Tripod support for too-short stabilizer jacks
Since I flipped my axles for extra ground clearance, my stabilizers don’t reach the ground; I usually bring a stack of big wooden blocks to make up the difference. But the blocks are a little bit unsteady. So I made some collapsible tripods, and they really get the job done.
They are 16 inches high, with legs made of 1 3/8” closet pole dowels. Both ends of each dowel are rounded. The base is made up of four pieces of 8x8 3/4” plywood squares, screwed together to make a block three inches thick. Using a 1 3/8” Forstner bit and a drill press, I drilled three holes in the block, angled at 30 degrees. The legs slip into the holes, and the whole thing is easily disassembled for storage and transport.
Here is what it looks like in action:
Here is the bottom of the base block, showing the slanted holes:
(The red duct tape on the bottom of the block is for color-coding -- the red legs go with the red base, and so forth.)
Here is a side view of the block:
We used it in soft soil, rocky soil, and on pavement, and it worked perfectly. Since the tripod is higher than the wooden blocks but does not wobble at all, the stabilizer jack is not overextended and seems to provide much better support and stability.
They are 16 inches high, with legs made of 1 3/8” closet pole dowels. Both ends of each dowel are rounded. The base is made up of four pieces of 8x8 3/4” plywood squares, screwed together to make a block three inches thick. Using a 1 3/8” Forstner bit and a drill press, I drilled three holes in the block, angled at 30 degrees. The legs slip into the holes, and the whole thing is easily disassembled for storage and transport.
Here is what it looks like in action:
Here is the bottom of the base block, showing the slanted holes:
(The red duct tape on the bottom of the block is for color-coding -- the red legs go with the red base, and so forth.)
Here is a side view of the block:
We used it in soft soil, rocky soil, and on pavement, and it worked perfectly. Since the tripod is higher than the wooden blocks but does not wobble at all, the stabilizer jack is not overextended and seems to provide much better support and stability.
