Parked at home

[GoneToTheDog]

Originally Posted by ThePowells

Ask the salesman if he parks his RV with the jacks up or down, then tell us about the look on his face when he tells you he doesn't have one...

LOL.....the best answer yet.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by critterair2

Thanks y'all for the advice. It's parked in the yard with the jacks on a piece of 2x10 while I'm looking at building ideas to put it in. I can't imagine 4 inch thick concrete wouldn't hold it.

When I was in the working world, 4" concrete was used for sidewalks, and 6 " wire reinforced was for driveways, and 8" rebar reinforced for commercial driveways where medium heavy trucks were expected. Tractor trailer type trucks, each driveway was individual designed based on a lot of factors. But so much depends on what the concrete is laying on. Rock hard stable surface, you could get buy with less, but dirt, or worse yet clay the thickness needs to be upped. Ground water control is also most important.

When I designed our house, our driveway is 6 inch wire reinforced concrete sitting on 6" of dense graded rock. My 30x50 barn is the same way.

[A Traveler]

Originally Posted by critterair2

So we have a new class A gas model. Dealership says they would not park the unit at home with the jacks down....

So the thousands of full-timers who have their jacks down 24/7/365 are all wrong? Sure they are. Good grief.

This is yet another stunning example of the rampant incompetence found at the vast majority or RV dealerships.

That salesman doesn’t own a motor home, doesn’t want to own a motor home and knows only enough about motor homes to sell them to unsuspecting and uneducated buyers. Critterair2, I’m glad you had sufficient curiosity to ask this question here, where you will get the RIGHT answer.

Why do we accept this crap? We wouldn’t accept this kind of totally wrong advice from an auto dealer. Why do we accept it from an RV dealer?

[critterair2]

I'd guess because we are all more familiar with cars. The more a person is "around" RV's the better he/she will be at calling out such dealers.

[tcg]

What was his answer when you asked him why not at home but ok at campgrounds?

[manwithtools]

Originally Posted by A Traveler

Why do we accept this crap? We wouldn’t accept this kind of totally wrong advice from an auto dealer. Why do we accept it from an RV dealer?

Auto sales folks are no better when it comes to being knowledgeable about the product they are selling. Typically they know what's been taught to them in their monthly sales meetings and what is shown in a brochure. Many times I've been at a dealer and due to my personal research I was much more knowledgeable about the vehicle I was pursuing than the sales person or the manger.

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by critterair2

Thanks y'all for the advice. It's parked in the yard with the jacks on a piece of 2x10 while I'm looking at building ideas to put it in. I can't imagine 4 inch thick concrete wouldn't hold it.

I guess it could depend on the hardness of the surface below the concrete, how well the concrete was poured, and its psi rating. Still, and i may be wrong in my thinking, i'd be afraid to drive my motorhome onto 4 inch concrete. Pinpointing the load via the jacks would really scare me.

Am curious, why would you want to keep the slides out?

[johnhicks]

The reason is that the weight may crack a concrete driveway or the jacks may damage or seriously sink into asphalt. It has nothing to do with the jacks themselves.

[hohenwald48]

In today's world, if they told you it was OK and you damaged your driveway you might get a lawyer from a late night TV commercial and try to make the dealer pay for the repair.

If I was the dealer I would probably just tell you "I don't know if you can do that or not" and leave it up to you.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by A Traveler

So the thousands of full-timers who have their jacks down 24/7/365 are all wrong? Sure they are. Good grief.

This is yet another stunning example of the rampant incompetence found at the vast majority or RV dealerships.

That salesman doesn’t own a motor home, doesn’t want to own a motor home and knows only enough about motor homes to sell them to unsuspecting and uneducated buyers. Critterair2, I’m glad you had sufficient curiosity to ask this question here, where you will get the RIGHT answer.

Why do we accept this crap? We wouldn’t accept this kind of totally wrong advice from an auto dealer. Why do we accept it from an RV dealer?

It's not just RV dealers. There's plenty of crappy info coming from auto dealers too. Just ask anybody who was told by the dealer that they could tow their car and then found out otherwise.

[critterair2]

Originally Posted by Mudfrog

I guess it could depend on the hardness of the surface below the concrete, how well the concrete was poured, and its psi rating. Still, and i may be wrong in my thinking, i'd be afraid to drive my motorhome onto 4 inch concrete. Pinpointing the load via the jacks would really scare me.

Am curious, why would you want to keep the slides out?

Cause we are in it daily

[sandpsycho]

Maybe the salesmen knows the jacks don't work and wants you to be as far away as possible when you find out.

[KeysVal]

Someone mentioned in an earlier post that you are fine to be parked at home on your jacks unless it would lift your wheels off the ground.
That is my situation. I park my 2018 Thor Hurricane 29M in the gravel in front of my house. If I level using the jacks, my front wheels will be off the ground.
Is that an issue for long term storage?

[Bob Hyatt]

One reason is to avoid having the hydraulic ram exposed to the weather for weeks at a time. They WILL rust/corrode over time. With the jacks raised, the shiny part of the ram (which must go through the seals to retract) is inside the seals and don't get any water to pit them.

My boat trailer has hydraulic surge brakes and UFP warns to NOT leave the trailer sitting at home with the hydraulic actuator pushed back (as might happen where backing up and unhooking). That leaves the same sort of ram on the master cylinder exposed, along with the pistons on the brake calipers. They can and do freeze up in that position thanks to rust...