Stabilizing jacks don't really stabilize much at all

[NickG]

If this has been discussed (I can't believe it hasn't), I was not able to find anything in a quick search for it.

I recently bought a 2012 Forest River Flagstaff 27BHSS. It has electric stabilizer jacks in which I thought was an added bonus. My previous travel trailer was a 2001 Mallard 30E and is also the only other one I ever had.

I assumed the jacks would steady the trailer since the ones on my old Mallard did a great job. This Flagstaff may be different due to it being a "superlite", which I define as "flimsy". Still, shouldn't I expect a reasonable amount of steadiness? With the jacks fully down, the entire trailer reacts to anyone walking up the steps into the door. I can tell who it is by the amount the trailer moves. Also, If a kid turns over in a rear bunk, we feel the trailer rock all the way up in the front bed.

I can't be the only one experiencing this. What might our options be? Add more jacks?

[rhagfo]

NickG wrote:
Looks like I'll look into the JT Strongarms, but I will also need to do something about the sinking when someone steps on the steps at the door.

I know it will never be rock solid. I was just comparing to the previous trailer I had. I'm not trying to get it like a house. Just trying to get it like the trailer I had before. The biggest differences between the old Mallard to new Flagstaff are:

-Conventional frame/build vs Superlite (whatever that means as a difference)
-Model 30E vs 27BHSS (FLGSTF actual length is bout 2 feet shorter than MLRD)
-Individual crank jacks at each corner vs 2 sets of 2 electric jacks on one assembly each fore/aft
-Only used ground wheel chocks for Mallard vs chocks AND blocks for FLagstaff

Good call on the JT Strongarms, the make our 5er rock solid! I got a great price of $184 on sale at CW, but I think that is long gone. Lately best pricing I have found is PPL motor Homes currently $229.99.
PPL Motorhomes

[NickG]

Looks like I'll look into the JT Strongarms, but I will also need to do something about the sinking when someone steps on the steps at the door.

I know it will never be rock solid. I was just comparing to the previous trailer I had. I'm not trying to get it like a house. Just trying to get it like the trailer I had before. The biggest differences between the old Mallard to new Flagstaff are:

-Conventional frame/build vs Superlite (whatever that means as a difference)
-Model 30E vs 27BHSS (FLGSTF actual length is bout 2 feet shorter than MLRD)
-Individual crank jacks at each corner vs 2 sets of 2 electric jacks on one assembly each fore/aft
-Only used ground wheel chocks for Mallard vs chocks AND blocks for FLagstaff

[Huntindog]

DE88ROX wrote:
As long as the tires are touching the ground, youll have varying degrees of wiggle. I made a set of chocks that mimic the X-Chocks,. out of some 4x4's and some threaded rod. Ive notice it does help with the wiggle to a degree and the trailer has less back and forth roll. Im sure some do, but most don't set the wheel chocks up tight, so there is some play. Also, get yourself one of these It really helps with the motion that's created going in and out of the trailer. Plus if helps with the steps getting flexed. I noticed mine looked like they were getting flexed on the left side, because thats where most people step to get into the trailer because thats the side the door handle is on and the door swings to the right.

I attached a small block of wood to my save-a-step and lightly rounded the corners to protect my awning mat from getting holes in it from the sharp corners.

That is a pretty neat gizmo. It will only work on single step TTs though. Not too many TTs anymore that don't have 2-3 steps.

[DE88ROX]

As long as the tires are touching the ground, youll have varying degrees of wiggle. I made a set of chocks that mimic the X-Chocks,. out of some 4x4's and some threaded rod. Ive notice it does help with the wiggle to a degree and the trailer has less back and forth roll. Im sure some do, but most don't set the wheel chocks up tight, so there is some play. Also, get yourself one of these It really helps with the motion that's created going in and out of the trailer. Plus if helps with the steps getting flexed. I noticed mine looked like they were getting flexed on the left side, because thats where most people step to get into the trailer because thats the side the door handle is on and the door swings to the right.

