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07-06-2014, 06:23 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Name: Letitia
Trailer: 2011 Eggcamper
Florida
Posts: 202
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Eggcamper Stabilizer Jack
When we bought our used Eggcamper, it didn't come with the tool necessary for extending and releasing the stabilizer legs. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this by hand. Can anyone suggest the appropriate tool? Thanks!
__________________
Letitia
2011 Eggcamper #106
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07-06-2014, 06:55 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Letitia
When we bought our used Eggcamper, it didn't come with the tool necessary for extending and releasing the stabilizer legs. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this by hand. Can anyone suggest the appropriate tool? Thanks!
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Hi Letitia, Are you talking about the two little stabilizer legs on each back corner of the rear bumper? If so, and if they are like ours (2010 model), you don't need a tool. When they are in the up (horizontal) position behind the bumper, just grab it and give it a little pull toward the other side of the camper. You'll feel resistance from a spring, but once you pull it about 1 inch or so out, gravity will let it drop down. Just let it go all the way down until it snaps (spring tension) up into the locked vertical position. Then you'll see a little cross-wise binding lever (also spring-loaded). Just push down on the binding lever, and the inside extension part of the leg will drop until it hits the ground or bottoms out. If it doesn't hit the ground, then push down on the lever to lift the extension back up, put a piece of wood under the foot (2x4" or 4x4", whatever is needed), then drop the foot again. Do that on both sides and your set. Does that make sense? Or are you talking about something totally different? If so, sorry I wasted your time. Oh, and if the foot is not bearing any weight, it should be easy to manipulate as stated above by hand.
For what it's worth, you need to first level the camper left-to-right (road-side to curb-side). Then use your tongue jack to level it front to back. Once level, lower the front a bit. Drop the two rear legs to the ground as described above, then use the tongue jack to raise the front back up to level again, and the rear legs should each bear a little of the weight and stabilize the back end of the camper (and keeps the tongue from popping up off the ground should too much inside weight shift to the rear of the camper). I like a really stable camper, so I added some stabilizer jacks (equipment trailer tongue jacks) to each corner of the front, too. So when we're set up, we have a jack under all four corners. Makes for a rock-solid camper.
Again, I apologize if I missed your point and just told you stuff you already know. If I did miss your point, then please try to explain your problem again. Dale
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07-06-2014, 07:07 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Name: Eric
Trailer: Scamp 13
Michigan
Posts: 256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Letitia
When we bought our used Eggcamper, it didn't come with the tool necessary for extending and releasing the stabilizer legs. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this by hand. Can anyone suggest the appropriate tool? Thanks!
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I don't have an Eggcamper but if I remember right they use the same stabilizer as Scamp. You just need a metal bar of the right diameter and length. I have two suggestions.
First, here is a link to the scamp parts store and the part I think you need: link . But check that your stabilizer looks kind of like this before you order it: link (the length doesn't matter). It is fairly cheap and shipping will likely be more than the part. Look around the website and see if there is anything else you need. I would call rather than use the website to order the part.
Second, here is a work around if you don't want to use the a tool. This only works if you have stabilizers in the back and not the front. I start by leaving the stabilizers up and leveling the trailer with the front jack. Once it is level, I just lower the front slightly (remember how many turns past level this is). Then I put down the rear stabilizer jacks to the ground. I then go back up the same number of turns back to level. To get ready to travel again, I lower the front of the trailer and put up the jacks. Remember to have your wheels well chocked because you don't want your trailer rolling away. Personally, I used the tool when I had 4 stabilizer jacks and now that I only have 2 in back, I never use the tool.
Either way, I hope this helps!
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07-06-2014, 07:18 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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The stabilizer jack in Eric's link looks just like the ones on the rear of our 2010 EggCamper, and I'm still not sure what "tool" you believe you need to make it work. Ours work perfectly well by hand. Perhaps if it's bound tighter than what you can release by hand, maybe just a little tap down on the binding lever with a hammer (with no weight on the foot) to unbind it. Then just don't put that much weight on it again to make it bind solid. They are meant to be stabilizers (primarily to keep the back of the camper from dropping and the tongue tilting up into the air), not true lifting jacks. Anyway, best of luck figuring this all out....
