Another leveler thread

[Green Frog]

The recent thread on stabilizers and levelers ran on to four pages, so rather than take it off in a new direction, I decided to start fresh. First, my '83 Burro has been structurally modified somewhat... it had a frame-off rebuild with a heavy new floor of 3/4" or 1" plywood coated with a pickup bed liner type material fastened very securely with multiple bolts and screws to the (very well maintained) frame as well as the shell itself. In short, I now have a very rigid unit.

My means of leveling is to use a pair of scissors jacks of suitable size and capacity under the junctions of the rear cross beam and side rails of the frame. I have a tongue jack with a pad as well as one of the swing-down jacks on the side of the tongue and of course the little stabilizers that came as original equipment on the back bumper are still present.

When I spot the trailer at its campsite, I first use the tongue jack and the two scissors jacks to level up side to side and front to rear... three points making a plane. I use a simple little carpenter's level on the back bumper for side to side and on the door threshold for front to rear leveling. Finally, I swing down the tongue side jack and bumper stabilizers to simply firm up the settings I have already established with the "real" jacks, of course leaving the jacks in place. BTW, if the ground is less than solid, I use some 12" x 12" orange plastic pads under the feet of the various jacks as needed.

Now, the reason for all of this description is that after reading the thread on Parkliner stabilizing and leveling, it would appear that I am "supposed" to be supporting my trailer at the tongue and axle and that using the back corners puts undue stress on my frame, but at this point, that doesn't seem to be the case. Am I missing something here or is my setup with my specific Burro going to do as well as it seems to me to be doing?

Froggie

[papa-t]

I just use the Bal-Leveler.

[rick.a]

Hi Charlie,
Your Burro does not weigh enough for this to be a problem. If your frame is in good shape you should be able to support it from the frame corners with little weight on the axle.

I have a 84 Burro like yours, with a new floor and larger bolts anchoring it to the frame. I use only scissor jacks (from old Honda cars) on the rear and use a swing down jack to get it sitting level on wood blocks at the hitch area. This 3 point balance has been more than sufficient for my wife and I to dance in the trailer without any excessive rocking.

After all...it's only a 13'Burro

Rick.

[Green Frog]

Thanks for the responses so far. Rick, I think we're on the same page here... In my case, I've got the weight basically on the tongue jack (at the hitch) and the two scissors jacks repurposed from a couple of Chevy Cavaliers (each rated at a ton +) Then I put the rear stabilizers and the swivel jack on the side of the tongue down to just firm so that they can make the camper stable in place. Because of the tendency to have minor flooding in the area where I camp, I actually elevate it high enough that the wheels are off the ground, and I have no weight on nor support under the axles. This last thing is what I am wondering about, but I'm thinking a set of Bal-Levelers like papa-t is using would be a bit of overkill. Comments??

Froggie

[stevebaz]

I personally would not be using the frames outer ends to lift the axle off the ground. unless you made a frame strong enough to support that suspension span. If you must raise the tires off the ground the lift jacks should be as close to the axle as you can get. Level the tires with block and leave them on the ground to support the weight they are supposed to carry. use the stabilizers to stop the wiggling about. When you are jacked in place and secure is it effecting the way your door closes? (easier or harder) does it effect the movement of your windows harder to open or close or hard to slide if you have sliders?

[theresa p]

we started using this leveller in june on an extended trip. we LOVE it! it's sooooo easy---no
fussing, no back and forth nonsense, no more "grab another board" .....just as slick as can be.
Andersen-3604 Camper Leveler by Andersen



...bought it on amazon

[Green Frog]

Originally Posted by stevebaz

I personally would not be using the frames outer ends to lift the axle off the ground. unless you made a frame strong enough to support that suspension span. If you must raise the tires off the ground the lift jacks should be as close to the axle as you can get. Level the tires with block and leave them on the ground to support the weight they are supposed to carry. use the stabilizers to stop the wiggling about. When you are jacked in place and secure is it effecting the way your door closes? (easier or harder) does it effect the movement of your windows harder to open or close or hard to slide if you have sliders?

None of the symptoms of a flexed frame... in fact, if I try to just jack up one corner, the other one comes with it. That's why I assume my whole camper, frame, shell and floor, are melded into a single, rigid unit.

Froggie