Blocks

[Paul O.]

To buy concrete blocks or not to buy concrete blocks? It depends on what your supply of free lumber scraps is. Yes, those pieces of wood will rot in a year or two, but so what. You need a lot of square inches to reduce the ground pressure.

[Darral T.]

Huh??? These are $1.44 a piece and I've never replaced one in nearly 7 yrs. I dont want mine to potentially crash in from rot/termites (underneath where you may not see) for $2.88. It wouldnt do the Scamp any good either.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gray-Square...1-7-in/3018983

Originally Posted by Paul O.

To buy concrete blocks or not to buy concrete blocks? It depends on what your supply of free lumber scraps is. Yes, those pieces of wood will rot in a year or two, but so what. You need a lot of square inches to reduce the ground pressure.

[steelypip]

After my woodshed project a couple of years ago I have plenty of scraps of treated wood in various convenient sizes. I like wood better than concrete in this application because concrete can crack when loaded too heavily at a pressure point (like a jack stand foot), whereas wood just dents.

Oh, and for the record, never use cinder blocks to hold up a vehicle because they, too, crack when presented with loading at a small pressure point.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Green Frog

Since my Burro was apparently designed to have weight on the back of the frame with those stabilizers (i called them "landing gear") back there right where the frame members are welded to the bumper, I figured that was meant to be a support point on each side. Also, I may be in a special situation since my floor has been replaced with a heavier, stiffer unit and bolted to the frame in multiple places, so I have a more rigid frame than most, so I feel I can safely use the rear cross member (right forward of the rear wall of the trailer) as another jacking point.

Have honestly never seen a trailer manufacture suggest that stabilizers mounted to a trailer are intended for lifting the trailer..... no matter how large a frame the trailer has.

Current trailer has frame channels twice the size as what was on my 16' Scamp and I know the manufacture of it for sure does not recommend raising the trailer using the stabilizers.

Proceed with caution. Stabilizers as the name implies are meant for stabilizing only.

[Scouter Dave]

You mentioned snow and you are in MI so you may want to consider supporting the roof. In Newfoundland, in my Trillium I use a piece of 2X4 to span the ceiling in the middle and then use another long piece from the cross span to the floor that sits on a square piece of 1/2" plywood. Basically it is a 'T' made with two pieces of 2X4. I used to get out and clear the heavy snow off the roof too.
There may more advice forthcoming on this subject, for or against, but it may be something that you may wish to consider.
SD

[Paul O.]

Originally Posted by Darral T.

Huh??? These are $1.44 a piece and I've never replaced one in nearly 7 yrs. I dont want mine to potentially crash in from rot/termites (underneath where you may not see) for $2.88. It wouldnt do the Scamp any good either.

Heck, I bend down and pickup a penny on the sidewalk. Am I cheap?

[Gerry]

so right Donna my 79 Boler1300 has such a frame and back to the trhead
Here is what I do.
Get the tires up on boards to keep off ground
I use Subaru jacks that I had welded onto the frame in each corner and I jack up untill I see the wheels just begining to lift.
Then I crank down to try and guess that some weight is still on the wheels as well as the jacks.
We live in a heavy snow area and I make sure I get the snow load off before it gets over a foot deep.

[Larry,C]

I prefer to think of it as thrifty

[Gerry]

As far as Scouter Dave's idea of the 2X4 on the inside, I use to do this until I found that, even though I had a heavy board for the base or lets call it the foot. the fiberglass floor was developing cracks where the weight was transfered to it.....I no longer do this but as said do clean snow off.
One year when I didn't clean it off my grand-kids were sledding down a hill and up the side of the camper and over the top....I put a stop to that real quick.
Because of the shape of the EGG it is a matter of a minute or two.
Heck it takes me longer to wade through the snow to the camper then it takes to clean it off

[Carl Pa]

I do not know why one would not just leave well enough alone. Certainly the frame of trailer should be able to support its own weight, without jacking this and that up. Of Course I would remove heavy snow off roof, for that matter any snow because it may turn into ice. Carl

[Gerry]

Leaving well enough alone may be OK for newer trailers where no snow loads (Extra weight) may be added. Us running 30+ vintage year old trailers, may have to think of taking a bit of stress off the torque suspension on a 79 Boler. It will add to the life.