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07-06-2014, 07:24 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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Letitia, Just got to thinking - does it look like your stabilizer jacks have been bent or torqued (perhaps from someone driving away with them still in the down position)? If that happened to them, then it's understandable that they might binding up when they are not supposed to. If that's what has happened, then perhaps it will save you a few headaches to just replace them with new ones that work like they are supposed to rather than continue letting the old ones aggravate you. Just a thought....
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07-06-2014, 07:29 PM
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#6
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Commercial Member
Name: Charlie Y
Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
Oregon
Posts: 1,584
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The link is a standard flip-down stabilizer used on many campers. Need a half inch diameter rod to make it work; any Ace Hardware store will have one. Mine is 12 inches long.
Charlie Y
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07-07-2014, 05:57 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Name: Letitia
Trailer: 2011 Eggcamper
Florida
Posts: 202
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Thanks everyone, for the great advice and suggestions. I guess two things are going on with us.....our stabilizer jacks are rusted and the second thing is that sometimes we don't unhitch the vehicle if it's just a two-night stay and we don't need to drive anywhere. Otherwise we use your suggested method of lowering the tongue, etc. We have never used chocks because so far we have only camped in flat Florida in level sites. We'll try to get the tool at Ace and also maybe we can remove the rust. In the end we may order those new jacks on the Scamp site you sent, assuming they will fit on an Eggcamper! Thanks again!
We really appreciated all the advice!
__________________
Letitia
2011 Eggcamper #106
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07-07-2014, 06:09 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Name: Letitia
Trailer: 2011 Eggcamper
Florida
Posts: 202
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One more question.....has anybody replaced the factory installed jacks with scissor jacks? I'm just asking because we had those on a pop-up and they seemed to work well.
__________________
Letitia
2011 Eggcamper #106
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07-07-2014, 08:49 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Letitia
One more question.....has anybody replaced the factory installed jacks with scissor jacks? I'm just asking because we had those on a pop-up and they seemed to work well.
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Letitia, It's a bit over-kill, but rather than scissor jacks (that are usually mounted permanently and can drag ground on a low-slung camper frame out in the boonies), we went with detachable pipe-style trailer jacks on all four corners (see photos, if they come through). Again, it's over-kill, but I like a rock-solid camper. I made a pipe jack frame mount for each corner, took the original handle off and fitted a bolt head that fits a 3/4" socket/wrench so I can use a ratchet (hand or battery-powered) to raise and lower the jack in tight quarters. Then I made a PCV pipe cap for each to keep rain and debris from getting down inside the mechanism and rusting/clogging over time. If you're not familiar with the jacks, all you have to do is pull the pin, and the whole jack comes off, so there is nothing to drag while on the road or first setting up. Then slide the jack over the mount, slide the pin in to lock the jack in place, and you're ready to crank the jack down and stabilize all four corners. Works great for us.
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07-07-2014, 09:37 AM
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#10
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Commercial Member
Name: Charlie Y
Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
Oregon
Posts: 1,584
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Letitia
One more question.....has anybody replaced the factory installed jacks with scissor jacks? I'm just asking because we had those on a pop-up and they seemed to work well.
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I added BAL scissors jacks on all 4 corners of my Casita - between the rear factory stablizers and the axle as they hang down a bit lower. The scissors jacks can also be used to raise one side of the trailer enough to change a flat tire.
Charlie Y
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07-07-2014, 11:34 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Name: Tim
Trailer: '88 Scamp 16, layout 4
North Florida
Posts: 1,547
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I bought two new stabilizer jacks on Ebay for $37.50 delivered. That is far better than the $50 something Scamp wanted plus shipping from Minn. Not to knock Scamp, I bought other stuff from them but this generic deadweight steel stuff can be more cheaply sourced elsewhere. I destroyed one of my old jacks trying to get it open and the other was barely usable, well worth the money to replace. And to answer your question, I cannot tell any difference in quality between the original jacks and the cheap replacements, except the new are not rusted to heck-and-gone and actually work!
