Lube Stab Jacks

[CampyTime]

Hi Everyone,

Just seeking opinions and recommendations for lubing stab jacks on my Scamp 13. Tried Boeshield T 9 so far. Still very tight and difficult to release from bumper. May have tried silicone once before but I don't remember

I used to use spray on lithium grease on my pop up camper stabs but found that it drew dirt. However, open to all suggestions.

Thanking you in advance,

Wendy

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[Dan Meyer]

I use no lubricant on my stabilizer jacks. If they were sticky, I would remove them, take them apart as much as reasonably possible and clean them up. Get all of the dirt and rust removed and they should work pretty well.

--Dan Meyer

[k corbin]

A lot of time there is a corrosion build up within the structures. For areas you can't take apart to clean you can spray the surfaces with one of the products made for freeing up rusty bolts. Let it soak, then work the jack back and forth quite a few times to further spread out the rusty bolt removal solutions, let it sit a while longer and move it back and forth again while adding some more of the solution. After that flush it out with a solvent such as denatured alcohol or acetone to remove the debris particles. Try moving it again, if still stiff repeat the soaking and moving and flushing steps. After it is freed up then you can use a protective lubricant.

Rust removal products are for helping to remove rust

protective lubricants are for helping to prevent rust from forming

[C&G in FL]

Wendy,
If you are going to lube them after you get them working freely, I would suggest a spray can of dry lube (any auto parts store). Dry lube does not attract dirt and debris.


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[k corbin]

Originally Posted by CPW

Wendy,
If you are going to lube them after you get them working freely, I would suggest a spray can of dry lube (any auto parts store). Dry lube does not attract dirt and debris.


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Boeshield T-9 does not attract dirt and debris so it is fine for the purpose. They made a good choice.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by k corbin

Boeshield T-9 does not attract dirt and debris so it is fine for the purpose. They made a good choice.

Boeshield, while a fine product, is not a lubricant, it is a corrosion inhibitor. The OP specifically mentioned lubrication.


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[gordon2]

Originally Posted by CPW

Boeshield, while a fine product, is not a lubricant, it is a corrosion inhibitor. ...

In that case I am filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising....

[CampyTime]

Solvent...as in PB Blaster? This is only a 2012 trailer so to be honest they still have a decent coat of paint and very little rust at all. The curb side one has always been tight since I bought the trailer used in 2013. The little Jack foot comes down easy. It's the pulling the Jack horizontally out of its resting place on the bumper that's so challenging! Takes quite a bit of my oomph. 😄

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[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Hi Everyone,

Just seeking opinions and recommendations for lubing stab jacks on my Scamp 13. Tried Boeshield T 9 so far. Still very tight and difficult to release from bumper. May have tried silicone once before but I don't remember

Wendy

Wendy,

Ours on a 2012 are a little rusty and tend to stick a bit. I do a few things to make deploying them easier.

One, I kneel on an old piece of reinforced closed-cell foam carpet pad that I use for hitching and deploying the stabilizers. That makes it easier to get some leverage. Second, I wear a pair of lightweight leather gloves. Third, I sometimes remember that the stabilizers can be poked with the tool from the outside to get them to release and drop; this actually works well when I remember to do it that way. Otherwise I grip them with a glove while kneeling on the pad and they generally relent with only minor protest.

No lubricants were harmed or misconstrued in the writing of this post.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by gordon2

In that case I am filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising....

Gordon, I would only suggest that you spray Boshield on something important (with moving parts), expose it to the elements for a few months, and at that point if you can tell me that you still think it is a lubricant, I will retract my statement.
The FTC will not enforce any false claim about lubrication because almost any liquid has lubricating properties; for instance, in some applications, water is used as a "lubricant."
I do use Boshield frequently, but not as a lubricant. Based on my experience, there are other products with superior lubricating qualities and much greater longevity.


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[Byron Kinnaman]

The stabilizer jacks need to be some what hard to release when stowed. Otherwise they could fall down and drag over a bump rendering them useless. Even new ones are stiff and difficult to deploy.
I do lube mine when they get pretty sticky. I use a lube spray that have teflon in it. It doesn't seem to attract dust and dirt at least from my observations.

A graphite lube without oil might work pretty well, and not attract dirt.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by CPW

Gordon, I would only suggest that you spray Boshield on something important (with moving parts), expose it to the elements for a few months, and at that point if you can tell me that you still think it is a lubricant, I will retract my statement. ...

