an "interesting" setup of BF

[Mike Magee]

This weekend I watched the owner of a Bigfoot 17 back into a campsite and set up. Wondering what you think about this?





Note the presence of a WD hitch. The owner got situated, then proceeded to use a battery-powered drill to raise the rear stabilizer jacks to their maximum (fronts were close to max also) which took quite a bit of weight off the axle. And of course with the WD hitch still attached.

[Jon MB]

I use the powered tongue jack to lift the front with the WDH still connected. That pulls up on the tow ball and lifts the back end of the truck to relieve the load on the WDH bars allowing them to be unchained without stress. But I don't set the rear stabilizers for chain up and unchaining.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Jon MB

I use the powered tongue jack to lift the front with the WDH still connected. That pulls up on the tow ball and lifts the back end of the truck to relieve the load on the WDH bars allowing them to be unchained without stress. But I don't set the rear stabilizers for chain up and unchaining.

In this instance, the WD hitch was left attached for the duration of the stay. Its design is such that it uses the trailer's frame to move some of the weight off the tow vehicle's rear axle, placing some on its front axle and some on the trailer axle. So the trailer frame is in tension, pushing downward. At the same time, the owner has used the stabilizer jacks to push the entire frame upward by perhaps a half-foot or more. I'm wondering if that extra stress could have any deleterious effect on the frame.

[ehoepner]

I have my Casita 17 foot SD set up exactly the same way works really good.

[jgilliam1955]

If you need to change the tire, I know the frame has lift points. They say not to use the jacks to lift the camper.
I do not know if Bigfoot is different.
ehoepner are you using a WD Hitch for your Casita?

[ShelbyM]

Yep, people watching is an upside of staying in a crowded campground. We get lots of yucks seeing folks do stuff that's just wrong....

[Jon MB]

A WDH is used to (partially) restore the front to rear weight loading proportion of the tow vehicle to keep a semblance of the tow car's unloaded handling characteristics during evasive emergency maneuvering situations.
But leaving the WDH connected when parked? I've done that too, but it was a late evening pull-in with an early departure the next sunrise.

[jerrybob]

Seems like some extra work that I never felt the need for......I don't use a WD system and never lower our rear stabilizers.......our set up takes just a few minutes.......just sayin.