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Old 04-05-2012, 04:28 AM   #1
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Three questions:

(1)What size jack do you carry for your cruiser?



(2)I think they recommend jacking by the frame. What do you do?



(3)Since the Cruiser sets off the ground so high; if you jack by the frame, how do you get enough height to raise it off the ground?



I carriy a 2 1/2 ton small floor jack. Wondering now if it's enough?
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Old 04-05-2012, 04:48 AM   #2
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I carry one of these trailer aids.
http://www.adventurerv.net/camco-tra...k-p-14265.html
I also have a 20 ton bottle jack. You usually have blocking along (anyways I do) to place under the bottle jack to reach the frame, but you shouldn't need the jack on the road for changing a flat if you have the trailer aid.




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Old 04-05-2012, 12:18 PM   #3
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I have http://www.walmart.com/ip/Torin-Jack...-Jack/14560038
I even keep it in the box it came in.. I use it every year or two for checking bearings and brakes. I even replace all 4 tires last summer with it.

I just lift the axle between the ubolts on the axle. Few pumps and it is up. I have never lifted by the frame, Way to high and have to lift the, Way to high to get the tire off the ground.

If i was you. Practice once and see what works for you hooked up to the tow vehicle or not hooked up.. The bottle jack or make a ramp similar to Farmer's. Or buy one, Cheap enough either way. The practice will pay off the first time you have a flat if you know what you are doing. I would bet, I could change my tire in about 12 minutes and be on my way. Especially with the 18volt impact from harbor freight.

The scary part is having a flat on the thru-way and the flat being on the driverside.. EEEKK.. That is the night mare side.. You want to either make quick work of it, Flares, Make it to a u'turn Or play it safe and wait for road side. You have flares and such?








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Old 04-05-2012, 01:12 PM   #4
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I thought the axles will crush when lifted by a jack?
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Old 04-05-2012, 01:29 PM   #5
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I can see nothing wrong in lifting the trailer with a jack under the axle if it is placed directly under or very close to the spring u-bolts. Actually lifting the trailer with the jack under the frame would require you to really lift it very high to overcome the verticle sag of the springs. I'm not sure frames could take the stress. Keep in mind you can read lots of posts on frame issues with today's 5th wheels and travel trailers.



I have always lifted any trailer I've owned with the jack placed directly under the springs and never had one issue. Now obviously you could not place the jack several inches from the spring and not expect the axle not to bend.Edited by: Pull Dog
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Old 04-05-2012, 01:42 PM   #6
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Well that was what I had heard also. But I can agree not to place directly under the axle. Maybe lifting under the U-bolts is safe. This is the 2 1/2 Ton jack I keep in the Cruiser. I haven't tried lifting under the U-bolts. After 20 years of owning Campers from Popups to Class C's to Fifth Wheels I've never had a flat yet. I hope I didn't just Jinx myself. So, I guess my 2 1/2 Ton is big enough?





Edited by: Deputydog
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Old 04-05-2012, 02:45 PM   #7
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Floor jacks seem to work OK on concrete, but not so well on asphalt or gravel and you probably will have to put it under the axle u-bolts to get enoughlift.In addition, I don't like crawling part way under the trailer while operating the jack. I use a 12 ton bottle jack and enough blocking (4x4x12", etc) to raise the jack to the frame. Also use a 3x3x1-1/2" piece of oak between the top of the jack and the frame to eliminate metal to metal slipping. Only used it once so far, but it works great and doesn't take up much room in the truck.
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Old 04-05-2012, 02:54 PM   #8
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You are supposed to jack up the RV by the frame while hitched to

your tow vehicle and stabilizers raised. When traveling we drive up on blocks to float the other tire.</span>Lippert Components, Inc. Informational Publication LIP Sheet - 0134 revB</span>RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JACKING THE FRAME TO CHANGE A TIRE</span>1. Carrying a jack rated for the weight of the coach is essential. The jack must be rated</span>between 8 and 12 tons.</span>2. To prevent damage to the coach, carry wood blocks to place between the jack and</span>the main rail (I-beam) of the coach and to go under the jack.</span>3. DO NOT jack the coach on the axle tube or black pipe gas lines that can sometimes</span>be mounted to the bottom of the I-beam.</span>4. Chock the wheels, both front and rear, on the opposite side of the coach.</span>5. If hitched to tow vehicle, stay hitched and set the parking brake.</span>6. DO NOT use the front landing gear or rear stabilizer jacks to pick the coach up to</span>change a tire. This is dangerous and may result in serious bodily injury or death.</span>
</span>



The frame is about 24" off of the ground. The RV dry wgt is

about 8,000 lbs. You may need a larger jack.</span>



I did manage to jack up our old RV under the u-bolts with a 2.5

ton floor jack but it would slowly descend.</span>KD

Edited by: Kamper Dave
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Old 04-05-2012, 05:08 PM   #9
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Lippert tells you not to lift the trailer by the axle or any of the suspension. It is in your owners manual and if you damage the axle it will not be covered by the warranty.
Axles are not very expensive but may take a couple weeks to get a replacement.
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Old 04-06-2012, 01:36 AM   #10
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I also carry a 20ton bottle jack. I have lots of wood blocks on board as well. Knock on wood, I haven't needed to jack up my cruiser yet. But I do plan on regreasing my bearings before our first trip this year.
The bottle jack was the first thing I put in the truck... after taking out the stupid scissor jack.




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Old 04-06-2012, 06:46 AM   #11
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Old 04-06-2012, 11:17 AM   #12
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I use the same boards I do for leveling to get the wheel off the ground, ala the trailer aid. Quick, easy and no dirt on the knees while placing a jack. Haven't had a flat yet (he said while knocking on his head) on the Cruiser but more than I care to admit to on a previous fiver.



