Why not store camper on jacks?

[ajcal225]

I frequently see people say not to store campers on the jacks.

I also frequently see people actually doing it.. (which includes a friend of mine who has stored and used his camper on the jacks for 10 years now).


What is the reasoning for not storing it on the jacks? Is it fear of the jacks breaking? Jack mounts ripping off? Jacks leaking down (hydraulics)?

With my old hydraulic jacks, my camper was super unstable on the jacks. I've replaced them with Rieco screw jacks and some custom made mounts, and it is rocks solid when on the jacks now (assuming it is lowered mostly down).


What is the failure mode with storing it on the jacks? Is it a serious problem, or a problem some people have had due to just the right circumstances?

[Gripnriprod]

DWeikert wrote:
Like the Arctic Fox example Gripnriprod posted, some campers are not designed to be used off the truck. I don't know which campers are or aren't like this but I do know my Northstar is meant to be used whether on the truck or on the jacks. So I store on the jacks with the camper lowered as close to ground as the jacks allow, with the front a little high for runoff.

Arctic Fox does not say not to use the camper off of the truck. The post was regarding storage recommendations. We take the 1140 off all the time - launching the boat, sightseeing, etc. Sorry for the confusion.

[garryk6]

Just because of Where I live, I would not trust the Jacks alone... We live on an island in Alaska where winds are a frequent concern. The winds have overturned 25 ft boats on trailers, overturned a truck camper right out of the bed of the truck, pulling the side of the bed out of the truck (granted it was using bed-tie-downs). Where a few people here, have poured pads with tiedown eyes with pieces of chain into the slap, then lowered the camper onto a riser of some type, then tied the camper down to the chains to keep the wind from blowing over their camper. Just saying, don;t always trust the jacks alone.
Garry

[DWeikert]

Like the Arctic Fox example Gripnriprod posted, some campers are not designed to be used off the truck. I don't know which campers are or aren't like this but I do know my Northstar is meant to be used whether on the truck or on the jacks. So I store on the jacks with the camper lowered as close to ground as the jacks allow, with the front a little high for runoff.

[ajcal225]

how hard is it to push around alone?

[msiminoff]

I store my camper on a steel dolly (pic below) inside my warehouse… mostly because it is convenient, stable, and it gives me the ability to roll it into the corner of the bldg where it is out of the way. I also take into account that I live in earthquake country and I'm not 100% certain that the TC's jack's alone will be able to withstand the shaking when "the big one" hits. The dolly/stand (in conjunction with the jacks) is strong enough to take whatever Mother nature throws at it… So for me it's about convenience and cheap insurance against damage.



In addition, owner's manual for my Alpenlite includes the following statement:
"Do not leave the camper standing free in its four jacks. Support the camper and particularly the floor with blocks located towards the outside (so the bottom of the vertical wings are supported as well as the floor) or by using sawhorses which spread the load from side to side."

Cheers
-Mark

[SugarHillCTD]

wsdepa wrote:
I also have often seen people camping with the jacks extended down to the ground while on the truck. I don't know why they do this, mine doesn't rock very much no what I am doing inside and the risk of forgetting and driving off thereby destroying the camper is present.

We have occasionally lowered our jacks overnight while the TC is still on the truck.

I place the remote in front of the speedometer so I remember to retract them before driving off.

[wsdepa]

I have kept my Lance 981 on the jacks for nine years with no difficulty. I do, however, lower the unit until the rear bumper is only about six inches from the ground. I keep the front a little higher.
On a related note, I sometimes see campers off of the trucks in campgrounds with the jacks fully extended. In my opinion, one should always lower the unit almost to the ground for stability, safety and just easier to climb into.
I also have often seen people camping with the jacks extended down to the ground while on the truck. I don't know why they do this, mine doesn't rock very much no what I am doing inside and the risk of forgetting and driving off thereby destroying the camper is present.

[ajcal225]

fair enough. I was basing that off of the "Jacks for loading and unloading only - not for storage" that I was reading while I typed it.

[Super_Dave]

ajcal225 wrote:

In my case, I'm not talking about 'at home', so to have that extra insurance, i'd have to pack whatever stands I keep my camper on at home (in my case, it sits on 3 heavy 10x10x6' beams) into the camper to take them with it.

Your lead in post used the word, "store" or "storing" at least 4 times so our responses were in part were explaining that reasoning. If the phrase, "while camping" had been used, I'd have responded entirely different.

[restlessways]

wintersun wrote:
Lance recommends not using camper stands but to use only the jacks when storing the camper. RV parks are required by law in most states to allow only the use of the jack stands and to have the camper no more than 12 inches above the ground level when it is off the truck.

Several RV parks I've been to specifically state you are not allowed to remove truck campers, period.

[wintersun]

Lance recommends not using camper stands but to use only the jacks when storing the camper. RV parks are required by law in most states to allow only the use of the jack stands and to have the camper no more than 12 inches above the ground level when it is off the truck.

[ajcal225]

mkirsch wrote:
What baffles me is why someone would NOT be able to see the potential problems, and NOT want to have a little insurance against them.

Maybe nothing bad will ever happen. Maybe your camper will never leak and rot. Maybe a big wind storm won't come through and test your jacks. Maybe your jacks won't have a random structural failure. Maybe the ground won't soften and give way under the camper.

Nothing wrong with a bit of precaution, especially when it's so simple and cheap.

In my case, I'm not talking about 'at home', so to have that extra insurance, i'd have to pack whatever stands I keep my camper on at home (in my case, it sits on 3 heavy 10x10x6' beams) into the camper to take them with it. They're heavy, and I really would rather not load them into the camper to stash it at a friends for a few weeks while I work on my patio.. thats 500 pounds of wood!

I know I could build something lighter, but it sounds like its just not necessary for a temporary solution.

[brholt]

Gripnriprod wrote:
Arctic Fox says this under the heading of outdoor winter storage:
"Always support the camper at the corners and outside walls. IMPORTANT: You must support camper correctly as set out in the diagram (Page 21A). Incorrect placement of blocking will result in damage to the sub floor and/or waste and fresh water tanks."
For some reason the diagram referred to does not show up in the online Owner's Manual but according to my hard copy, they suggest stacking 2x6's until you have enough height to lower the TC until the jacks don't touch. They are to be placed running side to side at the front of the bottom, again in the middle and again 8' from the front. As I recall, I stacked 10 - 2x6 x 6' for a total of 15". I nailed them together and attached some straps to make them easier to move around.

The Arctic Fox manual is pretty bad for a $30k+ purchase. This section is an example. Why winter storage? Is it ok to store on the jacks in spring and summer? Since the tanks are "hung" and don't contact the floor, how can they be damaged? And so on.

[mkirsch]

What baffles me is why someone would NOT be able to see the potential problems, and NOT want to have a little insurance against them.

Maybe nothing bad will ever happen. Maybe your camper will never leak and rot. Maybe a big wind storm won't come through and test your jacks. Maybe your jacks won't have a random structural failure. Maybe the ground won't soften and give way under the camper.

Nothing wrong with a bit of precaution, especially when it's so simple and cheap.

[Jfet]

If I had a crane I could lift our entire camper from just one jack mount and would feel comfortable having a picnic under it. Well, assuming I trusted the capacity rating of the crane.