Forum Discussion

DallasSteve's avatar
DallasSteve
Nomad
Nov 20, 2023
Solved

My Travel Trailer Fell Down

I was putting yellow blocks under my travel trailer wheels on one side to level it.  My lot is not paved, not gravel, just dirt and grass.  I did the job and it was great.  It was level.  Then I was adjusting the entry steps and the tongue jack slid off its yellow blocks and the whole trailer crashed to the side.  Fortunately no one was hurt.  I tried the tongue jack and it still works.  But I need to get it all raised back up because I can't get it hooked up to the truck without putting some blocks under the tongue jack.  Someone told me those yellow blocks don't work well on regular soil.  What would you do to get out of this mess?  (I do not like this new forum.  I do not like it Good Sam I am.)

  • valhalla360's avatar
    valhalla360
    Nov 20, 2023

    Raise it up as much as you can then use jack stands or wood cribbing to hold the a-frame. Raise the jack and put more cribbing under the jack, so you can raise it further.

    Honestly, I don't like using lots of blocks under the tires or jack. I typically limit the tires to a couple of 2x? thickness before looking at other sites. I do have a wood stand I made for the jack but it's about 1ftx1ft, so unlikely to slip. It's made of 2x4s, so plenty strong. 

    If it's your permanent storage site, I would try to level it, so you don't need any blocks. 

  • valhalla360's avatar
    valhalla360
    Navigator
    Nov 20, 2023

    Raise it up as much as you can then use jack stands or wood cribbing to hold the a-frame. Raise the jack and put more cribbing under the jack, so you can raise it further.

    Honestly, I don't like using lots of blocks under the tires or jack. I typically limit the tires to a couple of 2x? thickness before looking at other sites. I do have a wood stand I made for the jack but it's about 1ftx1ft, so unlikely to slip. It's made of 2x4s, so plenty strong. 

    If it's your permanent storage site, I would try to level it, so you don't need any blocks. 

    • DallasSteve's avatar
      DallasSteve
      Nomad
      Nov 20, 2023

      Tammy & Mike

      Thanks for the tips.  I'm not clear on what would be a stable wood cribbing for a tongue jack.  I Googled it and this is one of the first photos that comes up.  Honestly that doesn't look much better than the yellow plastic blocks I bought at Walmart.  My thought at this point is to use the second set of wheel chocks from Walmart to secure the wheels on both sides and then proceed to jack it up and support it with the yellow blocks again.  As far as making the site level without blocks I also have no idea how to do that.

       

  • MFL's avatar
    MFL
    Nomad II
    Nov 20, 2023

    You need to use a short jack to raise the tongue back up enough to get support under the camper jack. Your 250 jack may work, with a support under it. You may try to borrow a short bottle jack, or even a scissor jack, if the 250 jack won't fit. Using some chocks on all tires may have prevented this mishap.

    • DallasSteve's avatar
      DallasSteve
      Nomad
      Nov 20, 2023

      MFL

      I was shopping for an extra set of chocks and it occurs to me there will be a problem to use them if I also place blocks under those wheels to level the trailer.  The driver side is too low so I put yellow blocks under them and it was level, but then it rolled off the blocks.  I'm not sure if I can securely place the chocks between those wheels when they are raised on the yellow blocks.  I may need to have more yellow blocks and build a full line of them and drive the wheels upon them and then place the chocks between the wheels on top of the yellow blocks.  But I'm not sure if the yellow blocks will stay even so the chocks will fit.  The 2 chocks will barely fit between the wheels which gives them a snug, secure fit.

  • rjstractor's avatar
    rjstractor
    Nomad
    Nov 20, 2023

    I would first try putting wood blocks under the trailer frame, and then retracting the jack enough to get some wood underneath the jack.  If there isn't enough space to do that (if you can't retract the jack enough to get wood under it), you could try getting a floor jack under the frame to lift the tongue.  You've probably figured it out by now, but it's best to set up on a firm, compacted surface.  You can do it on grass, but you need to use something substantial (like wood) to spread the weight of the trailer out so it doesn't sink or shift.

