Is it safe to go inside while it is on jacks?

[amy in maine]

I am reading, that you should put your Scamp on jacks if sitting for a long while.

Is it ok to go inside while they are on jacks? Or should you avoid it at all costs?

Do you use the back 2 stabilizers as well? So 5 standing points all together?

Thank you in advance, I LOVE this forum, I get answers right away and learn so much each time I open and read all the other posts!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by amy in maine

I am reading, that you should put your Scamp on jacks if sitting for a long while.

Is it ok to go inside while they are on jacks? Or should you avoid it at all costs?

Do you use the back 2 stabilizers as well? So 5 standing points all together?

Thank you in advance, I LOVE this forum, I get answers right away and learn so much each time I open and read all the other posts!

Every fall I jack my trailer up to take the weight off the axle
Our trailer sits in our driveway , winterized from October to May
The trailer sits on treated wooden cribbing placed under the frame and we go in and out of the trailer all Winter without issue .
We also brace the roof to handle the snow load
We do not depend on the stabilizers to hold the weight of the trailer

[Jon in AZ]

When stored, my Scamp rests on 5 points, wheels off ground: tongue jack, two automotive jack stands on frame behind axle, and rear stabilizers. Most of the weight is on the center jack stands. It is solid as a rock, of course, and I use it as an occasional bedroom or office retreat when the house is crowded with guests. No problem, as long as...

Regardless of whether the main weight is resting on the wheels or on jack stands (always on frame behind axle)- if you're going to be inside the trailer while it is unhitched, deploy the rear stabilizers. Otherwise, it might do a whoop-de-do and raise the tongue when you sit or lie on the rear dinette.

[amy in maine]

Ok!! Thank you so much!
I'll buy the 2 jacks and make sure it's not wobbly!

[Rzrbrn]

Do what Jon and Steve have said. Here is an example of what not to do:

We have a 17' Casita SD. We keep the rear dinette permanently down and use as a bed.

We were newbies, first trailer, first time away from home, sort of a trial run.

We went to Granny's country house, which is situated on a steep hill, in the Appalachian foothills of Tennessee. Unhitched and parked 90 degrees to the slope of the hill, on a grassy bit of seldom used gravel driveway. Driveway sort of reminds me of one of those dirt roads in the Rocky Mountains that have no shoulders, with a thousand foot drop (this is only a slight exaggeration).

We stay in the house when we visit with her.

Used those small plastic chocks. At the time we had a wheel on the A frame jack. Did not put down the stabilizers. Why bother, we were visiting and sleeping in the house...

Couple of days later wife asked if I had swept out the trailer...wife hates to see me sitting down relaxing...so out I go...while sweeping the trailer between the wheel and the A frame jack, solid as a rock...cool outside...thought, hmmm...maybe, a quick nap on the rear bed...wife will never know, just think I am doing a very detailed job of cleaning... plopped down on the bed...

Hitch went up in the air, trailer twisted, rolled over the small chocks which had partially sunk into the grass, and started rolling down the hill. The hill being somewhat steep, the trailer hung there with shaft of the jack caught on a large rock on the edge of the driveway, back of the trailer was pointed down the hill.

Neighbor lives down the holler about 300 yards away. Heard me yelling, saw the trailer, called my wife who was in Granny's house. He pulled me back up the hill with his tractor.

The neighbor and I are good friends, but I have to ask: Did he have to call my wife? Why couldn't he just come up and pull me out? Did she have to call the fire department?

[Iowa Dave]

That anecdote painted the Mona Lisa of trailer parking. The Iowa State Fair in Des Moines has camping in rolling hills. Every year there is at least one runaway trailer. With TV news depending on the public to be its reporters these days there is usually “film at six”. It could have been worse, at least eyewitness news was not there to film it all. When I see this happen or about to happen to a rookie camper I use the old Monopoly line: “Take a ride on the Reading.” Like other Escape owners, I’ve probably prevented an average of one near incident per three weeks of camping by “ sticking my nose in where it don’t belong.” The men are usually indignant the women thankful. It’s the Mars vs. Venus thing.
Iowa Dave

[Jim Bennett]

I would bet the vast majority never block a trailer up in storage. I know I never have and have never seen any detriment for not doing so. Reading on this forum is the only time I have ever heard of doing this.

Seeing sitting for a good length of time on today's radial tires is not a problem, what is a good reason to block up a trailer?

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I would bet the vast majority never block a trailer up in storage. I know I never have and have never seen any detriment for not doing so. Reading on this forum is the only time I have ever heard of doing this.

Seeing sitting for a good length of time on today's radial tires is not a problem, what is a good reason to block up a trailer?

My trailer has a Dexter axle . The Dexter service manual says that when a trailer is put into extended storage that the weight of the trailer should be taken off the axle . My trailer sits in my parking area from October till May and I consider that extended storage .
Since Dexter designed and built my axle that they know what their talking about

[amy in maine]

That's crazy...you could have died!!

My stabilizer is very hard to get out can I use WD40 on these? Should I avoid getting any on the fiberglass?

I don't think your wife doesn't want you to relax it's the THOUGHT that counts. Before relaxing always ask, "Hey hon do you need any help with anything?" and she'll be like "Awwww so sweet honey! No you go and relax we're on vacation!"

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I would bet the vast majority never block a trailer up in storage. I know I never have and have never seen any detriment for not doing so. Reading on this forum is the only time I have ever heard of doing this.

Seeing sitting for a good length of time on today's radial tires is not a problem, what is a good reason to block up a trailer?

The "vast majority" never read owner's manuals, either.

