I almost had a major disaster. It certainly put me into panic mode! I've been using a 10" stack of stabilizer pads under the tongue jack landing gear, ever since I got this camper. It takes forever for the foot plate to reach the ground. Someone told me to use the stack to shorten the distance that the motor has to drop it. I have had no problems. This time, everything went as usual. I brought the jack down with the foot plate in the center of the stack, unhitched, and pulled the truck forward. Then I was ready to level the camper from front to back. I went inside to check my level, came back to the tongue jack, started to lower the front end and noticed that the landing gear had slid, and close to half of the foot plate was hanging off the edge of the damned stack of pads! I knew I had to get the trailer back on the hitch STAT! But, when I pushed the button to raise the receiver high enough to go on the hitch ball, the foot plate slid some more! I got in the truck and backed it up, but I was so panicked I had to pull forward and try again about three times. I finally made myself calm down and do it right. I got it on the hitch, took that **** stack away, and brought the tongue jack foot plate down on a small board I keep for leveling. Disaster averted. I really don't know what would have happened if it totally fell off the support stack, but it couldn't be good!

Probably would have bent the tongue jackYou do use WHEEL CHOCKS ---correct?First ON...last OFFSo trailer can NOT move

X2. Always chock the trailer wheels.

I had a friend that used to put his 5th wheel landing gear on 14" blocks. I kept warning him but he continued until this one boondocking trip. The terrain was not level at all. Four days of camping finally caused one side to slip off and the other to flip sideways. It was sitting so low he couldn't get it to lift high enough to hitch up because his leg extensions were fully retracted. Luckily, I had two bottle jacks to pick it up. We used those blocks for firewood before we left.Dave

The scenario described can't happen IF the trailer is properly chocked. This is why I use the weight of the trailer bearing down on a set of wheel pads to absolutely prevent my trailer from shifting on my significantly sloped driveway which also requires an 18" stack under the tongue jack to level the trailer.Recently I got lazy and thought I'd forgo the pads and just stick a set of Fastway One-Step Chocks between the tires but when I came out later I later discovered the trailer had shifted forward, just slightly but also just enough to tip the tongue jack stack. Like the OP I was shocked, but also lucky because if it had slipped completely the tongue would have dropped about 3' and unquestionably have bent. :EWhen camping I use Lynx blocks mounted to a wood base plate for side-to-side leveling and a set of rubber chocks secured with hardwood spacers between each set of tires which absolutely prevent the trailer from shifting in either direction regardless of site slope.And FWIW, I always use a 4x stack under the tongue jack when camping, only replacing it with a single piece of 3/4" plywood when the trailer is sitting on a tongue low site.Properly chocked, there's no reason to not use a stack of any height under the tongue jack. :)

Scary: footplate slipped out of position! | Good Sam Community

47 Replies

bstar1952
Explorer
Aug 16, 2017
Happened to me last year, stupidly didn't chock the wheels and TT completely fell off the block, about 8" high. Lucky for me there was no damage but it did scare the s**t out of me. Trust me, I will never ever not use chocks before unhitching.
Atlee
Explorer II
Aug 16, 2017
How did it move with the wheel chocks in place?

jjjandrbaker wrote:
I almost had a major disaster. It certainly put me into panic mode! I've been using a 10" stack of stabilizer pads under the tongue jack landing gear, ever since I got this camper. It takes forever for the foot plate to reach the ground. Someone told me to use the stack to shorten the distance that the motor has to drop it. I have had no problems. This time, everything went as usual. I brought the jack down with the foot plate in the center of the stack, unhitched, and pulled the truck forward. Then I was ready to level the camper from front to back. I went inside to check my level, came back to the tongue jack, started to lower the front end and noticed that the landing gear had slid, and close to half of the foot plate was hanging off the edge of the damned stack of pads! I knew I had to get the trailer back on the hitch STAT! But, when I pushed the button to raise the receiver high enough to go on the hitch ball, the foot plate slid some more! I got in the truck and backed it up, but I was so panicked I had to pull forward and try again about three times. I finally made myself calm down and do it right. I got it on the hitch, took that **** stack away, and brought the tongue jack foot plate down on a small board I keep for leveling. Disaster averted. I really don't know what would have happened if it totally fell off the support stack, but it couldn't be good!
SoundGuy
Explorer
Aug 16, 2017
The scenario described can't happen IF the trailer is properly chocked. This is why I use the weight of the trailer bearing down on a set of wheel pads to absolutely prevent my trailer from shifting on my significantly sloped driveway which also requires an 18" stack under the tongue jack to level the trailer.

Recently I got lazy and thought I'd forgo the pads and just stick a set of Fastway One-Step Chocks between the tires but when I came out later I later discovered the trailer had shifted forward, just slightly but also just enough to tip the tongue jack stack. Like the OP I was shocked, but also lucky because if it had slipped completely the tongue would have dropped about 3' and unquestionably have bent. :E

When camping I use Lynx blocks mounted to a wood base plate for side-to-side leveling and a set of rubber chocks secured with hardwood spacers between each set of tires which absolutely prevent the trailer from shifting in either direction regardless of site slope.

And FWIW, I always use a 4x stack under the tongue jack when camping, only replacing it with a single piece of 3/4" plywood when the trailer is sitting on a tongue low site.

Properly chocked, there's no reason to not use a stack of any height under the tongue jack. :)
azrving
Explorer
Aug 16, 2017
.
byronlj
Explorer
Aug 16, 2017
I had a friend that used to put his 5th wheel landing gear on 14" blocks. I kept warning him but he continued until this one boondocking trip. The terrain was not level at all. Four days of camping finally caused one side to slip off and the other to flip sideways. It was sitting so low he couldn't get it to lift high enough to hitch up because his leg extensions were fully retracted. Luckily, I had two bottle jacks to pick it up. We used those blocks for firewood before we left.
Dave
carringb
Explorer
Aug 16, 2017
X2. Always chock the trailer wheels.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Aug 16, 2017
Probably would have bent the tongue jack

You do use WHEEL CHOCKS ---correct?

First ON...last OFF

So trailer can NOT move

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Scary: footplate slipped out of position!

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