I attached a small block of wood to my save-a-step and lightly rounded the corners to protect my awning mat from getting holes in it from the sharp corners.

[Huntindog]

rbpru wrote:
When I gave up camping for the convenience of a TT, I kept the manual tongue jack and stabilizers. They were the last vestige of exercise associated with the outdoor experience. 🙂

I gave up the manual jack two trailers ago.
When my TW hit 1200# on my last TT, and over 1400# on my present one. Couple that with summertime temps in Phoenix of 115 give or take, and a 1 ton dually crew cab to lift when hitching up... That kind of torture I don't need.

[afidel]

firemedic1992 wrote:
The only way to truly stabilize a travel trailer or fifth wheel is to use the JT Strongarms

I have put them on 2 Fifth wheel trailers and they make the trailer rock solid.

Yup, that or the similar (but much cheaper) BAL Lock-Arm Stabalizer Bars. The one thing I've noticed is that the JT's have handles to lock the arms vs nuts on the BAL that use the standard 3/4" head which allows you to use your electric drill or speed handle.

[camp-n-family]

Stabilizer jacks only have strength in one direction which is in line to how they are mounted. Those electric ones are usually mounted in a single track across the frame. This gives some support side to side but they will flex front to back. Only real way to stop that movement is to cross brace them in the perpendicular direction to the frame.
A set of JT Strongarms will take care of your problem.


Best mod I ever did. Our long tt used to shake so bad that it broke the heads off the bolts holding the jacks to the frame. I added a set of Strongarms and it eliminated all movement, even with the kids running around.

[rbpru]

When I gave up camping for the convenience of a TT, I kept the manual tongue jack and stabilizers. They were the last vestige of exercise associated with the outdoor experience. 🙂

[Huntindog]

LarryJM wrote:

Huntindog wrote:

700g wrote:
Before trailers came with stabilizer jacks, we used the screw up jack stands at each corner. I remember my older trailers were rock solid using the jack stands.

Sure you can still use those.. They will be as solid as the ground they sit on.. I used them when I was younger. I no longer relish crawling around on my hands and knees setting them up.

That's why us smarter "old dogs" learn new tricks when our younger foolisher actions are no longer acceptable. Now I carry the following (it's a little higher than a normal footstool and has storage in the base) to use for things like installing the jacks you mentioned along with messing with the dump valves, siting in the SAT dish, hooking up my RV Grill LP hose to the trailer and anything else that requires working close to the ground. To remove my jacks I don't even need that .... I just raise the tongue and pull out my jack stands using my awning rod and then lower the tongue and do the same for the rear jack stands and I don't even have to bend over for that process. We even use it during the travel day "potty stops" so we don't have to mess with pulling out the trailer stairs since the still sits just inside the door and is more convenient.



My days of crawling around on my hands and knees are a thing of the past for "ANYTHING" since it's not getting down that's an issue, it's the getting back up that can be questionable.

Larry

I am glad that works for you. It won't work for me.
I learned a new trick too.
My smarter solution is to push a button while standing up.

[LarryJM]

Huntindog wrote:

700g wrote:
Before trailers came with stabilizer jacks, we used the screw up jack stands at each corner. I remember my older trailers were rock solid using the jack stands.

Sure you can still use those.. They will be as solid as the ground they sit on.. I used them when I was younger. I no longer relish crawling around on my hands and knees setting them up.

That's why us smarter "old dogs" learn new tricks when our younger foolisher actions are no longer acceptable. Now I carry the following (it's a little higher than a normal footstool and has storage in the base) to use for things like installing the jacks you mentioned along with messing with the dump valves, siting in the SAT dish, hooking up my RV Grill LP hose to the trailer and anything else that requires working close to the ground. To remove my jacks I don't even need that .... I just raise the tongue and pull out my jack stands using my awning rod and then lower the tongue and do the same for the rear jack stands and I don't even have to bend over for that process. We even use it during the travel day "potty stops" so we don't have to mess with pulling out the trailer stairs since the still sits just inside the door and is more convenient.



