With our new toy hauler in secure storage, i notices some of the the
other travel trailers were using their leveling jacks when not towing.
Do you guys recommend this, maybe save stress on the axles?

 

I put mine down when I am working inside of it while in storage.

Put them back up when I leave. Just habit.

Griz

 

The title of your thread says "stabilizer jacks", but then you refer to leveling jacks; two different devices...which one are you referring to?

 

I only have 4 jacks in each corner, please let me know the proper terminology.

 

Those are technically used for leveling, so they are leveling jacks. They do provide some stabilizing but not much. If you're interesting stabilization then look up the JT Strongarm stabilizers. I have them on my toy hauler and they definitely make a difference, though they do increase your setup and take down time a bit.

I drop my leveling jacks to take the stress off the wheels/tires/suspension/frame. I use my cordless drill to drop them down. Works great. I was using a cordless impact wrench but it was a noisy SOB.

 

Curt, the 4 jacks in each corner of your trailer are for stabilizing only. Do not use them to level out the trailer. Side to side leveling should be done at the tires and front to back at the tongue jack. If you try and level with the jacks you risk twisting the camper frame among other things the jacks are not designed to do. Get your trailer level then snug down each jack for stabilization. One of the main reasons I store our camper with the jacks up is if one of the tires goes flat while in storage, there's no undue stress on the jack/jacks.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding. It sounds like you have stabilizing jacks, not levellers. As stated in a previous post, DO NOT try to use the stabilizers for leveling. I have electric st abilizers on my Toy Hauler and a quick way to damage them is by trying to use them for leveling.

 

Hi Curt's05,
TCNashville is dead on. I leave mine up for another reason. If one of my neighbors in storage happens to catch fire, I want the storage owners/responders to be able to drag my rig to safety as quickly as possible.
Also, my owners manual warns against using the "stabilizer" corner jacks to level the trailer.

 

LOL! I'm sure my storage lot owners wouldn't even notice if some trailer went up in flames. My tongue is locked so they couldn't tow it anyhow.

Around here there's no such thing as a level campsite, especially since most of what I do is boondocking. I do my best to get it level side to side with the Andersen Levelers. But the leveling (er, stabilizer) jacks are necessary to get it completely level.

 

Toss a chain around a backhoe bucket and lift it by the tongue. Moved many of junk ones like that in my uncles yard. Too busy to hook them up.
Griz

 

Where there's a will, there's a way. They have no will so there's no way my trailer is moving.

There's a 6" gully running diagonally through my storage spot. I need to get them to fill it in but it will need to be during a week that my trailer is out of town. The sad thing is that they'll fill it in and once the first good rain storm happens the gully will be back. I'm at the last row of the end of the lot. There is zero drainage planning in this dirt lot. This business is a cash cow. It's a side business for the company. The main business is landscaping. They have dump trucks, front loaders and even a track hoe. So it's not like they don't have the equipment to do some drainage work.

 

did you buy an adapter to use your drill to lower and raise jacks?

 

I have a 1/2" socket adapter that I put in my drill. Then I use a regular 6 point deep well socket on that.

 

cordless Milwaukee impact with 3/4" socket works for tires too.

 

You'll strip the threads on the jack in very short order if you do that all the time. Depending on how much you use your camper it might be fine though.