Working under your MH with jacks down

[pushtrk99]

I bought a 20 ton air jack from Harbor freight, put it under frame, jack up one side up put 2x12 under tire, do the same on other side, go back & forth couple times, BUT with MH tires sitting on 2x12 and wheels chocked it is fairly safe to work on parts and not be concerned of anything going wrong-" I guess I like myself "

[dix39]

Originally Posted by twinboat

If I had MH jacks, I would scrounge up 4 peices of 1/4 thick aluminum angle. They can be cut to length and easily tied against the jack piston when fully extended. That's what we used on pay loader bucket, lift cylinders, if the arms needed to be raised and supported for access.
You don't need to let them support the load, just know that they can, if things go south.

Thanks for sharing that idea. I don't have room to carry jack stands, and those would take up very little storage space.

Steve

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Here's an idea that I "borrowed" from a poster on a different thread.

Cut four of these:
Attachment 233643


To fit here:
Attachment 233642

Take care,
Stu

And IF you have 4 airbags per axle make 8 of them.. (don't need any for the tag axle tho..)

[Steve N Sal]

Simple answer, "NOPE".

[YC1]

A jack failing is unlikely BUT there are so many things that can cause them to retract suddenly.

A component failure can make the jack system thing the RV just went in gear and then retract them. Water could get on the transmission control unit and make the system retract them.

Mine drops incredibly quickly under those conditions and you could not possibly scoot out if you were in the middle of something.

The quick drop is a big reason for NOT storing stuff under the rv when parked. You could end up with major damage to the stuff or the RV if you are not aware of this.

Even Jack stands can tilt over as happened to me last year under a small pickup. A trip to the emergency room to x-ray me and to get my head out of, well in any case it was a bit careless where the jack stand was and the floor jack actually collapsed sideways.

[Piker]

Originally Posted by RWDJR.

This come up over in the chassis section. Do you trust your jacks when working under you RV?

Negative. I had a hydraulic line blow out once while the rv was lifted. It did not drop slowly...



-cheers

[High Ball]

I made these as if Hydraulic leaks or something happens this bracket rests on bottom plate and cylinder body

[98winnie]

after seeing someone killed a few years back by crawling under a large truck with no jack stands, or any other safety devices, i would never crawl under my motorhome with just the hydraulic jacks for support. just my two cents worth.

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

And IF you have 4 airbags per axle make 8 of them.. (don't need any for the tag axle tho..)

Actually, only 4 will do fine. One on each corner will prevent the house support rails from collapsing down onto the chassis frame rails in the event of a hydraulic jack failure.

IMHO, the benefits of using the square steel tubes cut to fit the gap between the house rail and the chassis frame rail include:
1> they're small and light enough to store for use while traveling; much more so than 4 jack stands
2> significantly cheaper than 4 jack stands
3> simple, bullet-proof concept

Take care,
Stu

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by grindstone01

Based on that thought, I'd better stay in bed for the rest of my life.

Not a good place to be. Statistically most people die in bed.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Actually, only 4 will do fine. One on each corner will prevent the house support rails from collapsing down onto the chassis frame rails in the event of a hydraulic jack failure.

IMHO, the benefits of using the square steel tubes cut to fit the gap between the house rail and the chassis frame rail include:
1> they're small and light enough to store for use while traveling; much more so than 4 jack stands
2> significantly cheaper than 4 jack stands
3> simple, bullet-proof concept

Take care,
Stu

Some coaches do not have jacks, use the air bags to level.
and on older Foretravel coaches, the chassis is designed by Foretravel so must use one tube stand at each air bag..

[Morguns1cam]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

Actually, only 4 will do fine. One on each corner will prevent the house support rails from collapsing down onto the chassis frame rails in the event of a hydraulic jack failure.

IMHO, the benefits of using the square steel tubes cut to fit the gap between the house rail and the chassis frame rail include:
1> they're small and light enough to store for use while traveling; much more so than 4 jack stands
2> significantly cheaper than 4 jack stands
3> simple, bullet-proof concept

Take care,
Stu

Nice tip Stu! Thanks for the idea, I'll be making a set!

[powerboatr]

well
i have just a few spots i need some extra room, the greasing of the u joints. everywhere else its easy to reach
so i have big wooden cribbing blocks that are the space i need, so i raise the bus up on some 3" ramps, raise the suspension on air and slide these under the jacks and then let the air out and the bus rests on the cribbing with the jacks fully retracted
now if the 32 bolts holding the jacks to the frame fail, i am screwed

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by Morguns1cam

Nice tip Stu! Thanks for the idea, I'll be making a set!

Please, credit where credit is due.

I first saw this tip in a posting made by iRV2 Senior Member saddlesore.

I just "borrowed" his idea.

Take care,
Stu