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vtraudt's avatar
vtraudt
Explorer
Aug 27, 2021

Adding scissor jacks for side to side leveling

My Forest River Salem has electric 'stabilizer' jacks (pivot, won't work for side/side leveling even IF they were strong enough). And the usual front A frame jack. I do NOT like to drive onto (2x6...
Gdetrailer's avatar
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Aug 27, 2021
vtraudt wrote:
My Forest River Salem has electric 'stabilizer' jacks (pivot, won't work for side/side leveling even IF they were strong enough). And the usual front A frame jack.


Stabilizers are for "stabilization", period. Never designed or intended to "level".

They are there solely to reduce the up and down motion in the trailer when walking or moving about in said trailer unless it something like a motor home which is a whole nuther ball of wax.

vtraudt wrote:
I do NOT like to drive onto (2x6, lego blocks, curvy plastic thingies, etc). I rather put the trailer exactly where I want it, THEN do all the leveling. Front/back leveling with the front A frame jack is no issue.


WHY?

Extremely easy to setup using blocking under the wheels to level.

Park in your desired spot.

Pull forward 5 ft (or the length of your boards), place boards behind the trailer wheels.

Backup on top of the boards.

You will get within several inches of your desired spot and be level.

vtraudt wrote:
For side to side, I would like to add scissor jacks on (or near, 3/4 points, else) the main frame at each corner. From this weeks stay, it seems that most (all?) not so new trailers have just that. I watched dozens setting up (some with hand crank, some with power drill/impact).

My trailer has a max weight of 7000 lbs.
The main rails are one piece, going from front to back (no welds, no steps).

a) is it ok to 'lift' at the ends or near the ends of the main rails?
b) with theoretically 1/2 of the weight (3500 lbs) on one jack, should I pick 3500 lbs jacks, or go even higher?

I am not sure yet if I will permanently mount (if it works, I likely will), either weld on or bolt on (only reason not to would be weight/inertia added to the rear.

Also, if it works, I would REMOVE the electric stabilizers (the jacks will level AND stabilize) and maybe use the MOTORS (2 on hand. would by 2 more) and add 2 more switches for 'electric' leveling (not AUTO leveling).

Does someone have experience with this modification?
Concerns, suggestions, ideas?


A) NO, not "OK" to lift all the weight at the ends of the frame.

Frame and the box on top of the frame are designed and built for all the weight to bear down on the axles, lifting trailer at the ends will flex the frame and the box on top in ways that it shouldn't be flexed. You might not see the damage immediately but repeated extreme flexing has the potential to rip the bolts holding the box on top right through the wood framing of the floor.

B) You are on your own on this but I would think about a jack that can handle MORE than "half the load" would be a better choice because there is a good chance one jack will end up taking more weight than the other. Just way to unpredictable of a setup so erroring on the safer side should always be the rule of the day.

Something else you are missing, if you lift the trailer enough that the wheels loose contact with the ground, how are you planning to keep the trailer from moving forward and backwards????

Effectively you are removing the safety of chocking your wheels, wheel chocks are a very important safety item, only chock one side of trailer and now you have a good chance that the trailer can pivot and turn and you measly little jacks cannot stop that from happening.

If blocking under the wheels is not your cup o tea, then perhaps rethink your RV choice, perhaps a motor home with hydraulic jacks is the way you need to go.. They are designed to be able to be lifted off the ground via jacks.

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