Put Casita on blocks to save wheels when storing? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-31-2018, 03:45 PM   #1
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Name: K
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Iowa
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Put Casita on blocks to save wheels when storing?

I might put my Casita in a barn for 6 months, and don't wont to ruin the tires I will be putting on tomorrow. I know if the Casita sits on tires, they will get "lumpy", and have to be replaced. Can I put the Casita on "blocks" under the frame, to save the tires, or will I simply bend the frame and destroy the Casita?
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Old 01-31-2018, 03:55 PM   #2
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Shouldn't hurt anything to block the frame if you is small increments and NOT twist the Fram.

That said, I don't think you gain much if anything by blocking up the trailer. The tires are only good for 5 to 7 years from the date of manufacture. If by blocking you managed to extend that by a month what does it make?

I've had my trailer for over 12 years now and never have blocked it up. I replaced the tires every 5 to 6 years. A bigger problem I think is having trailer tire blow out. I saw the results of a blow out on a 16' Scamp, it wasn't pretty.

The best way to avoid a blow out is replace the tires and keep the pressure at side wall pressure. Remember that the sidewall pressure is "cold pressure", measured in the morning before lowing. .
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Old 01-31-2018, 04:17 PM   #3
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Put Casita on blocks to save wheels when storing?

You won't damage the frame as long as you lift on the frame near the axle. I would use jack stands, not blocks, one per side near the axle, not at the corners. Lift the frame onto the stands, then deploy the stabilizers. You can leave the tires on the ground with most of the weight off at full pressure or raise the tires off the ground and lower pressure to about 20psi. It's good for the axle as well as the tires.

That said, 6 months is really not that long. I don't see it as a necessity.

More important is to make provision to keep the battery charged.
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Old 02-01-2018, 10:44 AM   #4
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Name: Glenn
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I store mine in a metal barn, lower the front tongue jack all the way down, go to rear and lower corner jacks as far as they will go, return to front and jack up to level which takes much of the weight off tires..easy peasy
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Old 02-01-2018, 11:41 AM   #5
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Name: BARNEY
Trailer: CASITA
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Block under the axle and tongue, cassie will not know what just happened !! Stabilize rear - not jack ! Deflate tires and coat with best rubber protech you can find - it ain't aromall
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Old 02-01-2018, 02:46 PM   #6
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I set mine on jackstands for about 5 month intervals (winter). I have some nice Maxxis tires on there. I pull the wheels/tires put'm in my shop. I walk by and pet'm every now and then...OK OK kidding. But jacking it up also takes the pressure off the "rubber" in the torsion axles. I place my jackstands as CLOSE to the axle as I can get them. The tongue jack remains in use.

All of this overkill? Probably but it makes me happy.
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Old 02-01-2018, 04:40 PM   #7
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I store mine in a metal barn, lower the front tongue jack all the way down, go to rear and lower corner jacks as far as they will go, return to front and jack up to level which takes much of the weight off tires..easy peasy
I second the motion; Our 2000 Scamp 16 always sat on the tires but with the jacks taking a lot of the weight. It was stored on the north side of the garage so was mostly in the shade. Original tires went over 10 years.
NO! you do NOT need to carry the MAX pressure stamped on the side of the tires.
That applies ONLY if they are loaded to the MAX.
Know what the actual weight is on the axle, divide by two, look up that number up in a LOAD/INFLATION chart for your tires, and set the PSI accordingly.
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Old 02-01-2018, 07:12 PM   #8
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NO! you do NOT need to carry the MAX pressure stamped on the side of the tires.
That applies ONLY if they are loaded to the MAX.
Know what the actual weight is on the axle, divide by two, look up that number up in a LOAD/INFLATION chart for your tires, and set the PSI accordingly.
I agree Wayne and I use your technique. Tire inflation is sorta like discussing religion or politics. Folks have strong views. I am a woodworker and know nothing of tire design, though I most often choose black ones. So I go to the manufacturer's website, find my tire's inflation table, plug in the load on each tire and take their recommendation. (Everyone weighs their trailer, right?) The recommended pressure usually turns out to be 15-20 psi less than the sidewall label stating the maximum allowed pressure. I trust that the tire engineers know what they are doing.

