Twisting leaning front jacks

[gcsprayjr]

Does anyone have issues with the front jacks twisting and leaning when loading and unloading. The jack plates are very solid to the camper, however the jacks always seem to get twisted one way or another when loading and unloading. Once the weight is off, they spring back to original position. I have some wobble stoppers ordered. How do others deal with this issue? Thanks, Charles

[fastcat]

Wobble stoppers won't do you any good for this issue. They need to be removed before loading. What brand jacks are on the camper?

[gcsprayjr]

Atwood remote electric. The jacks don't seem to twist or lean if the surface is perfectly level. But since we live in an imperfect world how often do we get to unload and load a TC on a dead level surface. The front left jack has a slight amount of lean that originates in the mounting bracket, but it is tight. I removed the jack pads, the corner moldings, and checked for loose holes or rotted wood underneath. Everything is tight and it all looks like new inside the walls. I resealed and reinstalled everything. The lag bolts all pulled nice and tight. It appears that the unit was built that way as there is no signs of previous damage. I may try to shim the one pad slightly, just enough to make it perfectly straight. I am also thinking about covering some 3/4 plywood with commercial grade indoor/outdoor carpet. When loading and unloading, place one piece of plywood with the carpet towards the jack pad, so that the jack pad can slide on the carpet and prevent binding. The rear jacks are secured to the bumper, and don't carry as much weight as the front jacks. They slide easily when they are unloaded slightly. The front jacks seem to be carrying the majority of the weight of the unit, and are unable to slide and straighten out with weight on them.

[gcsprayjr]

After reading a lot of information on the topic, I think that I can answer some of my own questions. Apparently movement in the front jacks is a common problem. My experience with truck campers was from many years ago, when TC's used tripod jacks mounted on the side overhangs. This is the first time I have dealt with a camper with corner mounted jacks. There is an Atwood video on You Tube that demonstrates how to use their TC jacks. They recommend keeping the front of the camper four inches higher than the rear. They demonstrated this in the video. I am not sure why, as they don't explain the recommendation. My only thought is that it may be to shift weight from the front jacks to the rear. I will give that a try and see if it makes any difference. I found several styles of plastic jack pads for sale on various RV sites, Amazon, and E Bay. The common complaint from users of these jack pads is that they allow the camper jacks to slide around on them as they have little traction. I have ordered a large set of two of these pads. My plan is to cut plywood to match the size of the pads which is 14 x 17 inches. The plywood will support the plastic on soft ground. If I make sure that the pads are level when placing the truck camper on them, they should allow the jacks to slide, rather then bind. I am going to use these pads on the front jacks only as the rear do not seem to bind, just the front. Leaving the rear jacks on concrete or gravel will provide traction and prevent the unit from sliding. One can mount a two sets of Wobble Stoppers on a TC. One set is mounted to the base of the floor and has to be removed to load the camper. The first set prevents side to side movement. The other set can be mounted on the sides of the camper under the overhang. This will support the jacks preventing front to back movement, and will clear the fenders on the truck when loading or unloading. Charles