Stabilizer Jacks

I have drug my jacks off 2 times. They are scissor jacks that hang to low!
Does anyone have an alternative for a replacement, I hate to replace them again, it is a bad design.
Lisa

You didn't say what year or model HI-Lo that you have. I have a 2195TL that I towed for about 90,000 miles, to AK and all over the US, all kinds of camp grounds and the only time that I damaged one of the jacks was when I forgot to put it up. I also have a 2209TL that I used last summer and fall, haven't had any jack problems with it. I do take a look before I drive into gas stations and if it looks like there might be a problem I go to another, some have big dips or on a hill and should be avoided by any one with a trailer.

Lisa A Cromwell said:

I have drug my jacks off 2 times. They are scissor jacks that hang to low!
Does anyone have an alternative for a replacement, I hate to replace them again, it is a bad design.
Lisa

Click to expand...

We have 2305 Classic and have the same exact problem as you. The front jacks, even when fully retracted, hang very low and we cannot even get out of our driveway without scraping or bending them. The slope on the end of our driveway is very moderate and we did not experience this problem with any of the previous campers that we owned.

After replacing them twice I have come up with a temporary solution but it is a pain in the you-know-what. Our temporary solution was to replace the mounting bolts with clevis pins and then remove the jacks when we are towing and pin them back on when we get somewhere. It is tedious, time consuming and requires you to lay on the ground to line up the holes. I would really like to find a better solution.

We really love our Hi-Lo, except for this one issue.

Leif in St. Paul, MN

I do have to admit the jacks on the 95 are different Bal Brand and crank up higher than the 2209, Even though I have not had a problem with the 2209, in my opinion the jacks are larger than needed. Also the rear jacks are mounted to close to the bumper, probably due to the pods underneath and the skirting.
Question are you both using a WD hitch and when the tow vehicle and trailer are connected and setting on level ground, is the tow vehicle Level or is the rear sagging, also is the trailer setting level?

PopRichie77 said:

Question are you both using a WD hitch and when the tow vehicle and trailer are connected and setting on level ground, is the tow vehicle Level or is the rear sagging, also is the trailer setting level?

Click to expand...

We have a 3/4 ton Suburban and are using a WD hitch. The truck and trailer both sit level when hooked up with the WD hitch.

I think part of the problem is that on the Classic models the jacks are mounted lower because of the skirting that you mentioned. I have thought about welding on new mounts for the jacks and drilling holes in the skirting to access the "bolt head" for raising and lowering the jacks, but that would be a fairly major project.

boabrother2 said:

We have a 3/4 ton Suburban and are using a WD hitch. The truck and trailer both sit level when hooked up with the WD hitch.

I think part of the problem is that on the Classic models the jacks are mounted lower because of the skirting that you mentioned. I have thought about welding on new mounts for the jacks and drilling holes in the skirting to access the "bolt head" for raising and lowering the jacks, but that would be a fairly major project.

Click to expand...

It might be easier to raise the height of the trailer frame over the axle, which is what I had done. My trailer now sits about 1.5" higher than before. See my thread on how I felt the axle was mounted too far back to get the whole story.

Anyway, the guy at the shop where I had the axle moved suggested raising things too and I think it was a good idea, even though I had not ever scraped the road with the jacks. I'm sure I've come close at times.

- Jack

Leif in St. Paul,
Reads like you came up with an innovative, if not inconvenient solution.

Lisa,
Long before scissor or any of the bolt on stabilizers were available, you may remember that we all used pyramid jacks. Pyramid jacks actually work very well, are simple, light weight and stack for storage, are reasonably easy to use, inexpensive... and can still be procured from RV accessory suppliers. These may be the "alternative replacement," you are looking for!

Picture shows pyramid jacks under the corners of both trailers.

Jim

I have a 2307C and have experienced the same issue with the front jacks being too low. Had to take them off to get enough clearance to get into our sloped driveway. No problems when towing so far.
My quick/easy solution has been to change the carriage bolts out to a slightly smaller size (from 3/8" to 5/16") to make it easier to line up. (There are 3/8" slots in the support plate that the jack bolts to.) I use a piece of 3/8" dowel rod with one end shaved down a bit to help line up the bolt holes with the slot. I mount both jacks the first night we're out. Then I leave them on.
If I find that they are getting in the way when towing, my next thought is to try using bottle jacks with some pcs. of 2x10 as spacers/feet with cleats on the top piece and sandpaper in between pcs. to keep the jack from slipping. The space between the plate and ground looks too small for pyramid jacks.

Darryl

I currently have mine set up at using these pyramid jacks.

When we got the camper, there were no scissor jacks. I was planning on welding some on this spring, but what we have is working fine, and I am a strong believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" so I will probably keep what we got for now.

adding jacks

I bought some RV scissor jacks at Harbor Freight. How and where are they mounted? I have a 92 Towlite.

On our 2310H the stabilizers are welded to the frame. The rear ones are just forward of the bumper and the front ones are roughly three feet back from the front corner of the box.