Thinking of adding two Scissor jacks to my springdale...

Personal experience with one of those 5K rated scissor jacks.

Just yesterday, I needed to remove a tire from my riding lawn mower. I couldn't find my utility jack, so, I grabbed one of those scissor jacks.

It lifted the lawnmower, I took off the wheel, walked two steps away, and heard a crunching sound. The 300 lb mower was now sitting on top of a twisted peice of junk.





Good thing, it wasn't my trailer sitting on that jack.

There is such a difference in trailer frames from one manufacturer to another that I would be afraid to guess which ones would be strong enough for leveling. I would get the trailer as close to level as possible, by the use of the tires, and then use the stabilizer jacks to put tension on the trailer frame to keep the trailer from wiggling. I actually use my stabilizer jacks to do minor leveling, but I wouldn't recommend that on most trailers.

I'd think that since the frame is supporting the entire trailer at the axle mounting points, it should be strong enough to support the trailer if it's jacked up pretty near to those axle mounting points??

The BAL scissor jacks I have have a #5000 load rating EACH... My entire trailer weighs #5000..

I'd say that you could do just what you propose with the jacks placed as close to the axles as you can.. The propane line is something you'll just have to deal with, as you would not want the jack to interfere with it in any way.

Now, if you were going to try to level by one of the CORNER jacks, you could do some twisting I'd think...

It seems the moment you even mention the word "level" and "jack" in the same sentence, people think you are going to twist your frame into a pretzel! :)

When I'm out of level side to side and a single board is too much, or not enough, I will use my rear jacks to 'fine tune' the level by giving it an extra turn or two on the low end. Then I'll snug up the other corners.

I've only got a 22' trailer, so this works for me... On a 30'+ trailer.. You might need to reconsider, but your mileage may vary...

Good luck!

Mitch

I have a third set mounted in front of the tires. I do use them for minor leveling adjustments. My frame is very stout, and up to the task. I see some that are like swiss cheese....Probably not a good idea with those types.

Like anything else, you gotta use your head.

I had the propane line issue as well. I made a custom spacer block to work around it. Later when I did my insulation upgrade, the line was in the way as well, so I ended up moving it over about 1 1/2". It was a lot easier than I thought it would be to do, and I wouldn't mess with the spacer block method again.

mosseater wrote:
most say to support the trailer by the frame rather than the axles.

Sources? I have not read one account of that for RVs, ones that travel and stay at campgrounds for < 15 days at a time.

Now we all may be jumping on the OP for a misuse of words about leveling with stabilizer jacks.

I'm going to put on my devil's advocate hat for a moment, just to bat this idea around. I have no authority, knowledge, or evidence that proves or disproves what I'm about to say.

I have read accounts in print about the "proper way" to jack up a trailer, and most say to support the trailer by the frame rather than the axles. So, if one were to support the frame, seems to me that the length of the frame would need to be effectively supported in smaller sections than just the four corners. Breaking up the span of one side of the trailer beam with a support in the center would seem appropriate enough to safely carry the weight, provided the supports were suitable to carry the weight. If my trailer weighs 8000 lbs, then four would carry about 2000lbs each. If I use six, the needed weight carrying capacity of each jack would then only be 1333 lbs. Jacks vary in capacity, but pretty sure most are within 2000 lbs, so the 1333 should be no issue. Now, granted, the exact weight carried by each jack will not be equal depending on trailer design and loading, but I'm not sure one couldn't level with jacks so positioned as long as the jacks were up to the task. If I could jack it up to work on it this way without damaging the frame, I could certainly level it to camp. If the trailer wheels never actually left the ground, they would actually still be carrying some of the remaining weight, which makes the overall proposition look even better. With the main caveates being that the wheels actually never leave the ground, creating a stablizing issue which could let the trailer fall, and that the jacks be adjusted incrementally and in proportion to each other. The only other issue might be dynamic loading (moving people, etc). Most campsites are typically fairly level (within 6" or so?) so we'd only be jacking weight around for level, not actually free lifting. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Opinions?

I added a third pair to my tt in front of the front axle. Great to minimize the bounce, not for leveling.

Level side to side with something (wood, plastic blocks, etc) under the low sire tires. Level front to back with the tongue jack.

Scissor jacks are used for stabilizing. You use them to essentially remove the bounce as the wheels are under springs which make transporting safer and more comfortable. Two near the front corners of the TT box, and two near the rear corners are generally all that are needed. Some people add additional ones closer to the wheels as that is where the springs are.

To answer the question I think you could slide the mount under the line as long as the line was not in contact with the jack's operations.

The bigger question is can your frame handle the stress that would be exerted by the jack to level the trailer. Is there a reason you do not just use blocks (wood or the orange ones) to bring the level of the tires up to help with leveling?

I sure would not be leveling a TT with scissor jacks. They are for stabilizing only. Jacking to level can damage the frame.

Level with blocks under the tires.