Putting your trailer on jacks for the winter - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-01-2010, 09:16 PM   #1
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Putting your trailer on jacks for the winter

People on the Scamp Forum seemed to be obsessed about putting their campers on jacks for the winter. We had many seasonal campers in the campground where we lived this summer and they did not have jacks under them at all. They would be on these sites just as long as they would be moth balled for the winter some place else.
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Old 11-01-2010, 10:38 PM   #2
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I suppose it would be to take weight off the tires and/or torsion axle (for trailers that have one). I'm not sure how valid that is.

OTOH the people who owned my Boler for 18 years did it every winter and the axle seemed pretty happy when I towed it home. But again that is not proof.

I have heard that radial trailer tires do best when not sitting on the same patch of tire for a long time.

Does anyone know?

Raya
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Old 11-01-2010, 11:57 PM   #3
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We use ours in the winter, Quartzsite in Jan, rodeo in Tucson in Feb,etc.
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Old 11-02-2010, 02:23 PM   #4
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The only good way to jack it is at the axle, not at the corners. Here is a picture, not my Boler (mine is stored inside and jacked the same way) but same idea.


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Old 11-02-2010, 03:53 PM   #5
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If that axle is welded to the frame like it looks to be.....it doesnt matter where you jack it up at along the frame really........or support it
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Old 11-02-2010, 04:21 PM   #6
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Actually it does matter. A lot of these small trailers have a light frame that will bend or twist if you put the jacks too far from the axle. Lifting it the way Michael Bouchard shows, is the proper way. Putting jacks under the ends of the frame at a campsite is only used to stabilize the trailer not to lift it.
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Old 11-02-2010, 04:39 PM   #7
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I didnt realize they were that flimsy but okay,makes sense. I guess the frame on a uhaul leaves one spoiled....its really rugged. Bruce
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Old 11-02-2010, 05:17 PM   #8
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Hi Bruce,

I used to have a U-haul. And I agree that the frame is nice looking, and it has outer tubular "extra" supports. That said, I would not have jacked the trailer up and stored it with jacks on "the ends" regardless. I don't think they are designed to take all the weight there (and then plus have the weight of the axle and wheels suspended from them).

It's not so much a matter of "flimsy," in my opinion, as it is where the design is meant to take strain, and where it is not.

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Old 11-02-2010, 05:57 PM   #9
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I think it's a ridiculous idea to jack a trailer off the ground to save a little bit of money on tires. The frame, and axle, are far more expensive.
Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
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Old 11-02-2010, 06:04 PM   #10
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Cyndi I suspect they jacking up the Scamps as the manual actually says to jack it up. Under Winterizing mine reads "Jack up the axle and block it up to take the weight off the suspension. Leaving the weight of the trailer on the suspension for extended periods while stored is extremely hard on the torsion axle. The rubber tends to compress and not relax as fully as before. Relive tire pressure to 10-15 pounds while stored. This extends tire life."

As far as how to and where to jack the Scamp my manual reads:" On the trailer there are two min beams made out of 3 inch by 1 ½ inch tubing, one on each side. Either of these can be used as a point to jack up the trailer. Jack should be placed close to the axle or toward the rear of the trailer, so that the whole weight of the trailer is not on one point."

Have not done it in past years but was thinking of doing it this year as the wheel bearings need repacked and the brake pads need checking and possible replaced. Its in the garage so those are good winter projects.
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:07 PM   #11
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But not ON the Axle!
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Old 11-02-2010, 07:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SherryNPaul View Post
I think it's a ridiculous idea to jack a trailer off the ground to save a little bit of money on tires. The frame, and axle, are far more expensive.
Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
Sherry
That's a strong statement. And while I agree each person is entitled to their opinion, I will address what I see as some misconceptions:

It's my understanding, for example, that radial tires do not do well with weight on the same bit of tire over a long period of time. Blocking the trailer up will eliminate that. It may only be a "little bit" of money, but there is also the hassle/time factor to replace the tires, or the potential hazard if you don't.

The frame is expensive, yes, but blocked properly, there will be no damage to the frame, so the price of the frame isn't relevant. As for the price of the axle, it's better for the torsion axle to "relax," so if there is money to be saved it will be by blocking the weight off it. I can't see how it could cause damage to the axle, done properly.

To clarify: I don't have any dog in the fight over whether you do or do not block your trailer up; you should do as you prefer. I just wanted to clear up some possible misconceptions in your post (so that others could form their own opinion).