I have been using it on the Scamp's door hinges (stored outside) since I bought the trailer almost a year ago. I will admit it seems to be best to refresh it every month or two, but I am happy with the results so far.

[CampyTime]

I love T 9 for my Scamp food hinges. Was the o,ly thing that took the squeak out of them. it does make sense

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[CampyTime]

Oops. Posted before ready. It does make sense that the stabs should be a little stiff for storage. I have been comparing these to my 97 Dutchman pop up which is my only other experience. Same stabs, piece of cake to deploy.

As I said little Jack foot is a breeze to go down. I've looked for dry lube once for my wheelchair lift...I think that spray on graphite? Couldn't find at auto store I stopped at but I know it exists.

I use silicone spray on my tongue Jack as I read here once that is what atwood recommends. As far as I know these are atwood stabs.

The T 9 has wax in it and since it worked so well in my hinges I thought it would rock on the stabs. But they don't move as frequently or in same manner as a door hinge.

Silicone does wash out though.

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[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Oops. Posted before ready. It does make sense that the stabs should be a little stiff for storage. I have been comparing these to my 97 Dutchman pop up which is my only other experience. Same stabs, piece of cake to deploy.

As I said little Jack foot is a breeze to go down. I've looked for dry lube once for my wheelchair lift...I think that spray on graphite? Couldn't find at auto store I stopped at but I know it exists.

I use silicone spray on my tongue Jack as I read here once that is what atwood recommends. As far as I know these are atwood stabs.

The T 9 has wax in it and since it worked so well in my hinges I thought it would rock on the stabs. But they don't move as frequently or in same manner as a door hinge.

Silicone does wash out though.

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Wendy if the jacks are clean and free of dirt etc you might try adjusting the bolts/attachment points where they connect to the bumper. One side on my Scamp got hard to take down and I adjusted the attachment bolts a bit. Sorry can not recall what exactly I did but I seem to recall loosening one off a just a little and tightening up the other until I got it moving a bit better.

[Wayne Collins]

As someone else said. Leave them dry. Oil and dirt makes a grinding compound.

You know there is a spring inside the jack that pulls the outer tube up and engages with the tabs, both when down and when up. If they are bent or distorted it makes then hard to operate.
Remove from bumper, clamp in a vise, and observe where the hang up are.
Staighten as needed. and reassemble. Use WD40 to help free the sliding action, but then wipe it off.
Or, you can replace then with BAL Scew type jacks. They, however, will not fit the same mounting points. You need to add a cross member, either a rectangular steel tube, or piece of flat bar stock to span the frame members. That can all be bolted on instead of welded.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by CPW

Boeshield, while a fine product, is not a lubricant, it is a corrosion inhibitor. The OP specifically mentioned lubrication.


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My post, as was pointed out by another member, was overly "absolute." And hastily written I would add. What I should have said is that Boeshield is not the BEST or a GREAT lubricant. It has been my experience that it requires frequent refreshing because it does not seem to be durable/persistent/long lasting as a lubricant where multiple surfaces contact each other. But it does a very good job of preventing rust/corrosion on bare metal surfaces.


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[CampyTime]

I think I will take at least the very stiff one off the trailer and inspect it. Perhaps doing so will locate a problem that I can address, and then put it back on with slow tightening down of one bolt/nut and then the other to see if that helps too, as all have suggested.

For this scenario, the T 9 did not work well but there may be an out of square issue or spring issue as mentioned. Today I did clean them up if you will with WD40 but that was as far as I got. Working back and forth as real times and they did move a bit better.

After a take apart I'll see how things are but I kind of think I'm leaning more toward just keeping them dry or possibly using dry lube. I'm curious as to what Attwood recommends. Just for the heck of it I'm going to look it up now. I'll report back.

Thank you so very much for all of the advice. As usual I learned new things!

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[CampyTime]

Just looked it up on their bulletin. Says to extend Jack it's fullest extent and clean of mud f
Tar and debris. Then oil pivot holes and rivet of release lever every 6 months. The words oil and clean are used, but no product types are mentioned to do so.

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[k corbin]

oil can!

pretty much any standard, workshop machine oil will be thin enough to work itself into the joins and to absorb into the very slightly porous steel parts.

Grease is the thick stuff that will accumulate much more dirt than a thin oil.

If they said oil then use oil.