Pads for under Leveling Jacks?

[ByeTheWay]

I sandwiched 2x material between plywood. Mine are used in boondocking to raise tires. They measure 21" x 11" x 3".

[MikeandClaudia]

BOTTOM LINE:

Whatever seems like a good idea to you, and that you feel like is safe.

Probably not a good idea to have to have a step ladder to reach your steps.

[Sweetbriar]

Originally Posted by CMcGGray

Thanks to everyone for information about pads in general.

Practically no one has addressed my question of what percentage of campgrounds or parks may require pads under the leveling jacks - anyone with thoughts on this?

Again - appreciate all the assistance!

You might run into the requirement at a few higher end resort style campgrounds where the individual camp sites are asphalt but in general it is pretty rare.

Anchor Down in eastern Tennessee is the only one east of the Mississippi that I've encountered that mention pads but most of my outings are usually to places a bit more primitive and lower cost per night.

If I was going to estimate the percentage maybe 2%.

New RV Resort, Breathtaking Views, Fireplaces, BathHouse, STAY WITH US

[vettenuts]

Originally Posted by CMcGGray

Thanks to everyone for information about pads in general.

Practically no one has addressed my question of what percentage of campgrounds or parks may require pads under the leveling jacks - anyone with thoughts on this?

Again - appreciate all the assistance!

Only seen them required at a few parks, Hilton Head and Mountain View near Lake Toxaway, NC come to mind. Other places that don't require them, still may need them to prevent sinking and settling. I now use them every time the jacks go down, but then again, I crawl under and make sure the jack shafts are free from sand and dirt before each retraction.

[AKA...Neil]

Originally Posted by CMcGGray

We purchased a Thor Palazzo 33.2 (our first RV) and will soon begin a 1 year sight-seeing trip of the US spending only 1 or maybe 2 nights before moving on to the next location. We have been researching extensively so that sight-seeing & travel time is not lost due to unexpected repairs or maintenance.

Recently Hubby has heard that pads under leveling jacks are sometimes required. We expect to mostly stay at private campgrounds or state & national parks. Does anyone have information about how often we may encounter this situation?

I assume that pads under the leveling jacks would be a good idea anytime we are parked in a location where the ground is soft - correct? Is a double thickness of plywood the most cost efficient solution?

Appreciate any & all assistance!

The slickest thing I've seen is a guy bought a piece of "recycled rubber stall matt" at the tractor store and cut it up into squares that slide into a milk crate for storage. Indestructible, cheap and perfect for this application. There's a couple videos on YouTube of people cutting them with a utility knife. Might be worth it to split the cost of one with a buddy. They're not expensive but they are pretty big and heavy.

[Bob Hyatt]

Originally Posted by RichieCt

Lifting wheels off the ground is not a great idea for a few reason, one if you are on a slop that requires that much to level your in trouble, my Tuscany is a DP, and lifting the e-brake wheels off the ground i be afraid it roll of the blocks...

Second thing is my DP gross is 38,000 and the jack hoses are rated at 3,000. PSI....do the math....that is only 12,000. Lb. for all 4 hose or 6,000lb for 2. Hoses, that may explained one of the reason they say NOT to lift wheels off the ground.....

I was at Louden NH at the Race in September this year and seen many RV with wheels off the ground, but when the park you in rows 3-5 feet apart if you fall of boards and roll back i hope to heck no one is walking behind the rv at the time...if so I sure it will make the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news.... never one hell of a law suite, not even a umbrella policy will be enough, not worth losing everything you worked years for to lifting wheels off the ground.....

You did not FINISH the math. Hoses are rated at 3,000 PSI (pounds per square inch). Guarantee you that piston in the jack is bigger than one square inch. The HWH "big boys" used on heavy motor homes are rated at 24,000 pounds PER jack. If a jack piston is only 2" in diameter, that gives you an area of 3.14 * 1 * 1 square inches. 3 total. 3000 psi applied to a piston with 3 square inches of area will lift 9,000 pounds on a single jack. A 2" piston is tiny.

