Scissor Jack or leveling jack on Boler

[DrKyle1]

Which way would you go?

I want to put some sort of stabilizers on the '71 Boler (13ft) we are renovating but not sure which is best. Should I do the fold up/drop down stabilizers or scissor jacks? Budget and DIY a must lol.

https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jack...d/AT82298.html

or:

https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jack...TJSCHD-24.html

Thoughts? I did a search but still not sure which is best...

[Byron Kinnaman]

I think the biggest argument against scissor jacks is ease you can warp the frame by putting too much pressure on one corner.

I use the Atwood drop down stabilizers on my 13'. I think they are easier to use. Along with them I use a BAL Small Trailer Wheel Leveler.

My set procedure is like this, I put the trailer where I want it. Under the low wheel I place the Bal Wheel Leveler and lever side to side. Then unhitch. Now lower the front with tongue jack to where the trailer is about 1/2 bubble low in the front. Deploy the stabilizers making sure the foot of each are in contact with the ground or a block. Then using the tongue jack level front to back. I believe with this method and these devices I remove much of problem of too much pressure on one corner.

[DrKyle1]

Ok thanks,
I was wondering about that as well.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I have Atwoods on the Campster and they are usually simple to use. I have Bals on the Escape and they require a crank but I think they are longer, too. Personally- so far- I like the Atwoods better as they require only an occasional kick.

[Triker]

I really like the Atwood stabilizers on my 13' Scamp; this is what Scamp factory uses. I set up the same as Byron, although I use Lego-type blocks for leveling.

You'll want to check length and capacity needed for your trailer, as several models are available.

[Gerry]

I've had Subaru scissor jacks welded on my 79 Boler1300 for the past 15 years and have done no damage to frame.
Found jacks at an auto junk yard for $5.00 a pc. and had a friend weld them on for another $5

[jkmboler]

I have used scissor jacks for over 20 years with no problems.

I decided not to weld them onto the frame/rear bumper.

I welded a 5/16" X 3/4' long bolt onto the bottom of the rear bumper at the ends of the bumper. This sticks straight down.

The scissor jacks, I picked up at a Wrecking Yard for $5 each. I took a piece of thin wall mild steel pipe, with a +1" ID (ID turned out to be 1 and 1/8"), cut a couple of 1" lengths and welded one to the top of each scissor jack.

I needed to find a washer with a diameter that would fit into the steel pipe welded onto the top of the jack and fit the 5/16" bolt welded to the underside of the bumper.

I thought about running all over town looking for something that would fit, until I noticed that a quarter was the perfect size, so I took two 25 Cent pieces, and drilled a 5/16" hole in the center of each.

Using two 5/16" nuts, I put a nut on the bolt welded to the bumper, then put the quarter with its newly drilled 5/16" hole on the bolt and then added the 2nd nut with a little lock-tite on each nut.

The set the scissor jacks on a couple of 2x6 wood pads and the jacks are oriented to the rear bumper via the pipe welded on top of the scissor jack and this is held in place by the bolt/25cent piece on the underside of the bumper. The scissor jacks CAN NOT slip out of place when supporting the trailer. The 1" length of pipe welded to the top of the scissor jack contacts the underside of the bumper and supports the trailer directly under the bumper. The bolts welded to the underside of the bumper (with the quarters for alignment of the scissor jacks) only help with preventing the jacks from sliding out of position.

but, that's just by 2 bits worth!

Never had any problems, and I have had one or both wheels off the ground with this setup and never caused any frame damage. Can't see how you could cause frame damage, unless you have significant frame rot in the first place.

[Gerry]

I welded my jacks further under the camper, about 12 inches under the rear and the same in the front so as not to have such a huge span between them when the wheel is almost of the ground...If I do see that the wheel will be off the ground I always have some blocks to place under the wheel....I try to have 7 support points Three per side and the tounge

[DrKyle1]

I got under the boler tonight to look at attaching the stabilizer jacks and was expecting enough ground clearance to do it to the frame but there is no way w/o risking them hitting the ground over bumps etc...has anyone put the bolts through the floor and into the rear Wells to hide the bolt heads? Looking at videos i see a lot of trailers having the bolts this way and not to the frame.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by DrKyle1

I got under the boler tonight to look at attaching the stabilizer jacks and was expecting enough ground clearance to do it to the frame but there is no way w/o risking them hitting the ground over bumps etc...has anyone put the bolts through the floor and into the rear Wells to hide the bolt heads? Looking at videos i see a lot of trailers having the bolts this way and not to the frame.

