7 replies to this topic

[Spineguy]

Newbee here. Just purchased a 1988 cabover side dinette Alaskan and need to know how low the Alaskan jacks will lower the camper as it needs some work and my garage opening is too low to just drive it in and take it off my truck. It's in great shape but needs cleaning seals checking out. Bought it from a friend who purchased it new. It's been in her barn stored for 15 years. 

 

I've looked at lowering down with the Alaskan jacks then using cable jacks to place it on a low dolly and roll it into the garage. Looking for Pirelli seals too if anyone has a line on them. Any help is appreciated. 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Welcome to Wander the West, and congratulations on your new camper.   Please don’t forget to post a few pictures, we love pictures!
 

I suspect the current jacks will lower your camper lower than your truck bed.  You might get away with just building a taller dolly.  ReicoTitan makes some that might serve as ideas.  I think the cable jacks would also work.

 

Call Bryan Wheat at Alaskan to get a lead on the seals.

 

 

[Dr.Science]

I have a 1990 and just replaced the Pirelli on mine. Bought 100 ft of Pirelli for the purpose, used less than half of it, you can have the rest at cost. Replacing the Pirelli is not difficult.

 

Putting the camper into the garage was a bit of an epic because our driveway is steeply sloped up to the garage door, but basically we jacked it out of the truck, lowered it onto a dolly, and rolled it into the garage. In practice it took two dollies, a high-lift jack, a couple of bottle jacks, several cinder blocks, and a couple of 12-ft 2x12s. And much patience.

[Spineguy]

Did you replace the inner and outer Pirelli with less than 50 Feet?

 

When you lowered the camper down using the Alaskan jacks how close to the ground did the camper get to the ground?

[Dr.Science]

Total Pirelli was about 42 ft to do the bottom of the top shell and the top of the bottom shell. I've heard some people put it on the cabover doors but not sure how that works, the Pirelli is wider than the doors. Lowering the Alaskan to the ground involved getting it off the truck, lowering to the bottom range of the jacks, placing supports under the floor, and then lowering it the rest of the way using jacks - mostly a high-lift jack but a bottle jack and a garage jack were useful too. With that I got it down onto 2-inch pipe rollers and then I could roll it into the garage.

[Spineguy]

Thanks - How much do you want for the remainder of your Pirelli seal? Also do you remember how low the Alaskan jacks got you to the ground? I'm trying to avoid purchasing cable jacks. I have 4 floor jacks that will easily handle the weight but I'm not sure if they will go high enough.  

[Dr.Science]

I believe the camper jacks got me down to about 16" from the ground, at which point jack stands became useful. Another thing you should think about, the bottom shell is not especially stiff. If you only support it beneath the floor, it will splay out to the sides, which means you don't want to raise or lower the upper shell without first supporting the sides. You can tell the amount of lift needed on the sides because the rear door opening closes up as they are lifted. When the doorway is the same width at top and bottom, the guides and hydraulic lifts should be in correct alignment and then you can raise/lower the top shell to do the Pirelli replacement. I used cinder blocks and shims to get the sides to the correct height.

[Spineguy]

 Thanks for the info. i needed this info to make a dolly to move it around. I get the splay out possibility, good eye on that.