back to manual ones if these quit working. A good 1/2" cordless drill and manual stabilizers is a lot cheaper than another set of powered ones. And much faster.

If you do much looking around on this forum you'll find quite a few people that install something like the JT Strongarm braces along with their auto-level setup to help make their coach more solid. I think that moving the stabilizers further inboard would make add a bit more wiggle that if they were at the corners.

I dont really like them. They come down together which is fine on level ground but if one side is lower than the other, you have to shim up the low side.

I'd much prefer just using an electric drill - which also comes in handy quite often.

ScottG wrote:
I dont really like them. They come down together which is fine on level ground but if one side is lower than the other, you have to shim up the low side.

I'd much prefer just using an electric drill - which also comes in handy quite often.

No shimming necessary on ours. If one side is lower than the other, one side stops when it hits the ground and the other side continues until it makes contact and then both sides lift together. One of the things I don't like is the higher the rear, the closer together the pads get to each other.

So reading through some of the comments, I want to make sure that folks see the difference between the version I'm considering and the Lippert junk that seems to be the most commonly referred to. I've seen the Lippert system and wasn't impressed at all. The one in my link operates independently on each side. Its also quite a bit more robust than the comparable Lippert project. Yes, its slow, but the difference is less than a minute...

I have the SteadyFast system installed already, which does a tremendous job in eliminating movement.

I am curious what the reasoning of the power stabilizers is, other than to lighten your wallet by $700. If you're keeping the manual ones, what's the point?

Heck, I'd get rid of the electric ones and go back to manual, just because they are so much quicker, with less risk of failure.

"Stabilizers"?? Hahaha... :B Ultrafab claims they stop front to back and side to side motion. Horse hooey. :M

If UF's electric stabilizers are anything like the two UF tongue jacks that died on us each within a couple of seasons, I doubt that they are much better than Lippert, if at all. I can't see the advantage of twin motors.

If you watch these jacks close up while someone walks up & down the entry steps, you'll be amazed at how much movement & flex there is in them. Adding stabilizer struts helps a lot. Note that at the front end, the tongue jack provides some reduction in vertical movement.

I installed a pair of BAL Lockarms on the rear only and they help a lot and see no need for a pair at the front. I mounted the upper end under the bumper and get side/side and fore/after reduction in movement (use X-chocks also). I also bolted a piece of 8x8 x 3/4" HDPE to the jack pads. Improves stability on softer ground and don't need to use blocks of wood every time.

With manual or electric jacks, the ideal mounting location isn't at the very forward or rear end of the frame on a trailer where they normally are. From an engineering perspective, the best location is 1/4 of the frame length in from each end so if installing new ones, could mount them in from each end. I can't see the need to leave the old jacks in place. It would help to relocate one pair to just ahead of the axle.

I do like the convenience of our electric stab jacks, but man are they sloooow or what. :(

Hammerboy wrote:
I have I think the Lippert version that came with my fifth wheel and to be honest if they puked tomorrow I don't think I would replace them. They will stop the side to side motion ok but doesn't do much for the bounce factor. Not to mention they are painfully slow. I added a couple of scissors jacks to the back that I operate with a cordless drill, I could drop about a dozen of those in the time to lower the stabilizers lol. When my electric stabilizers puke someday I will put some JT strong arms on my scissors jacks.

Dan

x2
my thoughts exactly. our TT came with the Lippert version