  • bpounds's avatar
    bpounds
    Nomad
    Nov 20, 2023

    I think the real issue was your chocks did not hold.  Trailer shifted.  It had to, or else the tongue jack would not have shifted.  BTDT.  When we had a TT we quit using a block under the tongue jack for that very reason.

    Also, if this is your own lot, you might want to just dig a couple of holes for the high side tires to sit in to achieve level.  No blocks to deal with, probably no chocks needed, and your entry steps will be lower.  I always tried to do that when in campsites where it was allowed, which is just about any plain dirt sites.

    • DallasSteve's avatar
      DallasSteve
      Nomad
      Nov 20, 2023

      bpounds

      Thanks.  I agree.  I now think it shifted because I didn't have wheel chocks on both sides.  I am going to use chocks on both sides in the future.  I will ask the park what I can do about levelling the trailer and maybe they will let me did out a little dirt on the high side.

  • opnspaces's avatar
    opnspaces
    Navigator II
    Nov 20, 2023

    Yep been there once. It's down now so hopefully it doesn't move during recovery. But get some wood, some big stones, borrow some blocks from a neighbor but try to get at least one wheel blocked front and back on each side  of the trailer. Get everybody out of the trailer.

    Then crank up the tongue jack as high as it will go. Now find a jack, a jack stand, something to put under the tongue that will temporarily support it in the air. Lower the tongue jack until this new support is holding the weight. Then retract the jack as high as it will go. Add spacers under the jack (at this point if it was me I would probably use my yellow blocks as spacers) and  crank the tongue up higher until you can hitch it to the truck. Then reposition as needed to make sure it's in as flat a spot as you can find.

    • DallasSteve's avatar
      DallasSteve
      Nomad
      Nov 20, 2023

      opnspaces

      That's basically my plan.  When I block my wheels I like to put them in between my wheels like this because I think there's no way they can slip like this.  Is this a bad idea for any reason?

       

      • bpounds's avatar
        bpounds
        Nomad
        Nov 20, 2023

        That's good, but if only on one side the trailer can still twist.  Particularly if the jack is up on blocks, because the stack of blocks can tilt as the twist occurs.  I just think a stack of blocks under the tongue jack are almost always a bad idea.  One pad to distribute the load is good, just don't stack them up.

  • opnspaces's avatar
    opnspaces
    Navigator II
    Nov 20, 2023

    This is what I think most people are picturing when they suggest cribbing. The last 4x4 standing on it's end would lay down flat across the stack centered under the jack. You can also use cribbing to hold up the tongue in the process above. 

  • opnspaces's avatar
    opnspaces
    Navigator II
    Nov 20, 2023

    No on the cinder block, it is not a good load bearing substitute. What was under the jack when it fell? How many yellow blocks were stacked up?

    • DallasSteve's avatar
      DallasSteve
      Nomad
      Nov 20, 2023

      Opnspaces

      When it fell it was on about 5 yellow blocks.  They have worked well for me over 6 months.  I still think the problem came because I put one set of wheels on blocks to level that side, but I did not have chocks on the wheels on that side, only the other side.  It appears the trailer rotated toward that side with no chocks and the tongue jack slid off the yellow block.  If they had been wooden blocks I think the same thing would have happened.

      • opnspaces's avatar
        opnspaces
        Navigator II
        Nov 20, 2023

        I agree the same thing would have happened on wood blocks.. The hard part is blocking the tires that are sitting up on the plastic jacks so the blocks don't slip. I have done a few different things for in this situations. But what seems to be most reliable is something between the two tires like what MFL posted.