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Old 11-02-2010, 07:58 PM   #13
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For what its worth I think it is a waste of time.
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Old 11-02-2010, 08:17 PM   #14
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I'm with Ches on this one. If you feel the need to do something for the trailer over the winter, cover it. You'll be glad you did in the spring when you don't have to spend hours cleaning off the winter gunk. Done properly the outside finish, whatever that may be, will last years longer too.

YMMV
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Old 11-02-2010, 08:34 PM   #15
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I jack mine up to take some of the load off the tires and torsion axle as described by others. I use the stabilizers at the rear, a pair of jacks towards the front and the tongue jack. IMO that spreads the load over 7 points along the frame rather than 3. I take a little more load off the tires and axle than I would while "stabilizing" the trailer for camping, but I don't take all the load off.

It makes it a little harder to steal and I hope it helps with the added weight of the snow load that I doubt those in the warmer areas experience.

Jim and Michel may have a point, but I think a stable non moving load spaced out over 7 points of support has got to be a lot less stressful on the frame than the forces one might experience on only 3 points travelling down our typical highways at 60 MPH.
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Old 11-03-2010, 03:33 AM   #16
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Where is Frederick? From memory, he found that jacking up just the extreme four corners of a Fiber-Stream so the wheels were off the ground was enough to crack the frame.

Jacking up any trailer by the corners puts a lot more bending load into the frame than sitting on the axle and jack.

I suspect this is why Scamp say to jack at the axle, though 'near' the axle might be a better description.
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Old 11-03-2010, 06:54 AM   #17
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When I replaced my axle this summer, the person who did sell it to me and made the installation, strongly suggested to me to jack it up the way I showed, especially with the climate we have here, unless I would like to pay him again for a new axle in 5 years.
He said that the rubber suspension would be shut after five years if not done, when sitting for six months on its weight with temperature going in between +10C to -25C.

Since they are doing that job for the last 30 years, he also mentionned that jacking it (even just a little) at the 4 corners was really a bad idea as they saw so many caravan and pop-ups having the frame bent, mainly because of the snow weight on the trailer. The weight of snow can go from 6.4 lb/ft3 to 31.8 lb/ft3, if it's ice, it will go to 58 lb/ft3. So let's say you get 6 inches of wet snow on your little 13' Boler, you're adding near 1200 lbs on it. So if you think about doing at the 4 corners, you better just leave it alone and don't put anything.
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Old 11-03-2010, 07:01 PM   #18
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Ok, Raya, I apologize. Poor wording.
My trailer, my climate, and, as I said clearly before, my opinion.

Yes, I have the advantage of a long, long camping season (year round, if we wish.) Less time in storage than many others here.

My personal opinion, clearly stated here, is that people may do more harm than good to their trailers by improper jacking than letting it rest on a modern axle and modern radial tires.

If your manufacturer recommends it, obviously, follow their guidelines and do what you need to retain warranty.

Sorry.

Sherry (not on jacks... except to stabilize, ever.)
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Old 11-03-2010, 08:55 PM   #19
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This is what I read from the online Scamp manual as part of winterizing the trailer.

3. Running gear: Jack up the axle and block it up to take the weight off the suspension. Leaving the weight of the trailer on the suspension for extended periods while stored is extremely hard on the torsion axle. The rubber tends to compress and not relax as fully as before. Relieve tire pressure to 10 to 15 pounds while stored. This extends tire life.

Since our Scamp is less then likely to see home this winter, it will remain with us here on the shores of Shawano Lake unless we get a bug up our rear to haul it home to where everything we need to put it up off the ground is. So not only will it sit grounded, it will also be naked as was all it's predecessors for the winter.
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Old 11-03-2010, 10:39 PM   #20
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[QUOTE=Michel, Bouchard;228412]When I replaced my axle this summer, the person who did sell it to me and made the installation, strongly suggested to me to jack it up the way I showed, especially with the climate we have here, unless I would like to pay him again for a new axle in 5 years.

Mike, has your 37 year old trailer had an axle replacement prior to the one you installed?
According to your mechanic your trailer should have had 7.4 axles replaced during its lifetime. I'm not saying you didn't need an axle. I am saying I personally would take any advice this person gave me with a grain of salt.
Do a survey of our members and you will probably find many 30 + year old trailers that are preforming OK on original axles.
Some of this putting on blocks may have started because prior to the advent of radial tires everyone had bias ply tires which developed very noticeable flat spots when parked to long.
With the advent of radials and improved materials and design this is not as great a problem with bias ply tires anymore.
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