Forum Discussion
Ski_Pro_3
Aug 28, 2015Explorer
I lower my TC down 1" below the top of the boards and slowly back it in when loading. The boards keep the TC centered during the loading and they lock into position preventing the TC from moving side-to-side while driving. Since my boards run along the side of the TC from the front of the tire wells all the way to the tailgate, there is no way for the front of the TC to move; therefore, no need for anything up front.
See? Doing this puts huge stress on not just the jacks but now on the sides of the camper near the bottom as the camper is slowly forced along the boards and the loads build on the jack legs with torque. The sides of the camper where it contacts is being steered by the boards. I can pretty much guarantee that the manufacturer didn't design that part of the camper for a rubbing like that.
And...
If you are misaligned, you can eliminate the lateral stress on the jacks by lowering it slowly until you are uncomfortable with the stress. Then lift one jack off the ground and then put it back down. Do the same for the remaining jacks and then continue lowering your TC into the bed. Repeat as necessary.
Now we not only have torque, but a system designed to distribute the load on 4 points is now only on THREE??!! Seriously, it might LOOK like this isn't a problem, but if only 3 jacks were needed, then that would be all a manufacturer would put on the camper; 3 jacks and a crutch to keep it from tipping but doesn't hold the load.
Again; the torques on this arrangement; the load on 3 of the 4 jacks, is going to cause parts to weaken and eventually fail.
3 jacks; there is NO way the load is equal on all three. Think about it; the load is balanced on the two opposing jacks with the third, odd jack tipping it diagonally. Try it with a brick or something; put two standoffs on opposite opposing corners, then shim up the third side to keep it even. Where is the load? Not on the three jacks, just two jacks with the third keeping the load level and almost zero load on it. It's a teeter totter with a brace on one end is all. Not load bearing.
This reminds me of videos of cranes that fail; everything looks absolutely fine until the load is too much. Then there is a tip, a collapse or something snaps with spectacular results.
Can you get away with it? Ignorance is bliss they say. Sure you can. Until physics says you can't. Let's say it's 99% guaranteed not to fail. That means every 1 in 100 WILL fail. So, who's feeling lucky with a 99% odds that nothing is gonna go wrong? I'm sure not. I seem to fall into that 1% crowd 99% of the time... I'm just 'lucky' that way...
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