Jacking at Axle

[SJH]

First...I am an advocate of jacking at the frame per instructions/recommendations. Fortunately I have not had to jack our BC yet but I am considering doing the bearings/brakes this season. I can using cribbing/blocks here at home to do that so I can jack on the frame but it is not practical to carry all that while we are traveling. Hence an experiment...I welded an axle seat (some call it a perch) to a pipe nipple so I can place it on a bottle jack between the two u-bolts at the end of the axle. Thought I would pick everyones brain before I actually try it. Other than the obvious "don't jack on the axle" does anyone see issues that I haven't using such a device?

 

[jnbhobe]

As long as it fits over the jack snug ans don't wobble I think its great. A few of the guys on the east coast have made similar adapters.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I like it!!!
Before we switched to IS, I used a bottle jack on the spring, right next to the axle perch/seat.

 

[porthole]

"IF" I had to jack at the axles, that is what I would do, only I would weld it right to the the bottle jack screw.

 

[robnmo]

I know this subject comes up about jacking from the frame vs axle, owners manuel says frame, dexter manuel says frame, we took the Cyclone in for a new set of tires last week. They came out and looked at the suspension, and did the change via the axle right at the leaf's, the owner and I had a discussion and for them to jack it up by the frame he said they would but wanted a waiver signed for not responsible for frame or sidewall damage. He's been in business for several decades, changed tons of RV tires, here's what he said. He wanted to know if we've ever been in a campground with speed bumps (yep) asked if I knew how tall the speed bumps were (Nope) he said I do, the local campground speed bumps are 3 and 1/2 inches which take one axle at a time. We're going to raise your tire less than 1/2 inch off the ground, and IF that bends your axle I'd hate to see what campground speed bumps are doing to an axle, OR a 6 in curb you might catch or that 4 inch pot hole on a county road. In his words, springs are forgiving, frames and fiberglass sidewalls are not. He said if your going to raise an entire unit UP then frame without question, but for a tire change, go with the spring assembly. With that said, don't toss me to the wolves, I'm just relaying some info from a person that deals with suspension and tires, and alot of what he says made some very practical sense to me. and for what it's worth, the new Maxxis tires balanced and mounted the Cyclone pulls like a dream, never imagined different tires and balancing on the RV made such a difference.

 

[sjs731]

SJH i like what you've made. robnmo I think I've heard or read that the concern with jacking on the axle tube is with the thickness of the tube and whether or not jacking on the tube can crush it or not.


Steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lwmcguir]

If you jack the light weight axle tubes directly with the end of the jack you stand a chance of making an indentation in the axle. It is much better to use an adapter between the jack screw and the axle and then jack under or very close to the spring. Better yet to use a drive on jack for the other axle to spread the weight out. Jacked them like this for over 50 years and havent bent an axle yet. I like to jack under the ubolts with a bracket. I will never jack the frame and risk the coach moving. Best to be hitched up of course. This comes up a lot but I know there aren new readers all the time.

 

[dougw]

I think for me I'd put a piece of wood between those 2 angles. I'm not sure I would want all that weight on 2 small lips. Wedge in a piece wood and cut it out to shape. It will protect from metal to metal.

Doug

 

[jnbhobe]

I think for me I'd put a piece of wood between those 2 angles. I'm not sure I would want all that weight on 2 small lips. Wedge in a piece wood and cut it out to shape. It will protect from metal to metal.

Doug

The axel perch may be metal but it fits the axel exactly, thats what it is made for.

 

[dougw]

I guess but it's still metal to metal and the weight sits on 2 edges. It was just a thought with what I figured was no downside if you cut the wood to that same arc. In the end still better than nothing.

 

[jimtoo]

I remember a few years back someone was making a jack support similar to the one pictured, but used 2" or 3" angle iron about 3 or 4" long instead of the curved piece that looks like part of a muffler clamp. Weld the V bottom to the nipple. You would need to cut the V in the nipple a little I think, but then the angle iron would give lots of support on the axle tube or U-bolts.

Jim M

 

[jcarnevale]

Here's what I use:

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...ig-Horn-3185RL?p=127000&viewfull=1#post127000

 

[traveler44]

I just use a block of wood under the spring clamps. After the spring clamps get smashed into the wood I have a bigger area of the axle that is being supported. If you keep your wood and jack directly under the spring clamps then it will be as stable as any bracket you can make. If you use a piece of wood that is thick enough and tough enough you can use it over and over. I still don't believe that very many people jack by the frame. I have a hard time believing that jacking the whole trailer over at a 45* angle is any safer or puts less strain on anything than just jacking a couple of inches under the spring brackets. The only way I can see jacking by the frame is if you have a big shop with synchronized jacks that jack a whole end up at a time like the kind they use when they do work on suspensions and axles.

 

[Birchwood]

I heard jacking on the frame is an internet fantasy.

 

[GOTTOYS]

I lift mine by setting my hydraulic jack right behind or ahead of the axle on the spring right next to it. You only have to raise the wheel an inch or so this way. Have never damaged anything. Much safer to me than raising the whole frame. I would never lift it by the frame..JMHO..Don