mistake #4058?

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I just got a pair of scissor jacks for stabilizing. These things are huge. 35 pounds. I am wondering if anyone uses the smaller drop down atwood jacks and if so, how do you like them? I went with these jacks as they look easier to crank down and have a much higher weight rating, but now I'm thinking overkill. Also do those atwoods stow even with the frame? These take up 4" of clearance. Any comments are welcome.

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Hi Maggie
I have flip down jacks on the back of my trailer (I think they are what you refer to as Atwood Jacks). Love 'em. I removed them from my tent trailer before I put it up for sale and then took the jacks to a welder and had them welded onto the outside of the back bumper.
I considered having them welded underneath the trailer, but the prospect of crawling around on the ground (no doubt in rain) to flip them down didn't appeal to me. They flip up even with the bumper and are very easy to get at. They are also very easy to operate.
You can view a set at the following:
http://www.scamptrailers.com/images/jacks.jpg

Another (cheaper) option is to go to an auto wrecker and get a couple of car jacks. Many styles are just like the scissor jacks.
Good luck

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I just bought a couple of Toyota scissor jacks from the auto wrecker for $5.00 each and I'm about to weld them to the frame in the rear of the Boler... I don't know how well they'll work but they seem to want to extend to a decent height. My concerns are that the height won't be enough and therefore I'll have to carry some pieces of 2x6 with us; and that the jacks will stop working after some time since they're meant to live in a trunk their whole lives instead of dangling out in the elements.

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It is mistake #4058. I went to two junkyards looking for scissor jacks. Here they want $15.00 each and the only ones they had were high profile - not enough clearence for those. I also never saw two the same. All the catalogs listed a pair of atwoods at about a $100.00. I saw a pair of new low profile scissors for $60.00. Since they were rated at about a hundred times stronger and were cheaper I ordered them. These things look like they could raise the titanic. They are very heavy. They stick out past the body of the trailer. One is almost impossible to crank. The rv place in Texas I ordered them from isn't open yet this morning, but I intend to exchange them for those little atwoods. This place has them for about $50.00 a pair (who knew? please don't remind of shipping costs) They are those drop down kind like on birki. Thanks for the replys.

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I went the 'welded scissor jacks' route...

To go with them, I've got several short (6") segments of 4x4s that I keep in the same basket as the jack's crank and the chocks. I set a block under the jacks before starting. Doesn't take up significant storage space, spreads out the foot of the jack for sandy/loose/wet soil and I also don't have to do as much cranking to get the jack down firmly. :)

mkw

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try this thread for an answer about stabilizers, I took the atwood drop downs off, I found them to not be enough
on a longer trailer, and I didn't want to lose as much clearance as the scissors took up.

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Thanks for providing that link, Joe!

:ola

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I was in the Newportnews store today and saw swing down jackstands for 26 dollars a pair . they are bolt ons but look a lot like the ones that are welded on my lill trill 1300.
Al