But, hey, this is America and we believe that if a little bit is good, more is even better. So inflate away. Today's tires are good enough that most any inflation seems to work, though the ride gets pretty rough at max pressures and you may have to replace your crockery and rivets more frequently.

john
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Old 02-01-2018, 08:07 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Seabee View Post
I store mine in a metal barn, lower the front tongue jack all the way down, go to rear and lower corner jacks as far as they will go, return to front and jack up to level which takes much of the weight off tires..easy peasy
That might work for your "home made" trailer but for most of the rigs people here have, the "corner jacks" are not jacks at all. They are stabilizers and not meant to handle the weight that would be on them using your technique. In order to not confuse people perhaps you can edit your post to reflect this fact. Doing the same thing with proper jack stands under the frame at the proper places would work OK for the rest of us.
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Old 02-01-2018, 09:04 PM   #10
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I agree Wayne and I use your technique. Tire inflation is sorta like discussing religion or politics. Folks have strong views. I am a woodworker and know nothing of tire design, though I most often choose black ones. So I go to the manufacturer's website, find my tire's inflation table, plug in the load on each tire and take their recommendation. (Everyone weighs their trailer, right?) The recommended pressure usually turns out to be 15-20 psi less than the sidewall label stating the maximum allowed pressure. I trust that the tire engineers know what they are doing.

But, hey, this is America and we believe that if a little bit is good, more is even better. So inflate away. Today's tires are good enough that most any inflation seems to work, though the ride gets pretty rough at max pressures and you may have to replace your crockery and rivets more frequently.

john
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Old 02-01-2018, 11:32 PM   #11
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I store mine in a metal barn, lower the front tongue jack all the way down, go to rear and lower corner jacks as far as they will go, return to front and jack up to level which takes much of the weight off tires..easy peasy
You are putting a lot of strain on the corners. The jacks as you are calling them are not jacks but stabilizers. Two different things and could damage your trailer.
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Old 02-02-2018, 09:49 AM   #12
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You are putting a lot of strain on the corners. The jacks as you are calling them are not jacks but stabilizers. Two different things and could damage your trailer.
If the frame is that flimsy?? The only thing I noticed on the Scamp was the dead bolt lock on the door would not engage with the "jacks" down.
There will be some flexing of the frame and body, but that is what lets it survive all the bumps on the road.
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Old 02-03-2018, 02:01 PM   #13
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
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If the frame is that flimsy?? The only thing I noticed on the Scamp was the dead bolt lock on the door would not engage with the "jacks" down.
There will be some flexing of the frame and body, but that is what lets it survive all the bumps on the road.
I don't think it is that flimsy. Think about it, when the trailer sits on the tires, the frame is carrying the back half of the trailer cantilevered behind the axle. If you but jacks at the rear corners, that weight goes away but the frame picks up the center section of the trailer including the axle. The stress where I consider to be most critical is the juncture point where the chassis steps up. True the pull on that juncture is in the opposite direction when on jacks at the corners. But I would argue it doesn't matter. The only increase is the weight of the axle itself. If you subtract the weight of the two tanks full of water (my Casita has two) (you do drain those tanks when it is is in storage do you not?) which are also cantilevered while in travel mode, and that axle weight is offset by a good margin when it is on blocks.
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Old 02-03-2018, 03:47 PM   #14
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I would not say the frame is so flimsy that it can never be lifted from the ends without damage, but I will contend it's not a best practice. My Scamp owner's manual says to raise and block the axle and lower tire pressure for long-term storage.

Perhaps Casita has a different recommendation. What does their owner's manual say about storing the trailer?

We can all do what we think best. I will continue to follow Scamp's recommendation.
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Old 02-03-2018, 08:37 PM   #15
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Many older FGRV's can be found with screws no longer attaching the trailer to its' frame. Certainly rust is a culprit here. But, might using the bumper stabilizers as jacks lead to flexing and shear failure as all the weight on the wheels switches to to all the weight off the wheels? Just saying.

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Old 02-04-2018, 05:00 AM   #16
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First I park my Boler so the tires are on blocks of wood and off grass, then I just jack up the tongue and my welded on, front and rear, stabilizer jacks to take some of the pressure off the tires. I do this more to take the strain off the rubber torsion spring in the axel then to protect the tires.
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Old 02-05-2018, 11:59 AM   #17
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Name: Steve
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I would buy the tires 6 months from now. Why rush. For most people the trailer tires will time out before they wear out. Plus if your going to pack your bearings before the camping season you have to take the tires off anyway.
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