[Jon in AZ]

The reasons I've heard for storing a trailer on jacks have nothing to do with the age of the trailer or the strength of the frame:
(1) It allows the rubber in the torsion axle to relax so it doesn't harden in a compressed state over time, resulting in a permanent lowering of the ride height. The rubber will still harden, however- that is a function of time and, to some extent, environmental conditions- so it probably won't do much to extend the useful life of the axle. It only helps forestall the "low-rider" look.
(2) It keeps tires off the ground, as recommended by tire manufacturers for long-term storage.

If you use the trailer regularly all year round, it probably isn't necessary, but only if it's going to sit unused for months at a time. In any case, nothing catastrophic is going to happen if you don't.

Adding support inside in heavy snow load areas is a separate issue. It protects against a catastrophic shell failure, a rare event and usually exacerbated by a compromised interior structure. It's a good precaution but not a substitute for regular removal of snow accumulation. As Carl says, you don't want a layer of ice forming underneath next to the shell, which has a way of breaking loose seals and opening up leaks.

[Darral T.]

Why? If you're not going to use the trailer for long periods (myself) read articles concerning tire-care if nothing else! Not bits and pieces from "users" on forums but articles by the pros.... and see if the general consensus doesnt state to get the tires OFF the ground. (and alot state to deflate them to 50%...and I do) And the same for the rubber torsion system....why would you want to leave ALL the camper weight bearing down on the axle when it's not in use...say 4 or 5 months??? I dont understand that.

Gee...setting my Scamp on jacks is one of the LEAST "chores" I even think about. But as articles often end with this...to each his own and what makes one happy. But the tires at a minimum are sure not going to prosper by long-term neglect.

Originally Posted by Carl Pa

I do not know why one would not just leave well enough alone. Certainly the frame of trailer should be able to support its own weight, without jacking this and that up. Of Course I would remove heavy snow off roof, for that matter any snow because it may turn into ice. Carl

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Adding support inside in heavy snow load areas is a separate issue. It protects against a catastrophic shell failure, a rare event and usually exacerbated by a compromised interior structure. It's a good precaution but not a substitute for regular removal of snow accumulation. As Carl says, you don't want a layer of ice forming underneath next to the shell, which has a way of breaking loose seals and opening up leaks.

A plan to go out and clear the snow off a stored trailer is in theory a great idea.

But what happens if you head off to a nice warm beach someplace for a a couple of weeks in the middle of winter and it snows back home?

[frank_a]

Yesterday I did what I do every year after winterizing the Parkliner. Jacked it up, put jackstands on plywood under the frame just behind each wheel, and removed the wheels/tires for storage in my heated basement. That way I can also clean them real nice over the winter and tire black the tires so they look spiffy. Removing the wheels/tires is also a low cost theft prevention method. I also removed the propane tanks, batteries, and power cable. Then I put our Calmark Sunbrella cover over it, and put it to bed under it's carport.

Frank

[Darral T.]

Frank, yer sounding good! BUT...do NOT "black" those tires! Again, go to any major "tire" website...Bridgestone etc, and see what they say about the chemicals in the "tire shine" junk. If you're going to replace them regularly you may be ok...but I would/will NOT use "tire blacking"!!

Originally Posted by frank_a

Yesterday I did what I do every year after winterizing the Parkliner. Jacked it up, put jackstands on plywood under the frame just behind each wheel, and removed the wheels/tires for storage in my heated basement. That way I can also clean them real nice over the winter and tire black the tires so they look spiffy. Removing the wheels/tires is also a low cost theft prevention method. I also removed the propane tanks, batteries, and power cable. Then I put our Calmark Sunbrella cover over it, and put it to bed under it's carport.

Frank

[frank_a]

My word, 40 years of tire blacking and I lived through it! I will check into that, but have been doing tire black for decades with no problems so far. Of course, I'm only 64, so who knows what the future holds?

I do appreciate the comment. What do folks do, just scrub the tires with car wash soap?

Frank (mystified!)

Originally Posted by Darral T.

Frank, yer sounding good! BUT...do NOT "black" those tires! Again, go to any major "tire" website...Bridgestone etc, and see what they say about the chemicals in the "tire shine" junk. If you're going to replace them regularly you may be ok...but I would/will NOT use "tire blacking"!!

[Darral T.]

Yes .... "mild soap and water" is what's always been recommended. It may not hurt but I simply dont do it anymore.

Originally Posted by frank_a

My word, 40 years of tire blacking and I lived through it! I will check into that, but have been doing tire black for decades with no problems so far. Of course, I'm only 64, so who knows what the future holds?

I do appreciate the comment. What do folks do, just scrub the tires with car wash soap?

Frank (mystified!)