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Naio's avatar
Naio
Explorer II
Feb 07, 2017

Stabilizing advice needed

Hi folks,

I dunno if this is really so hard or if I am just dumb. I'm at an rv park with my van. No built in jacks, but I have 2 jackstands, a bottle jack, and boards.

We are expecting 50mph crosswind gusts tonight. The surface is loose gravel on top of waterlogged ckay. I've been messing around, but it just seems like I get things right and then they get loose again because of the unstable surface.

I jack up an inch and a half or so, then set the jackstands on boards and tighten. They are the kind that screw up and down, so I can make them nice and tight to van frame. Then I let the jack down.

Is there a better way?

Also, how bad is it that I put the stands at front and rear of van, near center, rather than at the sides, for a crosswind? I got it all done and then thought, maybe I just made pivots. OTOH, if it doesn't really matter then I won't go out and redo in the pouring rain and dark.

Yeah, it's been that kind of a trip.

Any advice appreciated.
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    Feb 18, 2017
    Thanks, guys.

    The momentary movements are a big problem because they exacerbate my injuries. It's me, not the van, that I am trying to protect.

    Westend, thank you for asking. I still in the same location, still cannot drive and now cannot ride as a passenger, due to worse injuries from the last round of gusty winds. I have booked a whole row of plane seats, and will try to find a safe enough position and fly home. I have someone coming to get my van and cat.

    I am very, very, anxious about whether doing this will make things worse. The other option I considered was renting an apartment here in the middle of nowhere and staying for another month or so...
  • 04fxsts's avatar
    04fxsts
    Explorer
    Feb 18, 2017
    What I would do is to put the screw type jacks along the side about halfway between the front and rear wheels. Then I would raise them until they were tight against the frame. To me you are trying to raise the vehicle too far using the bottle jack causing the pivot points you mentioned. Good luck, Jim.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Feb 17, 2017
    The weight of the van on the tires is a stabilizing point, just like your jack stands. Don't remove all the weight on them. If you have two stands and a bottle jack, deploy them under the frame toward the rear of the van, that is typically the lightest part of a van and most susceptible to wind caused motion.

    You do drive the van at greater speed than 50 mph so those gusts should not be a problem. The wind may rock the trailer but it will be momentary.

    I'm guessing from your situation that your health is now better and you are situated at a better place. I was following your other thread about needing a driver. Hope that all worked out OK for you.
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    Feb 17, 2017
    Bumping this with a new question.

    The ground has dried out. I have the van on stands and jack. Tires still touch the ground and squish a bit, tho some weight is off them. Van is still very wobbly.

    Question: If I lift van on jackstands so that tires do not touch at all (remove van suspension from the equation) will it be more stable in heavy wind gusts?

    Followup: I have a small fear of the van being blown off a jackstand if the wheels are off the ground. That's not going to happen, is it?

    I have two of the stands in the link, and a bottle jack. All have small, round, flat tops. Van weighs 5500lbs, loaded. Expected winds are 40-50mph gusts.

    Any advice is appreciated!

    www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000760FWU
  • Joe417's avatar
    Joe417
    Explorer
    Feb 07, 2017
    If the ground is that soft the only thing you could do is increase the surface area of the boards under the jack stands.

    A 1000 PSI on top of the jack translates to 10 PSI on a 10" x 10" board surface but it is only 2.5 PSI on a 20" x 20" board surface.

    May not be too practical to carry that size plywood around in a van.

    We don't stabilize our rig. I taunted the wife into getting her sea legs on the first few(several) trips so now it doesn't bother her. You can sleep great in up to about 12 foot seas.
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    Feb 07, 2017
    Oh I have no worry about the van tipping over :). It's heavy. Reorienting is not practical, though. I thought about it, but especially in the dark i am liable to forget to strap down dome important bit of gear.

    The soil surface is not as bad as in the movie :B
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer II
    Feb 07, 2017
    Did you ever watch The Long, Long Trailer? Sounds like you're nearly in the midst of reenacting a sequence from it....

    I would be tempted to simply reorient the van parallel to the wind (if that's possible) and resign myself to a none too good night's sleep. The winds would have to be much more than 50 mph to cause any really serious upsetting head-on (and indeed as crosswinds), but that doesn't at all mean the van would be motionless.

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