Levelling with Scissor Jacks
I know I'm going to get flamed, but I replaced the (4) OEM single arm stabilizers on my Trail Cruiser 30 ft travel trailer with (6) 24" scissor jacks. I experimented with lifting excessive weight with...
Forum Discussion
As an update....
Please remember that I have been experimenting with a travel trailer that does not hold much value, I have pushed the frame to the limit and observed the results. There have been some great responses (most against what I have done) and a lot of info has been provided for all readers.
I hope to "learn the hard way" on my low value trailer. I just upgraded my tow vehicle and will be getting a newer trailer after this camping season.
From the axles back the frame of my travel trailer is not intended to lift / jack and will flex a lot... that is when the bathroom door skews, the fridge door makes horrible noises, and the trailer makes noises when jacking. I will not lift it at the back of the frame at all. I removed the scissor jacks from the back corner and put them directly behind the tires very close to the axle plates. Now I have scissor jacks on either side of the tires and at the front corners. I have a-arm stabilizers at the back corners. I will duplicate this set-up on the next trailer.
I park my trailer, check side to side level and drive-up onto my leveling boards. Then I disconnect from the truck. I level fore-aft with the tongue jack. I lower the scissor jacks on either side of the wheels and fine tune the level side-to-side. Then I lower all remaining scissor jacks and stabilizers and just barely take the weight of the trailer. Solid, stable, and level.
I can easily lift a pair of wheels off the ground with the scissor jacks to either side of the wheels but have not needed to do so. I would use that method to change a flat tire since the jacks are very close to the axle plates (I couldn't bend the frame or plates there if I tried, and the plates are actually seam-welded to the I-beam frame which was a big surprise to me)
To sum it up....
The trailer CAN bend depending on where it is lifted from, lifting at the back of the frame actually pushes the frame upwards taking the floor with it. The walls are too rigid to bend with the frame, so the floor actually gets a dome shape to it if lifting from the back. If I cared about my trailer, that would send shivers down my spine. I imagine that it would be very easy to pull the floor right off the wall and cause SEVERE damage to the trailer. I have had zero problems lifting from either side of the tires or from the front scissor jacks (but there is no reason to lift with the front jacks anyway, since the tongue jack is right there)
I have used the front scissor jacks to hold the weight of the trailer and then raise my tongue jack and put blocks under it for very uneven sites then put the weight back onto the tongue jack.
There is a lot of movement from scissor jacks, and they look like they could easily collapse sideways with too much pressure on them.
Please remember that I have been experimenting with a travel trailer that does not hold much value, I have pushed the frame to the limit and observed the results. There have been some great responses (most against what I have done) and a lot of info has been provided for all readers.
I hope to "learn the hard way" on my low value trailer. I just upgraded my tow vehicle and will be getting a newer trailer after this camping season.
From the axles back the frame of my travel trailer is not intended to lift / jack and will flex a lot... that is when the bathroom door skews, the fridge door makes horrible noises, and the trailer makes noises when jacking. I will not lift it at the back of the frame at all. I removed the scissor jacks from the back corner and put them directly behind the tires very close to the axle plates. Now I have scissor jacks on either side of the tires and at the front corners. I have a-arm stabilizers at the back corners. I will duplicate this set-up on the next trailer.
I park my trailer, check side to side level and drive-up onto my leveling boards. Then I disconnect from the truck. I level fore-aft with the tongue jack. I lower the scissor jacks on either side of the wheels and fine tune the level side-to-side. Then I lower all remaining scissor jacks and stabilizers and just barely take the weight of the trailer. Solid, stable, and level.
I can easily lift a pair of wheels off the ground with the scissor jacks to either side of the wheels but have not needed to do so. I would use that method to change a flat tire since the jacks are very close to the axle plates (I couldn't bend the frame or plates there if I tried, and the plates are actually seam-welded to the I-beam frame which was a big surprise to me)
To sum it up....
The trailer CAN bend depending on where it is lifted from, lifting at the back of the frame actually pushes the frame upwards taking the floor with it. The walls are too rigid to bend with the frame, so the floor actually gets a dome shape to it if lifting from the back. If I cared about my trailer, that would send shivers down my spine. I imagine that it would be very easy to pull the floor right off the wall and cause SEVERE damage to the trailer. I have had zero problems lifting from either side of the tires or from the front scissor jacks (but there is no reason to lift with the front jacks anyway, since the tongue jack is right there)
I have used the front scissor jacks to hold the weight of the trailer and then raise my tongue jack and put blocks under it for very uneven sites then put the weight back onto the tongue jack.
There is a lot of movement from scissor jacks, and they look like they could easily collapse sideways with too much pressure on them.