My days of crawling around on my hands and knees are a thing of the past for "ANYTHING" since it's not getting down that's an issue, it's the getting back up that can be questionable.

Larry

[Huntindog]

700g wrote:
Before trailers came with stabilizer jacks, we used the screw up jack stands at each corner. I remember my older trailers were rock solid using the jack stands.

Sure you can still use those.. They will be as solid as the ground they sit on.. I used them when I was younger. I no longer relish crawling around on my hands and knees setting them up.

[700g]

Before trailers came with stabilizer jacks, we used the screw up jack stands at each corner. I remember my older trailers were rock solid using the jack stands.

[firemedic1992]

I have tried the X chocks and they are nothing but a tire chock, meant to prevent the tires from moving. They do nothing to stabilize a trailer from movement as they don’t do anything to minimize trailer suspension movement. I agree if you are looking to make the trailer solid, you need to get the frame suspended. The JT Strongarms do a great job stabilizing the trailer as it creates 6 points of contact with the 4 jacks on the trailer. I feel little to no movement in my trailer.

[Huntindog]

There are a few things to consider on this subject.
First these are called travel trailers. Meant to be easily moved from place to place, unlike mobile homes which are rarely moved. So some compromises must be made taking into consideration speed/ease of use and stability. The more stable, the less easy/fast it is to deploy.
Everyone needs to decide for themselves just how much effort they want to put into setup/teardown vs. how stable they want it... The same approach will not be for everyone.
As I mentioned already, the electric stabilizers that are becoming common today, do have a very big advantage in one aspect. It is impossible to rack the frame. Racking the frame results from unequal pressure on the jacks. This commonly causes doors to stick, or not latch due to the door openings being forced out of square from the frame racking. In severe cases, it could possibly cause the TT to be damaged. So racking needs to be avoided. The disadvantage is some loss in stability due to the pivoting and internal sliding that the jack does to accomplish the equal pressure at all times.

With the manual (or power) scissors jacks that many TTs came with, racking easily happens.
Part of the problem is the way they are designed.
They are sometimes called QTG (quick to ground) jacks. When you first start to extend them, each turn of the screw extends them a lot, with each sucessive turn, the extension becomes less. when close to full extension, a turn barely makes the jack any longer at all.
This is a great feature, if you understand the positives and negatives. The jack can be extended quickly, and as it nears the ground, it slows down, but because the effective gear ratio is changing with every turn, you now are able to easily get more force to the ground. This is a good thing. But it can also mean that if the jacks are extended different lengths when they are deployed on the ground, that it is VERY easy to have unequal pressure on them. You cannot simply add a turn to all of them after they touch the ground, as each jack can extend different amounts, causing the frame to be racked.
You cannot go by feel either, as the shorter extended jacks will have a taller effective gear ratio, and feel like they are putting more force to the ground than the jacks that ended up being taller,
and thus have a shorter effective gear ratio.

And then there is the ground settling issue.
Depending are your camping style, this can be a big issue or a small one. For where I camp, it is not unusual to have the jacks settle at very different rates. Add some rain and it gets worse. On my previous TT with the manual scissors jacks, I would have to make frequent adjustments to the jacks to keep the doors working right.

On my present TT with the electric jacks, the doors always work right. Settling occurs but the jacks maintain equal pressure. The result is more TT movement. It is quickly fixed with a tap of the jack buttons. For my usage, it is the best system going. I did make a change in adding two manual jacks just forward of the wheels to control the frame bounce. I have found that they are also handy for fine tuning my side to side level.

If I am going to be camped a while, I will also add my homemade wheel chocks.

While this system is not rock solid, it is an acceptable compromise for me, between ease of use, and stability.

YMMV

[LarryJM]

DUPE

Larry