         

         

  • DallasSteve's avatar
    DallasSteve
    Nomad
    Nov 20, 2023

    MFL

    I was thinking the same thing about the chocks.  It looks like the trailer rotated toward the side that didn't have chocks.  I thought one side was enough, but I didn't think about it enough.  I was also thinking about the jack for my F-250 but the trailer weight is around 10,000 pounds.  Most of that weight is probably carried by the tires, but that still leaves a lot on the tongue.  But I think I remember tongue weight being around 15% of the total.  If that is true then maybe the jack only has to lift about 2,000 pounds.  I'll buy another set of chocks.  Do you think I can use my yellow plastic RV blocks to support the F-250 jack and the tongue once I have things chocked or what would you buy to support them?  I'm also going to ask the park here if I can switch to a concrete pad.  My neighbor has one, but most are grass pads.

    • MFL's avatar
      MFL
      Nomad II
      Nov 20, 2023

      Steve   I think your truck jack is capable if it will fit under. Your tongue weight is likely around 1,500, I'm not a fan of plastic blocks, and I'd use a piece of sturdy wood under the jack. If you have access to a saw, I'd buy a 2x6 and build a crib for support. You can purchase various purpose built pads for under the jack.

  • DallasSteve's avatar
    DallasSteve
    Nomad
    Nov 20, 2023

    Update: I bought more wheel chocks and chocked both sides.  Then I raised the jack out of the dirt. (I will try to post a picture).  I need to raise it another 12 inches to hook up to my truck.  Would a cinder block be a good solution? Is it sturdy enough to support a travel trailer?  Google's AI says it's not a good solution.  I don't like the wood cribbing idea.  It looks less stable to me.  What else can you suggest?  Does Home Depot or somebody sell something that assembles to do this job?

    Update 2: I forgot that the jack itself can extend another 6 to 12 inches.  I'm not sure if it will go far enough, but maybe. I just asked Google's AI and it said "The tongue jack on a 2022 Jayco Jay Flight typically has a lift range of 18 to 24 inches. "  I may give it a try.  I can probably get there with a few more yellow blocks under the jack and I've got at least 3 more.

     

    • rjstractor's avatar
      rjstractor
      Nomad
      Nov 21, 2023

      A properly built crib box is MUCH more stable than the stack of plastic blocks in your picture (speaking as a long time structural collapse rescue tech)- wood makes great material for this application for two reasons.  It crushes in a slow, noisy, predictable manner (unlike a cinder block which could fail without warning), and it has more friction than plastic.  The more weight that is on it, the less likely it is to slip, provided the cribbing is plumb (straight up and down), and on a firm, level surface.

    • dedmiston's avatar
      dedmiston
      Moderator
      Nov 20, 2023
      DallasSteve wrote:

      Update: I bought more wheel chocks and chocked both sides.  Then I raised the jack out of the dirt. (I will try to post a picture).  I need to raise it another 12 inches to hook up to my truck.  Would a cinder block be a good solution? Is it sturdy enough to support a travel trailer?  Google's AI says it's not a good solution.  I don't like the wood cribbing idea.  It looks less stable to me.  What else can you suggest?  Does Home Depot or somebody sell something that assembles to do this job?

      Update 2: I forgot that the jack itself can extend another 6 to 12 inches.  I'm not sure if it will go far enough, but maybe. I just asked Google's AI and it said "The tongue jack on a 2022 Jayco Jay Flight typically has a lift range of 18 to 24 inches. "  I may give it a try.  I can probably get there with a few more yellow blocks under the jack and I've got at least 3 more.

       

      Have you tried jacking it the rest of the way up? Looking at your photo it looks like there's enough clearance to run the jack all the way up and hitch it.

      If you're confident in your chocks, then there shouldn't be any harm in running the jack up.

      If you're nervous about your yellow cheese blocks, retract the jack an inch and rock it back and forth to see if the blocks give way.

      • DallasSteve's avatar
        DallasSteve
        Nomad
        Nov 20, 2023

        dedmiston

        I'm also thinking there may be enough range in the tongue jack to raise it up to the hitch.  I will try it later today or tomorrow.

        Thanks, Steve

         

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