Allegro scissor jack stabilizing

[Cristina Gouin]

We stabilized our 87 because 4 dogs and 2 humans yea rock and roll it....  We mounted a Scissor jack (think ours are 5 ton each could be 7, bought at Sands RV...  on each corner of the chassis frame.  The front ones face front to back, the back ones face side to side.  Large U bolts over frame rails.  I keep 4 pieces of 2x10 x 10" in the basement compartment to put under each foot if on mud/sand etc. Place so grain is perpendicular to foot of jack.   pat rigged me a 18" long piece of tire iron fitting the end screw of the jack, ground out to fit into my 18V ryobi drill.  I put my bubble level app on my phone and sit that on the bumper in the middle as I run the jacks down.  I have an actual small bubble level that sits in the fridge on the bottom shelf as you should level for your fridge to use for final tweaks.  If rain is expected I'll put a little tip into her towards the back end as yup windshield has always had a leak that 6 years of resealing has not found.... but not more than a little tilt. 

Tina

[Jim Stoltz]

So your jacks are "permanently" installed with U-bolts? That's a good idea. I was going to stow them and use them as necessary.

I have a B&D 18V drill, but picked up an electric (120V) torque wrench on clearance to work the jacks. Will also come in handy in case I need to change a tire on the road. The jacks I got are 7,500 each. In theory they should lift all 4 tires off the ground but I would never do that. My plan is to get it close with ramps and finish up/stabilize with the scissor jacks.

[david craft]

i love the way you solved this.  some older refers that have coils that actually protrude into the freezer space.  I prefer to level the coach by this surface since it may not sit level with the shelves.  half the volumn of the bubble or 2/3s the diameter is all thats needed.  i dont know how sensitive the cell phone app is...i guess I could compare it sometime...

[Jimco_W001]

Let us know what you find out.Would be a great app.

[Cristina Gouin]

The bubble app is as accurate as my actual bubble level as I've sat them side by side on the bumper (being a research scientist, yes I had to do this comparison to trust it).  I never go beyond just a "tad" of the edge over.  Since ours only has one basement I didn't see ramp boards as being practical to carry around since the jacks at full extension have about 20" inches of carry.  I'm usually pulling in alone with my 3-5 pups (nothing less than 50lb each)  and scoot the rig forward and backwards in any site using the actual bubble in the fridge without getting out of the rig to get as close as I can to level. 

The Bubble app (android) is pretty fun as you can use it as a flat round bubble or put the phone on its side as well for leveling a board or picture etc.  That along with the Tesla App so it becomes a flashlight as well. Use the phone camera to photograph make and model tags so you have the info when you need a part and the phone fits where your head won't, has the flash, and you can enlarge the image to "read" it.  LOL. 

Having the jacks permanently attached means I can pull in be jacks down, plugged in with 4 dogs going insane, alone in under 10 minutes....  Also permanently attached is also safer too. 

Tina

[Jim Stoltz]

My new toys arrived today. Now to find places to U-bolt them to the frame.

The electric torque wrench winds them up and down fast (with no load anyway).

http://youtu.be/DqcH23_hcJ8

[Jimco_W001]

That's a fast video.Should be nice and reliable.I think you made the right choice.Great way to go to accomplish your upgrade.

[Jim Stoltz]

Yes the vid is short. Tough to hold the camera and work the torque wrench :)

I'm impressed at the speed that the torque wrench winds it up and down. I can use my cordless drill, too, in a pinch.

I need to measure the size of the U-bolts I need to mount them (unless Tina/Pat knows and can give me a clue :) )

[david craft]

prolly just bend up some allthread..."hammer to fit, paint to match" as they say...

[Cristina Gouin]

I'll see if I can go over and measure/look at Gone today or tomorrow and post.. I need to go crank her up anyway, run the genny and check for leaks.. never did tarp her up as I usually do.

Yes under load will be much different jacking down.  I sometimes end up getting the hand crank out if the drill battery is not fully charged. 

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks. I figure I'd use the drill to wind them down, but have to use the crank for the final adjustments. I'd crawl under mine and measure but there's still significant ice and snow piled up around it.

[david craft]

I just have to comment onthat vid Jim....most youtube vids take a while to develop....but you got her done son....lol...good job

[Jim Stoltz]

So I went out and measured. The frame is 3" wide and about 5" tall. But the holes on the jack mount are 4". So I got 4" wide, 6" long square U-bolts. They should work.