Recommended jack stand ground support plates.

[mt-ed]

I'm not sure if I searched for the wrong subject, but I wasn't able to find anything there.

I would like to know what, if anything, others have found to work as good weight distribution devices you use when supporting your campers on soft ground with the jack stands, to keep them from sinking in?

Thanks again in advance!

[Avid_Fox]

2x8 cut into 12" sections. They double as leveling blocks for wheels, can be put in campfire when they break, and are easily and cheaply replaced every year or so, wherever I am.

[TxGearhead]

Just back from 3 NASCAR races...Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond. Lots of rain and soft dirt campgrounds. I used 24" X 24" 5/8" plywood under the the front legs of the 5th wheel. Used plastic under the middle legs and the same size plywood under the rear legs. No problems. I did see a Class C stuck at Martinsville.

[bighatnohorse]

In Arizona, the dirt can be hard as concrete - until it rains.
And then it's soft as a marshmallow.

Your heart pounds fast when you see that camper foot sinking into the ground.
It pounds even faster if you attempt to lift the jack and see it sink even further into the ground.

If you take the camper off the truck on an unfamiliar earth surface, be sure to have a large strong pad - something like the 14" x 14" pad that JoeOkiChokie in soggyland suggested.

Personally, I won't take the camper off the truck unless it has substantial footing under it.

[JIMNLIN]

We had truck campers in the late '60s/'70s and early 80s till we went with 5th wheel rv trailers.
Camping on COE properties back then required making your own campsite. We fished so camping close the the shore to park our boats next camp was best. This required a shovel for digging one side or end of the trucks tires down and lots of wood for cribbing up the other side/end of the truck up.
I still carry a good wood pile ...which most is from that era.

For camping on soft dirt/mud I use 1" X 14" x 14" plywood under the jacks. These have parachute cord attached for pulling them up out of bottomless river bottom mud.
They work for asphalt parking pads especially when temps hit 110+ and camp pad thin asphalt gets soft.

[TxGearhead]

Frank Calliendo on Bob and Tom.

[TxGearhead]

Reality Check wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
^Mole hill, meet mountain...lol

Refreshingly, Capt Obvious has arrived... lol

That would be Mr. Obvious as in..
Hello Mr. Obvious, long time listener, first time caller. I think I have a wild animal in the pipes under the sink. Whenever I flip this switch it makes the animal mad and it growls...

What comedian did that routine?

But yes, mole hill meet mountain.
Scrap plywood until it slowly melts away into the mud.

[JoeChiOhki]

14x14 3/4" marine plywood squares have served me well as jack pads for many years :).

[mellow]

Ski Pro 3 wrote:
I use a chunk of 2x8 about 1' long. Those plastic jack pads and snap-together ramps are too slippery and allow the camper to 'walk' if the lift or lower is uneven. A weathered 2x8 has plenty of grip.

That is interesting, I have never had that issue with mine. I put the honeycomb side up and put the jack leg right on it and it stays put.

[Ski_Pro_3]

I use a chunk of 2x8 about 1' long. Those plastic jack pads and snap-together ramps are too slippery and allow the camper to 'walk' if the lift or lower is uneven. A weathered 2x8 has plenty of grip.

[mellow]

I had to go back and search a ways back on amazon, had these camco jack pads for a while now, they work great on the sand.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BNZ9UM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_VXRSWJF5GQYXT5R8T6P3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Reality_Check]

Grit dog wrote:
^Mole hill, meet mountain...lol

Refreshingly, Capt Obvious has arrived... lol

[Grit_dog]

^Mole hill, meet mountain...lol

[JRscooby]

Lots of difference. How much weight? Will there be any movement? How soft is the ground? How long will it set, will water/plywood cause problems? Do you want the load to slip on the plate?
Under the front jacks will running over the bases cause issues? If so, that plate must be larger to hold off-center load.

[mt-ed]

Thanks guys....simple....inexpensive.....my kind of solution!!