Anybody using Stable Lifts?

[mikeashford]

I just came across the product Stable Lift. I have looked at all the gallery photos of members TC and have not seen anybody with a Stable Lift setup. But it looks, hmmmmmm.......... pretty damn stable. Not having purchaesed a TC yet, and contemplating a big one, i.e., a Lance 1181, the whole "4 spindly jacks" argument got my attention. What do folks think about the reliability of the stock jacks? And, what do folks think of the Stable Lift idea?

Trying to get on top of the steep learning curve........

Mike in Olympia

[capterik]

I've had one for years, installed it myself, no help, although it would have made installation easier. I've had it on an uneven surface before, but just used it to level on the truck, not sure why people always come back to this,I wouldn't have it on anything worse than I would have before, with the happyjacks. I really like how it holds the camper to the truck by locking it in from underneath, and as another stated, its quick to offload.

[lizzie]

We had a Stable Lift on our TC and liked it very much. We ordered it and installed it with the help of a friend, but it wasn't easy! We were traveling to Glacier NP in a few months anyway so we arranged to take it to the factory for adjustments. Those guys were terrific! We often put our lifts down even if we were not taking the camper off, made it very steady in high winds. There was less of a problem with uneven ground than with the usual legs and it was easy on and easy off for a couple of senior citizens. When I advertised the TC for sale, had more customers than I needed and the presence of the Stable Lift was a big draw. It was expensive but was worth it to us. lizzie

[abslayer]

pa traveler wrote:
Curious how level does site have to be? Do you need to shim areas for uneven grade? Looks like the square frame that meets the ground needs to be level.

That is one of the problems I notice also and could be a problem that is for sure:(

[pa_traveler]

Curious how level does site have to be? Do you need to shim areas for uneven grade? Looks like the square frame that meets the ground needs to be level.

[wcjeep]

Be sure the Stable Lift is installed correctly. A friend bought an older Truck Camper that had the Stable Lift. The system was not installed correctly. This was the fault of the original owner. We think my friend was the 3rd owner. The 2nd Owner bought the TC but never used it. The camper ended up on its side in front of my friends house. If installed correctly the Stable Lift works great.

[Reddog1]

I have had a Stable Lift for about eight years. I had hydraulic jacks. I paid more for me Stable Lift (new - $2,500) than I did for my TC. I installed it myself. I have no problems at all on how it functions, or where. Contrary to what nay Sayers may post, it works on pretty uneven ground. You will loose about 1-1/2" to 2" ground clearance if set up properly. For me, it does two things exceptionally well; very stable when off the truck, and eliminates the need for TC Tie-downs.

The Stable Lift will add weight to your TC, probably an additional 200 pounds overall. It could hinder off road travel, depending how rough the trail. Unlike the four individual jacks, it is secured very well to the TC, and I can say with mine I have slid my truck sideways when against a big rock. I would not suggest it be used for serious Off Road.

As for the appearance, that is an individual thing. Personally, I think a lot of trucks and/or TCs are ugly, with or without a Stable Lift. A lot of people have ugly kids, but they get used to them over time and love them anyway. :B I prefer a black Stable Lift. You can paint it to match your truck/TC.

There are many post on the Stable Lift. Do a search, and you can read for hours. Unfortunately, you will read posts made by nay Sayers that have never had a Stable Lift. Other than they contribute very little on the subject, but need to have something to say. This does not apply to all nay Sayers, but to most, in my opinion. There are a couple of people that have had a Stable Lift, and did not like them. Using the search, you can read their story.

[rumcoke]

If you do decide on the Stablelift and you plan to purchase a new camper, opt out of the electric jacks. That saves over $1k. We did that with Northstar. They installed the stablelift at their factory.
The product does exactly as advertised. It is not cheap, though.
Good Luck.

[SkipJ]

We met a couple a couple of years ago with a stable lift on their camper, they were very pleased with it. I was impressed with how quickly they got the camper off the truck. I have had one failure on my happijac lift after using it twice. It is rarely used but apparently the motors are not well waterproofed, the factory suggested I put ziplock bags over them when in storage!!!
You might keep in mind that some camper manufacturers don't recommend using the camper off the truck.
SkipJ

[Eycom]

I can't advise on the attributes of the Stable Lift, as I've never used one. However, I can attest to the quality of the Atwood jacks on my 04 Lance 1121.

For the first 6 years, my camper was used extensively for business travel to the tune of 30-35K miles/yr. 200+ nights/yr, it served as my motel/restaurant/office. I arrived at a campground, unloaded the camper and used the truck for 'round town transportation. Moving every 4 days to two weeks, I can't tell you how many times I've loaded/unloaded. For the past 3 years, I've full timed in my Lance to eliminate a lot of mileage and stress of working all over the east. Staying in one spot a little longer obviously reduces the loading and unloading and a blue tote comes in handy at government campgrounds. In two months, retirement kicks in and all this will change.

I relay this story to indicate how often I've depended on the camper jacks. I've had one jack failure, caused by an unknown vehicle clipping the jack while the truck and camper were parked at a supermarket p/l. While the manufacturer, Atwood, wasn't helpful in getting me a quick replacement, Lance had me back on the road within a week by shipping one to me. Kudos to Lance.

[bobndot]

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24702198/print/true.cfm

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22212969/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

[abslayer]

When I was looking for a used TC one of them had this system on it and I was able to test it out.
It was one sweet working way of lifting camper up and down that appeared more stable than anything I have ever seen before.
Only thing I did not like was how it looked on camper it kind of really stuck out there if you know what I mean.

But if you can get passed that I don't think you can get a more secure method for truck campers.

[rfuerst911sc]

I am far from being an expert but here's my 2 cents. I purchased a 1968 Avion C11 camper with it's original three spindly legs lift system and it scared the******out of me to load it into the back of my dually 4x4. And it barely lifted high enough. I made the decision right then and there to come up with a better way. Did tons of internet searches and determined the Stable Lift was what I wanted. But being on a " toy budget " I decided to try and find a used one. In 6 months of searching I found 5-6 in various locations around the country. This past January I made a deal for a dually Stable Lift for $400.00 !!! I have not installed it yet because I'm going to do a complete restoration of the camper but have tested the motors and it works great. I have no doubt it will work perfect for my setup. Yes it looks like a swing set and maybe off road ground clearance is compromised but I don't plan on taking this rig to Baja and could care less what others think of how it looks. I want a safe , reliable and stable setup so I don't risk life and limb just loading/unloading the camper. Good luck with whatever you choose.