Jack shims
Since I've had to put 4" of pink foam in the pickup bed to accommodate the higher cab on my Ford, I'm nearing the maximum travel on my jacks. An inch or two would really help. What to you use, if any...
Forum Discussion
Wharfcat here’s an idea that may work for you. Before I had a garage to park my truck and camper in, I was storing the camper outdoors, first on crushed rock, then on asphalt. To keep the jacks from making depressions in the asphalt and to give me an easier means of tying down the tarp I was covering it with, I put some old 4x6 timbers to use. These turned out to be so useful that I’m still using them inside my garage. They have a few benefits that I didn’t even think of when I first made them.
The timbers started out 16’ long. Since the front jacks sit wider than the rear jacks, I cut two feet of length off of each one, and bolted the short pieces to the end of each one with all-thread. This gives each jack a place to sit on the 4x6, and keeps the two boards parallel to each other. I also made a pocket for each jack pad to sit down in, so they won’t walk off the top of the boards.
The timbers aren’t fastened to the floor, they can be moved around as needed. I lower the rear jacks till they’re sitting in the pockets, then swing the front jacks out and lower them while giving the board a nudge if needed. I made a couple of stabilizers out of some heavy nylon rope and some big turnbuckles I had lying around. They’re adjusted so that when they tighten up as I’m raising the camper, I know the camper is high enough off the bed. They also provide some stability to the camper while it’s up high on the jacks.
The camper is stable enough that I typically leave it like this, and park the truck under it rather than lowering the camper and parking next to it. It keeps some of my garage floor open for working on projects. Backing under the camper is a snap when it’s sitting on the boards. I just watch the gap between the tire sidewall and the board, and keep it about an inch and a half on each side. One of the saved mirror/seat settings on my truck is specifically for backing under the camper in the garage. It aims the mirrors at the rear tires and scoots my seat forward so I can see better.
An added benefit for you would be the 4” of lift it would give you. I think you could even go higher if needed.
:):)
The timbers started out 16’ long. Since the front jacks sit wider than the rear jacks, I cut two feet of length off of each one, and bolted the short pieces to the end of each one with all-thread. This gives each jack a place to sit on the 4x6, and keeps the two boards parallel to each other. I also made a pocket for each jack pad to sit down in, so they won’t walk off the top of the boards.
The timbers aren’t fastened to the floor, they can be moved around as needed. I lower the rear jacks till they’re sitting in the pockets, then swing the front jacks out and lower them while giving the board a nudge if needed. I made a couple of stabilizers out of some heavy nylon rope and some big turnbuckles I had lying around. They’re adjusted so that when they tighten up as I’m raising the camper, I know the camper is high enough off the bed. They also provide some stability to the camper while it’s up high on the jacks.
The camper is stable enough that I typically leave it like this, and park the truck under it rather than lowering the camper and parking next to it. It keeps some of my garage floor open for working on projects. Backing under the camper is a snap when it’s sitting on the boards. I just watch the gap between the tire sidewall and the board, and keep it about an inch and a half on each side. One of the saved mirror/seat settings on my truck is specifically for backing under the camper in the garage. It aims the mirrors at the rear tires and scoots my seat forward so I can see better.
An added benefit for you would be the 4” of lift it would give you. I think you could even go higher if needed.
:):)
