Quick removal camper jacks?
#61
Posted 14 February 2018 - 11:31 PM
Founder of D.E.R.P. Desert Exploration & Research Project. A camp proper is a nomads biding place. He may occupy it for a season or only for a single night, according as the site and its surroundings please or do not please the wanderers whim- Horace Kephart.
2009 4x4 Tacoma Access Cab-The Gini
2013 Silver Spur Finch Shell- The Oxcart/Gini's Burden-
#62
Posted 15 February 2018 - 07:14 PM
cool. Air tools make short work of the process too.
2012 ATC Puma Shell build - https://www.wanderth...012-puma-build/
Power considerations thread - https://www.wanderth...e-power-scotty/
Building out an electrical system - So, you want to setup a good electrical system in your camper? - Electrical, Charging, Solar, Batteries and Generators - Wander the West
#63
Posted 20 February 2018 - 06:06 AM
Great ideas and impressive work, all of you. I'm still wondering why you all feel the need to take the jacks off in the first place, though... We have a Hallmark with Happijacs and the jacks only stick out 3 inches beyond the sides of the camper, and the legs retract way up to where they're pretty much completely out of the way while driving. We've used the jacks while out on the road to jack the camper and truck up simultaneously to change a flat (camper jacks only to take the weight of the camper, OEM truck jack for the unloaded weight of the truck). We do have a Hi-Lift mounted to the rear platform for extrication purposes and could use that without using the camper jacks if we wanted, but I'm a bit leery of using the Hi-Lift as a go-to solution with the full rig. We've also used the jacks to drive the truck out from under the camper and reposition when it got torqued out of position on a rough road. And last but hardly least, we always put the jacks down when we camp to make the rig more stable. Especially helpful when it's windy.
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L CTD short bed quad cab, 2008 Hallmark Guanella
#64
Posted 20 February 2018 - 06:27 AM
Founder of D.E.R.P. Desert Exploration & Research Project. A camp proper is a nomads biding place. He may occupy it for a season or only for a single night, according as the site and its surroundings please or do not please the wanderers whim- Horace Kephart.
2009 4x4 Tacoma Access Cab-The Gini
2013 Silver Spur Finch Shell- The Oxcart/Gini's Burden-
#65
Posted 20 February 2018 - 02:30 PM
I suppose an overloaded Tacoma would be a different story than our 3/4 ton diesel truck. Also seems we're from an area (or stick to roads) without those lurking jack hazards. Most of our trips are in 4 corners area - desert or southern Rocky Mtns. Having said that, we are equipped to remove the jacks on the road if we hit a stretch that's too narrow or whatnot. Would just put them right back on afterward, though, which is I guess the point of this post.
When exactly do people run into things with their jacks?
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L CTD short bed quad cab, 2008 Hallmark Guanella
#66
Posted 20 February 2018 - 03:26 PM
The jacks that came with our camper don't reach the ground on our stock height truck, but they do hang low enough to be a problem in some of the places that I've gone with the truck. I'd have to carry18"-24" of cribbage of some sort per jack for them to be useful.
Where does that road go?
#67
Posted 20 February 2018 - 05:36 PM
The end of my old Lance occurred when some kind soul made a U-turn and as he came around he clipped the LF jack and basically tore open the camper. Didn't stop, no note of course.
Rocks and branches might catch on them as well when out boondocking. If you are "Asphalt Camping" you should be OK.
1988 Ford F-250 HD Lariat 4x4 8 Ft. bed
1976 Alaskan 8 Ft. CO camper
#68
Posted 20 February 2018 - 05:47 PM
I suppose it only takes once... maybe worth rethinking this and doing some strategic jack removal if there’s any question. But really we haven’t been in any situations that worried us, even on rough roads in the Maze district and jeep passes in CO. Saving minutes would not be important in our case, since we’d be out on the road with jacks often enough that a system that’s too easy to release may result in the jacks “walking”’ away. The hand-tightened/loosened knobs are definitely too slick and easy for our purposes. We always carry a Makita drill/driver for raising/lowering jacks anyway.
Edit: I just went out and looked at the jacks again - they really are bomber - the setup overall seems much better than the flimsier-looking ones pictured in most posts about jacks (the ones 4 wheel camper and Alaskan use, anyway). I wonder if anyone who owns a Hallmark takes their jacks off routinely? I'd tend to doubt it. The way they're fastened on with bolts pointing inward would require using a wrench, not an electric driver, but that's OK because I really don't think they're coming off except for once in a blue moon.
Edited by DoGMAtix, 21 February 2018 - 03:36 AM.
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L CTD short bed quad cab, 2008 Hallmark Guanella
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