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Old 04-06-2012, 12:24 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Mike
I thought the axles will crush when lifted by a jack?
I would love to see a picture or proof that this happened. Even a link.
I read lots of chatter about crushing, I see lots of people lifting axles.. Never a picture of a dent or bent axle from lifting a tire 1". I would also like to know the tube size, Id/OD. And material, For calculations purposes. Can't find that. The ubolts don't crush the axle like a ubolts crushing exhaust pipe. Threads/nuts apply thousands of pounds of force.


I hear about damage to axles,, Loose ubolts, pot holes etc.. No jack damage.

The manual says don't lift by axles, So you shouldn't. But I will continue to do so with my 2ton 4,000lbs bottle jack. Lifting tire 1 inch.

When I lifted the frame it was my last. Rain came and i went to shut my door.. The door was not going to close it was so misaligned.. Way to much tweaking going on when i lifted it that way.Felt bad for the window frames and all the screws holding the camper together.

I do use the 1 tire ramp idea. Man that is fast.. Easy.. And i can shut my door.




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Old 04-07-2012, 09:40 AM   #14
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I use a 10 ton short bottle jack with an adaptor I made to cradle the axle for no slip .I get as close to the ubolt plate as is possible. Have done many times &amp; it works very well &amp; safely too. I believe if this is supposed to damage the axles then so will every chuck hole or curb you may contact.. JMHO jb I believe in keeping things simple &amp; safe &amp; both are acomplished this way..
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Old 04-07-2012, 12:17 PM   #15
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John B,
Do you have a picture of your adapter. Are you lifting the spring with this instead of the axle?
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Old 04-07-2012, 12:30 PM   #16
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Sorry John B,
I mis-read your post. You are lifting the axle close to the ubolts.
This post got me motivated today to check brakes and grease axles.
Moving forward, I am going to weld up a tool that stratels the axle and puts pressure on the leaf springs. It may be overkill but I think it will satisfy mfg recomendations.
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Old 04-08-2012, 12:23 AM   #17
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The trucks jack has a flat top with sort of the rounded cut out to not slip out on axles. Truck jack works well for lifting axles also, Except for having to crank it.

I made an adapter.. I took a pc of pipe that had the same ID as the axle's OD. I cut the tube around 2" long. Then cut the tube in half like a "U" shape. Then i found a pc of tub that had the same ID as the jacks head OD.. Cut that tube to 2" . Then i welded it to the bottom of the "U".. Whalla. more secure lifting for fear of the jack head slipping out. Used them on the farm, we used to have a bunch of these laying around. Also a "V" shape will work better because it will do multiple size axles. Heard you can buy them at RV dealer or harbor freight or someplace

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Old 04-08-2012, 02:42 AM   #18
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Mike: I used a 6 in piece of 2 x 2 x 1/4 in angle so it is kind of self aligning for multiple sizes, I came up with a pipe nipple that just fit over the shaft of my jack snugly so as not to contribute to unsteadyness. I place it as far out next to the ubolt plate asI can get it.I have probably used it 20 times on dirt or concrete if need I put a thin board or something on soft soil.

I have two dear friends who built off from mine and are very happy too. As I stated if you are going to injure the axle doing this it surely will get injured just going down the road hitting who knows what &amp; mine never have beeneither way.. See the above picture by cool Ithink as it is the same except mine is angle instead of half round.. JMHO jb Ps I agree with an above poster about tweaking the dickens out of everything when lifting on the frame as you can hear things popping. Lippert aparently cares more about their axles than your coach,(Oh yes they don't warrnty the coach just the axles) JMHO jb
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Old 04-08-2012, 07:57 AM   #19
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Interesting discussion. I'm a new ST owner and last night I read through most of the material in the new owner packet. It states in the manual, I believe, to lift the trailer by the frame when changing a flat tire. Is this not what everyone is doing or is your manual different?

BTW, I found nothing in my materials from Llippert even though they made the axles on our new trailer. I was told by the dealer that their was suppose to be info in the packet from Lippert. I was also told during my factory tour last week that ST was using Dexter axles.
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Old 04-08-2012, 02:21 PM   #20
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Been looking for days for proof that you can crush the axle tube.. Everywhere i can think of. One dang picture.. Millions of people using jacks on axles, and not one picture.. Come on, there has to be one picture of a "CRUSH" from a jack. If i can get the wall thickness i can tell you how much I can apply using my little 3/4 diameter bottle jack head before the tube crushes? Maybe i could just guess.. .250" ? Is that tube 3.5" OD? I can enlist the engineers from work to help me out and double check. I would bet they are stating to use the frame only for safety reason Solely. (jack can kick out due to the round service)

Lippert states to use the frame.. Mike, I can email you the lippert manual if you would like. Send me a Pm if want it.





Give it a shot. Try lifting by the frame as per you manual and you will

get a feel for the weight capacity of the jack and how high you need to
; to get the wheel off the ground. It will surprise you. Do it on the

passenger side(awing side).. Then try to open and shut you door and see

the misalignment(tweaking) going on... Then try the 2 ton bottle jack

on the axle. A few pumps the wheel is up. The door will open and shut

as it always has.





If you had road side service pull in, how would they do it? If you

didn't tell them otherwise.. I had a flat right after i left the

dealers(stem was leaking). The dealer sent out the service guy.. ha.

He used the axle... Bottle jack under the axle, close to the ubolt. No

wood under the jack, When he left to go get a new stem,, I had to call

the dealer back in a hurry to tell them the jack was sinking into the

black top.. Then i realized i had the trucks jack on me so i used that

to support his bottle jack until they came back..



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