Can't say I've ever seen any type of jack mounted to anything other than the frame. That's not to say it hasn't been done but the frame is the strength of the RV. Any type jack used on our FGRVs are really only for eliminating the bounce/movement while moving around inside. You say you're concerned with ground clearance for hitting them. Run a string from the bottom of the tire to the lowest point at the rear to show how low a jack can hang and clear. The jacks don't have to be all the way to the rear to stabilize the TT. Mounting jacks even just one foot behind the tires would make a huge difference on light tongue weight TTs from lifting when unhooked from the tug.

[steve dunham]

You could use a couple of light weight jack stands as stabalizers.
I bought a set of 4 at HF . The base is a composite , they are stackable and the jack has screw threads for adjustment. I believe they are rated for 1000 lbs each . They eliminate the ground clearance issue but are not as easy to deploy as the Atwoods. IMHO

[Gerry]

I use to use these jack stands and to try and get a trailer level with them was a pain.
If you start with the trailer level it would be fine just to stabalize the trailer, If you can crank the screw tops tight enough and have the base on some plywood but to try to level a trailer on an unlevel site they are worthless amost.
You would need some sort of jack to jack up, say. the rear left and estimate the height when dropped down on the stabalizer then go to the other corners to do the same....
See the problem?
Also found that after one season the screw parts tend to oxidize and not screw very good.

[Tom Trostel]

Our trailers are designed to carry their weight at 3 points, the tongue and the 2 tires. Any other lifting force applied the the frame is twisting it. Leveling should be accomplished by the tongue jack for front to rear. For side to side leveling, the lower tire should be raised. Once level then stabilizing is next. My Compact Jr came with 2 jack stands and I bought 2 junk yard car jacks. These allowed maximum flexibility. They were not attached so no clearance problems and rode in the tow vehicle. The Bigfoot has 2 welded flip down stabilizers on the rear bumper. I still use 2 auto jacks at the front corners on the frame. Linked photo shows both.
http://s293.photobucket.com/user/tom...tml?sort=3&o=4

[Jon in AZ]

First, you level side-to-side at the wheels (wood blocks, lego-type blocks, BAL leveler, Anderson leveler). All of those systems lift the wheels, not the frame.

Second, you level front-to-back with the tongue jack.

Third, you deploy the stabilizers and snug them up. No lifting needed because the trailer is already level.

[DrKyle1]

I got a pair of the atwood stabilizer jacks and when I got under the boler, a the frame is tube steel so no access and unless I put it right above where the axle is it is out of bounds from the string line. I am thinking of putting it like this video:

https://youtu.be/F1t97Z5IuEQ

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by DrKyle1

I got under the boler tonight to look at attaching the stabilizer jacks and was expecting enough ground clearance to do it to the frame but there is no way w/o risking them hitting the ground over bumps etc...has anyone put the bolts through the floor and into the rear Wells to hide the bolt heads? Looking at videos i see a lot of trailers having the bolts this way and not to the frame.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Fiberglass RV mobile app

Scissor jacks come in different sizes. So some people who are using them successfully might be using a smaller size than the ones you own.

[Gerry]

As said I used old Subaru Jacks and they are only 5 inches when fully closed and welded onto botom of frame

[DrKyle1]

Yeah I am going to return the ones I got and look for cheap scissors to have welded on.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Scamper Jim]

The thing that bugged me about scissors jacks is trying to keep them in position to align with the frame when on uneven ground while trying to crank them up. They flop around like fish out of water so you have to reach under the camper and re-align them again, and then try cranking again until they finally reach the axle. I tried using a cordless drill to raise and lower them, but the battery always seemed to be low or dead when I wanted to use it.

I fixed that problem by buying a couple of electric car jacks like these. Pilot 12 Volt Electric Car Jack Q-HY-1500S | eBay

I plug them in to a 12v plug at each side access door, line them up and press a button. They also work when taking most of the weight off the axle over winter as shown in the pic.

[Gerry]

There in is why we weld then onto the frame and Kyle, if your looking for cheap go to an auto junk yard..I got my 4 jacks for $20.
I messured and the bottom of the jacks when folded for travel is NOT lower then the axel on my boler.