Community Forums

rover56 · 03-19-2005, 01:20 PM

Imagine a person new to this endeavor with a
Dodge 2500 on a sloped driveway doing it for the first time. I had thought about it and provided proper pieces of 2 by to place under the four jacks. After the camper was high enough to remove from the truck, The jacks were 31" on one of the fronts, 29" on the other. The back legs were 26" & 24". Yes, it was high up in the front off of the ground. After this fun exercise, subsequent loading and unloading, started dialogue with AF Nash about the Stable-lift product. As you might expect, they would not sanctify the product for safety, frame integrity for the two year warranty. So, for now, just continue with the "pucker factor", have patience and hope the wind is not too brisk.

Rover 56

B73C · 04-19-2005, 02:29 PM

Hi all, here's my $.02...

I too unload on a slope. I've had very good luck letting all air out of my airbags on the truck before starting, then picking up the front of the camper until it's beyond level. This puts a fair piece of weight on the back of the truck, sinking it even further. I'll then unload the weight off the back and keep the camper level the whole time it's going up.

With my slope and truck configuration this leaves me with 6-8" to full extension on the front jacks. I feel pretty confident with the rig up that high, although I only pull the truck ahead just far enough to get it out of the way while I lower it to a safer height again!

Once lowered to the point where the rear jacks are as low as they can go, I put some blocks/4x4s under the front to just unload the front jacks and let them return to a fully unloaded and perfectly straight up-and-down position. Once any tension from the forward/backward movement of the camper is gone, I load up the jacks again just enough to share the load with the blocks.

We never have the camper off the truck longer than a couple of months, and probably load and unload a couple of dozen times a year. So far so good, but I'm very careful (like watching the wind and holding my tongue the right way!)

I do keep my eyes on the dually extensions on the front jacks to make sure they look like they're not going to bend, as I have heard of this happening.

sasers · 05-13-2005, 05:50 PM

I unload my 2500BF on approximatly 10% downslope all the time with no problem. I first
always level the truck by backing up on a ramp(kind of reverse style) This makes driving away easy. Secondly, I block the front jacks only about (5 or 6 of those plastic blocks on each side. Next I open the back door and place a level on the camper floor. I then carefullymake contact with each jack. Then I
take her up slowly paying close attention to the
footings and the level. It always seems to be
easy with no problems.

I remember reading a post that the batterys
need to be full for the jacks to work properly.
Anyway Ive been doing it this way for four years with no problems. The secret is to do it
slowly and carefully paying attention to the
level (tool).

When you lower the camper you once again keep
focused on the level. Your doing it slowly
sometimes one or two jacks at a time.

When you raise your camper to once again to
put her back on the truck you let her down
level making contact first with the back of
the bed. Once the weight is off the back jacks
you can let the front jacks down untill the
weight is fully on the truck. Hope this helps

Brent Dowell · 05-16-2005, 05:27 AM

With the four jack system, on my slope, I would block the front jacks up on concrete pavers until it was about 4-6 inches. With a 4x4 dually, I would have to have the front jacks at full extension in order to keep the camper level.

I think this was partly what always added to the pucker factor.

It was do-able on my slope, but it's just that I was never comfortable about doing it. It was a slow, tedious, careful, dangerous, process.

There might be a number of factors here, such as the wobbly dually brackets, the height of the 4x4, the slope. I'm confident that the 4 jack system works fine for a lot of people out there. After all, a lot of those units have been sold, and people use them every day.

FWIW, I just finished installing the stable-lift system on my camper this weekend. All I can say is what a difference. I've got another thread going on this, so I'll be posting the results there, but with the stable-lift system there is just no drama to it. I hit three buttons, the camper goes up. Drive the truck out from under it, then worry about leveling things. Just that easy...

btggraphix · 06-03-2005, 06:55 AM

I would add one comment here. If you level the truck before removing the camper, make sure it is basically just a front to back leveling; if you do any side to side levelling, when you drive off the ramps, the bed will tilt sideways relative to the camper and can push against the side of it.

Don and Sarah · 06-04-2005, 05:55 PM

Brent, answered my question, I knew he had gotten the stablelift and was wondering how much better it was with it vs. the four post.

Oh by the way, Thanks Brent.

06-04-2005, 07:06 PM

.....why not add larger feet to each jack post to slow the pucker factor.....we do this on boat hoists with a 12X12 or larger 1/4" plate and a round pipe welded in the center with a diameter that is able to fit over the jack leg.....the pipe is about 14" high and they help to steady the load till you can get it back down near the ground......geofkaye

Brent Dowell · 06-06-2005, 09:31 AM

I think it's not necessarily the width of the pad, but rather how the jacks are attached to the camper.

I had thought of different ways to reinforce the 4 jack system before I got the stable lift, from things like pipes to keep the feet from shifting, custom formed concrete pillars to put the jacks on, etc...

Basically, it came down to the fact that the front had to be lifted so much higher than the back, that even when I had some concrete paver pads and angled blocks to lift things up, the front jacks were right at maximum extension. A light breeze would make the thing rock back and forth in an eery way.

I can honestly say that all that has changed with the stable lift. It really is so much quicker, and easier, and safer. As a matter of fact, the appearance of it is even growing on me

It is a little odd dealing with the stares I get as I drive by...

Slide-in-Dad · 07-01-2005, 03:45 PM

When I first got my camper I almost dropped it taking it off on a slope probably about a 15 degree slope is what my entire driveway/yard is. Almost lost it again putting it back on. I built a 4' retaining wall on the side of my driveway and made an area that's level side to side and has about a 5 degree slope front to back, even that was awkward so I built a stepped ramp system out of 2x12's and now back onto that to semi level the truck, I also got solid deck footings from Lowes that the feet of the jacks fit right in so they never move plus I don't have to extend the jack to the danger point anymore. It's finally a breeze to load and unload the camper. I never take it off at campgrounds though, I've thought about it and will probably get the Stable Lift system someday. The jacks really aren't a great solution for a 4000+ lb camper like mine.

clecogirl · 10-25-2005, 07:52 PM

The first time I took my Arctic Fox off the truck it was just a slight slope and one jack started collapsing and the only thing that kept it from hitting the ground was some quick thinging camper shoving a metal picnic table under it. I swore I would never remove it again since my wife was in tears and going into a nervous breakdown.

Then one trip a fellow pulled in behind me with strange looking pipes on the side. He unloaded it in about two minutes and was gone. I took the phone number off the side of the jack system and called Stable Lift and made arrangement to have one of their 3 motor systems installed. My wife never gets upset anymore and I too can take it off in two minutes and put it back on in 5. Don't have to worry about it blowing over or falling off the jacks.

Dewdo in the other Washington