I have the initial stage of my repair sitting in clamps and setting, fresh fish tacos in my belly, and Budders is asleep on the floor of a very well stocked workshop. Thanks to all your tips and ideas, after getting in there I have a pretty good plan of how I will proceed.
KD4UPL wrote:
I noticed in the picture it looks like you didn't have your rear jack fully retracted. I always take mine all the way up just for that reason, more clearance. It looks like you have manually cranked jacks which probably does make it a pain to retract them any further than necessary. Consider getting a good 18v cordless drill like a Milwaukee or Dewalt. You can make an adapter to use the drill to run your jacks up and down.
Your are correct, they are manual jacks. I have a jack-crank adapter for my Makita, and the jacks are retracted as far as they will go. I was concerned about how low they seemed, but all the campers I saw with corner mounted jacks looked to be at a similar height, and I assumed that it must work out ok if so many are made that way (I try to have faith in American engineering).
I took it real slow on forest service roads and watched how close the jack feet were getting to the road surface as I articulated over ruts and potholes, and I had a good idea of what I could safely get over and across. The ditch I went into was softer than the white Ford I was avoiding, but it was deeper than I would have put a tire into if I had encountered it on my terms. I guess I may just pull the rear jacks off and stow them in the cab for now. It required a pry bar to remove the first one from it's mounting plate after I pulled the two bolts off. Are there jacks that raise up higher, or that telescope in more sections? Or is this why some people might opt to carry the tripod style potrable jacks?
