Jack points

[kb0zke]

I looked in the owners' manual but didn't find anything about where to jack up the trailer when necessary. More than 10 years ago we had a Heartland mpg and attended the national Heartland Rally. The question of where to jack came up in the general discussion forum. The Lippert guy said to jack on the axle. The Dexter guy said to jack on the frame. I don't recall the final decision, but there were a lot of unhappy campers in the room that day.

So where [I]is[I] the proper jack point? It would be nice if it would be labeled, like I have seen on many aircraft, but I suspect that's too much to ask.

[MoonShadow_1911]

I looked in the owners' manual but didn't find anything about where to jack up the trailer when necessary. More than 10 years ago we had a Heartland mpg and attended the national Heartland Rally. The question of where to jack came up in the general discussion forum. The Lippert guy said to jack on the axle. The Dexter guy said to jack on the frame. I don't recall the final decision, but there were a lot of unhappy campers in the room that day.

So where [I]is[I] the proper jack point? It would be nice if it would be labeled, like I have seen on many aircraft, but I suspect that's too much to ask.

Jack the frame, as close to the axles as possible. What I do is use the electric leveling jacks to raise the coach, then put jack stands near the leveling gear, then use my 6k bottle jack at the u-bolt to further jack the tire higher. If, for some reason I need to remove both tires on the same side, I'll raise it high enough to lift the tires off the ground, then put 3k jack stands under each u-bolt on the axle. It gets a little tricky with the equalizer, so "play" with it.

[Hoopy Frood]

I jack under the spring perch on the axle. Jacking under the frame is just too impractical, and the stress of jacking at just one point on the frame seems to be a poor idea. IMO warning not to jack on the axles is a CYA from the builders. For maintenance type stuff I use the leveling jacks to raise the trailer.

[FT4NOW]

It's really a vague question, it all depends what you are trying to accomplish. Removing a wheel for maintenance you can jack the axle between the u bolts. If replacing a leaf spring or other suspension work, I prefer to use the 6 pt leveling system to get all the wheels off the ground and then set the frame down on jack stands ( I have beefy ones for this, 2 10T and 2 20T, they are rated individually, not as a pair).

[FlyStar]

This works

[Hoopy Frood]

Is there another jack stand on the other side of the wheels/tires? That isn't a single jack stand is it?

[FT4NOW]

Is there another jack stand on the other side of the wheels/tires? That isn't a single jack stand is it?

There are 2, jack stand and bottle jack.


I would hope there is another stand on the other side of the wheels, otherwise that's a big load on that small point on the frame.

[goducks14]

Why are you jacking it up? For just changing a tire or doing bearings you can put the jack under the axle spring perch. I do that when doing my bearings. One axle at a time. If you're doing suspension work then you'll want to jack up using the frame.
My frame bottom is 24" off the ground. Makes for a lot of wood and a good size jack stand along with a lot of jacking. Too much work to just change a tire or do bearings.

[kb0zke]

From all that I've read, it isn't "if" but "when" a tire blows, so I want to know before I need it where to jack the trailer. This is a travel trailer, not a 5'er, so there isn't a handy six-point leveling system to use. (Wonder if anyone has put one on?) I've also heard of the u-bolts breaking.

I have two hydraulic jacks, one 6-ton and one 12-ton. The larger one is also taller. In theory, even the smaller one could lift the entire trailer, so just thinking about a shredded tire, for example, the smaller one might fit under the perch of the inflated tire, and then I could raise it up enough to put the other one under the other perch to raise the wheel far enough to change the tire.

Along the same line, should I put jack stands under the axles or under the frame? I need to get some heavy-duty ones to replace the ones I got rid of 10 years ago because I didn't think I'd ever need them again.

[MoonShadow_1911]

From all that I've read, it isn't "if" but "when" a tire blows, so I want to know before I need it where to jack the trailer. This is a travel trailer, not a 5'er, so there isn't a handy six-point leveling system to use. (Wonder if anyone has put one on?) I've also heard of the u-bolts breaking.

I have two hydraulic jacks, one 6-ton and one 12-ton. The larger one is also taller. In theory, even the smaller one could lift the entire trailer, so just thinking about a shredded tire, for example, the smaller one might fit under the perch of the inflated tire, and then I could raise it up enough to put the other one under the other perch to raise the wheel far enough to change the tire.

Along the same line, should I put jack stands under the axles or under the frame? I need to get some heavy-duty ones to replace the ones I got rid of 10 years ago because I didn't think I'd ever need them again.

In that case, jack at the u-bolt. Just the one tire.

As for jack stands, if you are lifting the entire trailer to do suspension work, put the stands as close to the leveling jacks as possible, with the frame resting on the stands.