Mechanical Vs. Hydraulic Jacks

[rich]

Hello Everyone,

My recent fleet purchase came with cable jacks which are a touch scary and less than ideal given that I have an angled driveway. A new set of Rieco Titan mechanicals which most of you have on your campers are $700. I can get used jacks in the $100 - $200 range all day long on craigslist but they are all turning up to be Rieco Hydraulic jacks not mechanical. I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with the Hydraulic jacks or no the pros and cons. It seems to me that they would be heavier due to the hydraulic fluid, possibly a maintenance issue to keep them filled and maintain the seals. The main thing I am worried about is them leaking while lying down in the wheel wells if I am traveling with them with me but off of the camper.

Any thoughts?

 

[Barko1]

Hello Everyone,

My recent fleet purchase came with cable jacks which are a touch scary and less than ideal given that I have an angled driveway. A new set of Rieco Titan mechanicals which most of you have on your campers are $700. I can get used jacks in the $100 - $200 range all day long on craigslist but they are all turning up to be Rieco Hydraulic jacks not mechanical. I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with the Hydraulic jacks or no the pros and cons. It seems to me that they would be heavier due to the hydraulic fluid, possibly a maintenance issue to keep them filled and maintain the seals. The main thing I am worried about is them leaking while lying down in the wheel wells if I am traveling with them with me but off of the camper.

Any thoughts?

They are heavy, I don't travel with them. And the seals do go bad and require maintenance. When working and installed they are pretty good.

 

[craig333]

Never had any problem with hydraulic jacks leaking. But they are heavy.

 

[pods8]

I have hydraulic, I assume they are originals (they tend to look it). No idea if they needed any maintenance before but the previous owner didn't mention it. They work decent but are definitely heave as mentioned maybe 40#? I'd just get them though unless you find some mechanical ones, I don't run with them on anyways.

 

[Sam]

I don't know anything about hydraulic jacks, but lots of mention here of weight. I do have mechanical jacks and take them off & on quite a bit, they are not light either. I would guess every bit of 35lbs each. I am sure you can compare weight specs on the manufacturers website, guessing there isn't much difference.

I can say that it's nice with the mechanical jacks to be able to use a cordless drill to operate them. Saves a ton of time. I am not impressed with any of the camper jacks, all are heavy, in the way a pain to remove. I think it's long past time for a redesign.

 

[pods8]

I can say that it's nice with the mechanical jacks to be able to use a cordless drill to operate them.


I'd guess that w/o having a drill on hand the hydraulic would probably be easier by hand, they pump up decently quick and you just bleed pressure to lower. Hand cranking the mechanical ones might take a bit but either way they'll get the job done. I'd buy what is affordable/available and leave it on the truck as much as possible!

 

[chnlisle]

The drill motor option is a nice feature. I think the plus for hydros is you can lower the camper faster. But I'm retired so WTF!

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

The mechanical camper jacks are sure nicer in my opinion.

Lighter, cleaner, more reliable, and you can use the drill bit for speed.

Gonna cost you more upfront though.


The Hydraulic camper jacks work well and are easy to use -- when they are working.

When they get old you will usually have 1 out of 4 get a little "touchy".

(ex: leaking fluid, binding up, or not holding pressure)

The older they are, the more problems you will have.

If you buy used hydraulic jacks from craigslist, check / test them well before buying them!! Most are old and not worth what they are selling them for.

Most customers leave the camper jacks on the camper while traveling, or leave them all at home when traveling.

They seem a bit bulky and heavy to be putting inside the camper.

They will eat up valuable storage space and might leak hydraulic fluid inside the camper if the seals are going bad.

But, having them while you are on your trip will make things easier in an emergency if you need to take the camper off your truck while you are on the road somewhere.


BTW:

Another important consideration regarding putting a long bed camper on some of the newer short bed trucks: "Spare Tire Access". On many of the newer trucks, access to get the spare tire out so you can use it, can only be accomplished (easily) with the truck tail gate up (closed) or with the truck tail gate removed. When the truck tail gate is down (in the lowered position) many times it blocks the access hole to be able to crank down the spare truck tire. Example. If you have a long bed camper on a short bed truck with the tail gate down, and you get a flat tire, you most likely will have to remove the camper temporarily from the truck (on the side of the road) to be able to change your flat tire. Not a big deal for most customers, but it could create a big problem if you are not carrying camper jacks with you !



.

 

[rich]

Hi Guys,

I have a line on a set of 4 atwood screw jacks with a handle and the brackets for $225. There old but look in decent shape. New they go for $600 plus $165 - $200 for the brackets so I think this is a good deal but I haven't been pricing them used long enough to tell.

Any thoughts?

 

[chnlisle]

If they work you can always paint them and make them pretty. $50 a piece sounds like a good price.

 

[pods8]

If they work you can always paint them and make them pretty. $50 a piece sounds like a good price.


Yup, if they lift the camper and you like how they actuate then good to go. If you leave the camper on most of the time the jacks are a minor thought, just make sure they are relatively stable would be my only requirement.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

you should check the jack bracket sizes too (length, width, height, bolt holes, etc)

each camper company uses a different sized jack bracket for their camper to match the camper framing

what you think is a good deal, might end up being a PITA to install or modify to make em' work

just something to keep in mind


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Guys,

I have a line on a set of 4 atwood screw jacks with a handle and the brackets for $225. There old but look in decent shape. New they go for $600 plus $165 - $200 for the brackets so I think this is a good deal but I haven't been pricing them used long enough to tell.

Any thoughts?







.

 

[rich]

thanks for the heads up on that Stan. I had him e-mail me a pick of the brackets and the bolt holes look like they should line up well with the framing on my fleet. I only put the camper on for trips because I do a lot of rafting which requires an empty bed to fill with rafting gear so the jacks will get used a fair bit. I have an angled driveway so the old cable jacks are way too sketchy. These corner jacks should allow me to drop it down nicely onto some saw horses without the pucker factor that those cable jacks have.