Scary: footplate slipped out of position!

[jjjandrbaker]

I almost had a major disaster. It certainly put me into panic mode! I've been using a 10" stack of stabilizer pads under the tongue jack landing gear, ever since I got this camper. It takes forever for the foot plate to reach the ground. Someone told me to use the stack to shorten the distance that the motor has to drop it. I have had no problems. This time, everything went as usual. I brought the jack down with the foot plate in the center of the stack, unhitched, and pulled the truck forward. Then I was ready to level the camper from front to back. I went inside to check my level, came back to the tongue jack, started to lower the front end and noticed that the landing gear had slid, and close to half of the foot plate was hanging off the edge of the damned stack of pads! I knew I had to get the trailer back on the hitch STAT! But, when I pushed the button to raise the receiver high enough to go on the hitch ball, the foot plate slid some more! I got in the truck and backed it up, but I was so panicked I had to pull forward and try again about three times. I finally made myself calm down and do it right. I got it on the hitch, took that **** stack away, and brought the tongue jack foot plate down on a small board I keep for leveling. Disaster averted. I really don't know what would have happened if it totally fell off the support stack, but it couldn't be good!

[Bobbo]

camperforlife wrote:
I use the ROBOFOOT. No blocks any longer. Sweet and simple.

Does the Robofoot lock in the downward position, or could it fold up if the trailer rolled a couple of inches?

[2012Coleman]

camperforlife wrote:
I use the ROBOFOOT. No blocks any longer. Sweet and simple.

Looks interesting - thanks!

[camperforlife]

I use the ROBOFOOT. No blocks any longer. Sweet and simple.

[dave54]

Yep. The best practice is chocks down before unhooking, chocks up after hooking. So the wheels are either chocked or the trailer is hooked up at all times. No exceptions, not even for the briefest of moments for any reason.

[campigloo]

Hannibal wrote:
I learned about 24 years ago just how little incline it takes to roll a trailer. A root about 4" behind the left rear tire kept our 18.5 Aljo TT from rolling into the woods. I've used chocks ever since.
Now I need to go get some black enamal paint for my wood blocks. That looks nice!

Lol. One of my first jobs was with Pepsi Cola delivering drinks. First stop one day and an ordinary run of the mill pallet stopped my fully loaded truck from rolling into the Mississippi River. Glad I had a supervisor riding with me that day??

[soren]

bstar1952 wrote:
Happened to me last year, stupidly didn't chock the wheels and TT completely fell off the block, about 8" high. Lucky for me there was no damage but it did scare the s**t out of me. Trust me, I will never ever not use chocks before unhitching.

I pulled into a campground after a very long day on the road. I was nearly asleep on my feet, and forgot to chock the trailer wheels. After I had the tongue leveled, on a small amount of blocking, the trailer rolled backwards until the steel foot on the jack fell off the short stack of 2x6 scrap it was on. The tongue jack dropped about 3" and dug into the gravel, stopping after sliding about a foot back. It would of been a no harm, no foul, play, BUT the dear wife was sitting on the toilet at the time. I knew this because of the scream she let loose as the whole show started. She was not amused.

[RSD559]

Bobbo wrote:
For those using stacks of lumber under the tongue jack, maybe one of these will help. When I get my trailer back from the dealer (air conditioner quit cooling) I am going to measure to see if it will fit mine and order one.

Extendable tongue jack foot

The electric tongue jack I put on my Hideout had one of these. Very handy. I had forgotten about it. Thanks.

[FF286]

what I was told when we bought our first camper was to get the camper level, put the wheel chocks out then put the truck in neutral. This lets it get any movement done and secure against the chocks. Put the truck in park, then unhook from the trailer. The truck may roll some but the trailer never has.This has worked for 11 years so far and hopefully will continue.

[GWolfe]

I have an 8x8 chunk of wood I use under my tongue jack. Chocking the tires is the first thing I do before unhitching, unhooking the safety chains is the last thing I do when unhitching.

[Bobbo]

For those using stacks of lumber under the tongue jack, maybe one of these will help. When I get my trailer back from the dealer (air conditioner quit cooling) I am going to measure to see if it will fit mine and order one.

Extendable tongue jack foot

[Atlee]

I got one of these for my new trailers. It's by Andersen and is called a jack block. It is working great for my current trailer. Wish I had had one before.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Andersen-3608-Trailer-Jack-Block-Trailer-Jack-Stabilizer-Stackable-/401291104913

[SoundGuy]

Gdetrailer wrote:
The OP IS NOT using your "chock"..

