Blocking up camper for the winter
We are new at camping and have a travel trailer with tandem axles. When I store the camper I would like to block the axles as to have the tires off the ground. What would be the best way to do this?...
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I do this, despite a lot of criticism from others. In my opinion this has a lot of benefit. It takes pressure off the springs, keeps the rubber tires from touching the moist ground and keeps them from flat spotting. People will tell you not to jack up the TT because you might damage the frame, but as long as you do it at the right locations (spring mounts) you shouldn't have any trouble. Just avoid jacking it up by putting the jack directly under the axles or at the extreme ends of the TT frame. Basically jack it up the same as you would a car.
In the spring, you need to jack the tires off the ground anyhow to check your brakes, bearings and do regular maintenance so I don't really see it as being much more work.
I carefully jack my TT off the ground placing the jack under the spring supports. Once it is high enough, I use 4 X 12 ton axle stands and place them at either end of my axles sub-frame (the framing which is double-thick where the axles / springs bolt to). Next I adjust my tongue jack to level the trailer. If you are on soft ground, be sure to place some 3/4" thick plywood under each axle stand so it doesn't sink into the ground come spring.
I've been doing this for the last 27 years on various TT's that I've owned and never had an issue with the frame bowing. If you have your owner's manual, just read to understand where the proper jack points are on your TT.
In the spring, you need to jack the tires off the ground anyhow to check your brakes, bearings and do regular maintenance so I don't really see it as being much more work.
I carefully jack my TT off the ground placing the jack under the spring supports. Once it is high enough, I use 4 X 12 ton axle stands and place them at either end of my axles sub-frame (the framing which is double-thick where the axles / springs bolt to). Next I adjust my tongue jack to level the trailer. If you are on soft ground, be sure to place some 3/4" thick plywood under each axle stand so it doesn't sink into the ground come spring.
I've been doing this for the last 27 years on various TT's that I've owned and never had an issue with the frame bowing. If you have your owner's manual, just read to understand where the proper jack points are on your TT.