My Scamp manual suggests doing so to prolong axle life. It doesn't elaborate. The reasoning I've heard here is that as the rubber in the torsion axle gradually ages, it doesn't harden in a compressed position, contributing to the "low-rider" look of older Scamps. Of course, once the rubber is hard, you need a new axle, regardless of how high the trailer is sitting.

I honestly don't think it matters much, but I like how solid the trailer is when up on jack stands, since we use the trailer as a spare guest room and office. It takes less than 5 minutes with a floor jack to put it on the stands.

The sky won't fall if you don't.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

My trailer has a Dexter axle . The Dexter service manual says that when a trailer is put into extended storage that the weight of the trailer should be taken off the axle . My trailer sits in my parking area from October till May and I consider that extended storage .
Since Dexter designed and built my axle that they know what their talking about

If this is required, why haven't I had any failure with dozens of trailers over the years, nor have all the other trailers that have not been blocked up. I am willing to bet that if you took a poll over every trailer owner out there, it would be well less than 10% that jack up trailers, around here even less. Boy, what a pain that would be.

I see nothing wrong with doing it at all if folks wish to, just saying that I have never, nor most likely will never be doing it. Maybe if I had an explanation that convinced me rather than someone just saying to do it. I always like to understand the reasoning behind things. Crazy, eh?

[Bruce H]

You would only have to get the wheels barely off the ground and the weight is off of them. Then if it does fall off of the jack or blocks it won't hurt anything. Like others have said, make sure the trailer is not parked on a slope or hill.

When they are new and the rubber inside the axle tube is fresh and flexible, Dexter torsion axles are the cat's meow. But that material, like tire rubber, deteriorates with time, even when not used. If you have a 20 year old torsion axle under your trailer you might consider a new axle.

[amy in maine]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

You would only have to get the wheels barely off the ground and the weight is off of them. Then if it does fall off of the jack or blocks it won't hurt anything. Like others have said, make sure the trailer is not parked on a slope or hill.

When they are new and the rubber inside the axle tube is fresh and flexible, Dexter torsion axles are the cat's meow. But that material, like tire rubber, deteriorates with time, even when not used. If you have a 20 year old torsion axle under your trailer you might consider a new axle.

How do you chock the wheels? Or is there no need for chocking?

Also my scamp sits a little lower on the driverside. Is it bad if the jacks were uneven in height?

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

If this is required, why haven't I had any failure with dozens of trailers over the years, nor have all the other trailers that have not been blocked up. I am willing to bet that if you took a poll over every trailer owner out there, it would be well less than 10% that jack up trailers, around here even less. Boy, what a pain that would be.

I see nothing wrong with doing it at all if folks wish to, just saying that I have never, nor most likely will never be doing it. Maybe if I had an explanation that convinced me rather than someone just saying to do it. I always like to understand the reasoning behind things. Crazy, eh?

Jim , I can’t answer your question and I am not going to venture a guess
It’s the same thing with vehicles , how many people read their owners manual and follow the maintenance schedule . I know my vehicle’s owners manual does not explain why the scheduled maintenance is required .
I don’t find the task that difficult nor time consuming but others may disagree
It’s not worth a long back and forth discussion

[Bruce H]

Originally Posted by amy in maine

How do you chock the wheels? Or is there no need for chocking?

You need a bigger chock. You can also get some wooden blocks to put under the axle tube itself then let the jack down and remove it. Lowe's and Home Depot sell treated 6" by 6" timbers (and other sizes) that would make perfect blocks, and they would be really stable, laid flat on the ground and stacked, not stood on their ends. They have a saw and will cut them to what ever length you want, I would suggest 16 inches. . You would need to calculate how many blocks and what thickness you need to stack high enough to get the tire off the ground. When you measure, remember that as you lift the weight off of the torsion axle it will "let" the tire down a few inches.

[amy in maine]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

You need a bigger chock. You can also get some wooden blocks to put under the axle tube itself then let the jack down and remove it. Lowe's and Home Depot sell treated 6" by 6" timbers (and other sizes) that would make perfect blocks, and they would be really stable, laid flat on the ground and stacked, not stood on their ends. They have a saw and will cut them to what ever length you want, I would suggest 16 inches. . You would need to calculate how many blocks and what thickness you need to stack high enough to get the tire off the ground. When you measure, remember that as you lift the weight off of the torsion axle it will "let" the tire down a few inches.

Oh man, I just bought those jack stands it should be coming today or tomorrow. Does that mean those jack stands aren't good? Because they only have those small circle ends on top?

[Donna D.]

There's no way I'm going to jack up my Escape 5.0TA to get the tires off the ground for storage purposes.

[Bruce H]

Originally Posted by amy in maine

Oh man, I just bought those jack stands it should be coming today or tomorrow. Does that mean those jack stands aren't good? Because they only have those small circle ends on top?

Jack stands are perfect. I didn't know you had them. The tops should have notches or ears to keep the axle from slipping off.

[steve dunham]

My cribbing consists of 3- treated 6x6’s 16” long stacked up and tied together with a treated 2x6 and 3” screws . I place one set of blocks on each side of the axle then I tie the two sets of blocks together with a treated 2x6 and 3” deck screws . I also extend my 4 stabilizers
The trailer is extremely stable
My driveway is gravel ,sloped and rather uneven so jack stands did not give me the stability that I desired but if you park your trailer on concrete , jack stands should work.

[amy in maine]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

Jack stands are perfect. I didn't know you had them. The tops should have notches or ears to keep the axle from slipping off.

Haaaaa they don't though! Gordon was recommending these on another post and it was the lightest so I clicked it...I didn't want the metal one's that weighs a ton....

It's just a small circle top!

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-44561-O...ds=jack+stands

Maybe I should just go get those blocks? There's going to be snow and another 1000lbs will be going on the roof.