Makes YOUR "pile" under the tongue a HORRIBLE IDEA.

BALONEY. From my FIRST post in this thread back on Page 1 I offered to the OP this comment ...

"The scenario described can't happen IF the trailer is properly chocked. This is why I use the weight of the trailer bearing down on a set of wheel pads to absolutely prevent my trailer from shifting on my significantly sloped driveway which also requires an 18" stack under the tongue jack to level the trailer."

The scary scenario the OP described was NOT due to the fact he had his tongue jack sitting on a stack but the fact that his trailer tires were not properly chocked. Chocking his trailer using a set of wheel pads - as I've detailed and illustrated with a pic - will absolutely prevent the trailer from shifting even a millimeter. Do this and one can use ANYTHING under the tongue jack, including a triple stack as I do. Your admonition that this is a "HORRIBLE IDEA" continues to be 100% incorrect. :S

[Gdetrailer]

SoundGuy wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
I imagine the OP is doing something like Soundguy's pix



Which IS a HORIBLE IDEA since you are depending on not only the friction between all the blocking keeping things together but a very unstable high stack of small lumber which places the center of gravity very high on the stack..

There is no MECHANICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE JACK AND BLOCKS that can prevent that pile of lumber from tipping over!

Yet again you're entirely incorrect. As I detailed earlier in another thread on this same subject my trailer's front tires, both curb side and street side, sit on wheel pads to which chocks are firmly attached, so I'm using the weight of the trailer itself to firmly lock the trailer in place. :B



There is NO forward pressure on the tongue jack - NONE - and therefore your assertion that this technique is a HORRIBLE IDEA is 100% incorrect. It's actually an excellent method of assuring my trailer is locked down firmly on my sloped driveway. Fact is, you simply don't know what you're talking about. :R

The OP IS NOT using your "chock"..

Makes YOUR "pile" under the tongue a HORRIBLE IDEA.

Your "system" while "ingenious" someday will get someone else KILLED if they fail to ensure the wheels cannot move.. But, they ARE wheels and wheels CAN move even when you think they can't.

I would not bet my life under that kind of cribbing, would you?

I suspect the OP was not using your chock "method" but WAS using a PILE OF LUMBER IN THE SAME FASHION as your photo, which illustrates what I suspect the OP has been doing..

Besides, why take such chances when there ARE CORRECT TOOLS for the job.. The correct tools are the foot extension I posted and it is no more expensive than all that lumber and plastic blocks you use.

At work, using a pile of lumber in your fashion to hold a large heavy object up would get you written up and fired for a major safety violation.. A pile of loose lumber stacked high is not a good tool, that pile gets easier to topple the higher it gets.

Would you personally use a loose pile of wood in your fashion to hold your vehicle up when working on it with no tires? Of course not (at least I hope).

I have a forklift license at work and own a tractor with a front loader at home, I would never consider putting my hands, feet or body under the forks, pallet or my tractor front loader without a very safe and SECURE cribbing THAT CAN'T TOPPLE OR SHIFT.. Nor would I consider your dry stack of loose lumber under the tongue.

Sure, you may get away with it for a long time, but down the road you have increased the chances of Mr Murphy crossing your path.

OP was visited by Mr Murphy and was very lucky to have out smarted him before the trailer slide off.. The tongue falling 10+ inches could have severely damage the trailer A frame or even the trailer frame to the point of it being scrapped..

An extremely costly mistake that CAN BE AVOIDED.

Why take such chances when you can get the proper jack foot extension..

[Old-Biscuit]

SoundGuy wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
I imagine the OP is doing something like Soundguy's pix



Which IS a HORIBLE IDEA since you are depending on not only the friction between all the blocking keeping things together but a very unstable high stack of small lumber which places the center of gravity very high on the stack..

There is no MECHANICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE JACK AND BLOCKS that can prevent that pile of lumber from tipping over!

Yet again you're entirely incorrect. As I detailed earlier in another thread on this same subject my trailer's front tires, both curb side and street side, sit on wheel pads to which chocks are firmly attached, so I'm using the weight of the trailer itself to firmly lock the trailer in place. :B



There is NO forward pressure on the tongue jack - NONE - and therefore your assertion that this technique is a HORRIBLE IDEA is 100% incorrect. It's actually an excellent method of assuring my trailer is locked down firmly on my sloped driveway. Fact is, you simply don't know what you're talking about. :R

Details........it's all in the details :B