Edit: I have encountered it once already out of 4 RV parks I have looked into. I would have 'em along, period. It would only take one time of being told "you can't park here without pads to prevent damaging our camping sites" to totally wreck a trip. I bought some roughly 12" x 12" x 1" recycled rubber pads from Camping world. Those always go down first. If the camp site is obviously unlevel, I try to park with the front on the low side, and then add some 2x12 blocks on top of the rubber pad to give enough travel to get things level. Front wheels off the ground seems workable although certainly not optimal. Rear wheels off the ground seems like a bozo no-no even if the front wheels are solidly chocked, as the parking brake is not doing anything with the wheels up.

[Woody57]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

Really? Where did you come up with that opinion? The OP has a modern diesel coach with a LCI hydraulic leveling system. The installed jacks have a capacity that exceeds the weight limits of the the axles. Granted Thor does may cut corners to reduce cost but they have yet to install a jack system that is not capable of lifting a front or rear axle.

Our coach weighs 47000 and system is designed to pick weight of the coach.

[Woody57]

Originally Posted by Woody57

Our coach weighs 47000 and system is designed to pick weight of the coach.

We use DICO pads as used in the crane industry but designed for RVs

[CWSWine]

on a diesel pusher with air suspension after dropping the coach it’s sitting on the bumper stops. If you raise the coach two inches during leveling the coach is no longer sitting on the stop and the majority of the weight is on the jacks and the tire are supporting very little of the weight. This is what I was told by Freightliner at rhe FMCA rally.

[kentdavido]

We have a set and like them.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by CMcGGray

We purchased a Thor Palazzo 33.2 (our first RV) and will soon begin a 1 year sight-seeing trip of the US spending only 1 or maybe 2 nights before moving on to the next location. We have been researching extensively so that sight-seeing & travel time is not lost due to unexpected repairs or maintenance.

!

I understand that for only 1 or 2 nights you don't want to bother with wooden blocks and such.

Try these:

https://rvsnappad.com/

[Woody57]

Originally Posted by RichieCt

Lifting wheels off the ground is not a great idea for a few reason, one if you are on a slop that requires that much to level your in trouble, my Tuscany is a DP, and lifting the e-brake wheels off the ground i be afraid it roll of the blocks...

Second thing is my DP gross is 38,000 and the jack hoses are rated at 3,000. PSI....do the math....that is only 12,000. Lb. for all 4 hose or 6,000lb for 2. Hoses, that may explained one of the reason they say NOT to lift wheels off the ground.....

I was at Louden NH at the Race in September this year and seen many RV with wheels off the ground, but when the park you in rows 3-5 feet apart if you fall of boards and roll back i hope to heck no one is walking behind the rv at the time...if so I sure it will make the 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news.... never one hell of a law suite, not even a umbrella policy will be enough, not worth losing everything you worked years for to lifting wheels off the ground.....

With that math I better ground all my hydraulic cranes that weigh over 150,000 pounds and have 4 jacks with 3000 psi hoses not to mention they can luff their booms with 100 tons on the hook. It’s an honest mistake when you don’t understand hydraulics.

[Quincy]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

Really? Where did you come up with that opinion? The OP has a modern diesel coach with a LCI hydraulic leveling system. The installed jacks have a capacity that exceeds the weight limits of the the axles. Granted Thor does may cut corners to reduce cost but they have yet to install a jack system that is not capable of lifting a front or rear axle.

Actually that has always been the case, you can lift the tires off the ground with most hydraulic jacks but that dosent mean you should do it every time you use the jacks.



Using the tires to help with the wobble while the jacks are deployed will make the coach a bit more stable and help reduce stress on the jacks themselves.


We have been doing this since the early eighties and it has always been suggested not to raise the tires completely off the ground. JMHO

[Mel556180]

I installed a set of SnapPads on our Miramar. They stay on the jack feet and provide a wider cushioned footprint that seems more stable than the metal only feet.
https://rvsnappad.com/