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07-07-2014, 02:45 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Trailer: 2004 13 ft Scamp Custom Deluxe
Posts: 8,520
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local hardware store, buy a 1/2" drillrod, buy a foot of 1/2" ID heater hose.
cut the drillrod to convenient length, cut the hose for handles.
You now have two or three handles which are better than the original!
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07-07-2014, 03:19 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Name: Mike
Trailer: 93 Burro 17 ft
Oklahoma
Posts: 6,025
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Your jacks might need a bit of lubricant to free them up.
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07-07-2014, 03:33 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
Posts: 5,416
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etrailer has the rod for a dollar or so but I use a big old screwdriver that I ground the flat end to be round so that gives me a nice handle. Of course screw drivers aren't meant for prying but who has never done that. I bought replacement jacks at etrailer and ordered two of the rods with them.
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07-13-2014, 02:25 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Name: Letitia
Trailer: 2011 Eggcamper
Florida
Posts: 202
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The information and advice we received from all of you was incredible! For now, we are taking the easy route....just bought a 5/16" Aligning Punch, which seems to do the trick. $6
Happy camping!
__________________
Letitia
2011 Eggcamper #106
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07-19-2014, 09:23 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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Letitia, Just a cautionary note - if you use your rear stabilizers as actual lifting jacks, and you suddenly notice that your door isn't closing like it is supposed to, then you've probably torqued the frame a bit. Drop one of the corners to try to straighten the frame back out flat (play with it a bit, and you'll figure out which one), and the door should close fine again. I really have to watch it with the trailer jacks I mounted on the front corners of ours. My intent is that they just serve as front stabilizers, but it's easy to snug one or the other down just a tad too much, and that can bind the door, too.
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07-20-2014, 07:34 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Name: Letitia
Trailer: 2011 Eggcamper
Florida
Posts: 202
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Thanks Dale. We'll remember that!
PS today we are installing an exterior GFRC outlet!
__________________
Letitia
2011 Eggcamper #106
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05-21-2015, 09:41 AM
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#18
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Junior Member
Name: Stan
Trailer: 2.3L Ford Courier Mini Motorhome Camper
Alberta
Posts: 21
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How to use those light stabilizer jacks, please? (picture attached)
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05-21-2015, 10:52 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 1,704
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You simply use the handle to "snug" the jacks against the frame (not the springs/suspension!). This keeps the RV from bouncing around when you're inside. I would not attempt to try and "level" your RV with these particular "jack stands". Remember, jack stands are to support a vehicle/rv only and not level or lift. I only use these when I need extra caution before crawling underneath my Scamp.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Courier 3.2
How to use those light stabilizer jacks, please? (picture attached)
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06-05-2015, 10:38 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: 2010 EggCamper; 2002 Highlander 3.0L; 2017 Escape 21'; 2016 F-150 5.0L Fx4
Colorado
Posts: 746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Courier 3.2
How to use those light stabilizer jacks, please? (picture attached)
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Stan, I think you already have the idea, but I've attached a photo (I hope) of a front stabilizer jack like that set up on our EggCamper as an example. First, you level your camper left-to-right (by driving the low tire up on boards, etc.), then front-to-back (using your tongue jack). Then you can drop the two stabilizers on the rear corners of the camper to keep the back of the camper from dropping (and the tongue rising) if/when too much weight inside the camper shifts to the back (it can happen!). Then, as a previous poster mentioned, you can use these small stabilizers on the front corners of the camper to help minimize the camper pitching left and right when too much weight shifts left or right in the front of the camper. The most common front pitching is when someone first steps into a camper with a side entry door near the front of the camper. Placing a stabilizer jack under the frame at the front corner of the camper on the door side will help keep that front corner from pitching down as one enters the camper (or suddenly pitching up as one steps out). I hope that explanation and the attached photo help make more sense of this. Dale
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