Stowable stabiliser legs
Submitted: Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 11:21
ThreadID:
137083
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Replies:
7
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qldcamper
Hi again all,
Once again needing to draw upon the experience of the group.
Recently did a 6 week trip around SA and decided to get a trailer tent for the trailer as the tent we had was just too much trouble for touring.
Have mounted a tent now am faced with the stabiliser leg problem.
There are drop down legs that will fit perfectly, but one thing i have learned is that anything under the trailer will get hammered with stones and end up full of dust, sand and gravel, which i cant see doing the mechanisms of the drop down legs a lot of good. There is only one place each side they will fit and will have no protection at all.
Question is, does anyone know of a commercially available and reasonably priced mounting system to make the legs removable for travelling?
Looking forward to your
feedback.
Reply By: KiwiAngler - Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 12:34
Reply By: IvanTheTerrible - Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 12:47
Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 12:47
These are hardy enough I wouldn't bother removing them
Ark trailer parts
AnswerID:
620527
Reply By: Pete G - Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 12:56
Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 12:56
Hi Qld Camper,
My
views are similar to yours - many you see are just waiting for a steep creek bed to do its thing.
If you go have a look at a good trailer supplies place there are jackup legs with a side wind handle that have a spigot that can be welded to the trailer with the legs attached to this with a pin making them removable (or stowable by turning them 90 deg if that suits). Cost about $90 each. They also have some jacking capacity so could be used for levelling.
There is a place on Boundary Road Coopers Plains that has these. No connection etc just happy customer - Viking Boat Rollers.
Regards
Pete_G
AnswerID:
620528
Reply By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 17:05
Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 17:05
Hi,
What about fitting a mudflap in front of the leg to protect it from dirt/dust and stone damage?
Those BOS legs look great.
AnswerID:
620532
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 17:30
Sunday, Aug 05, 2018 at 17:30
Will protect it from stone damage but will still pack full of dust, that sticks to the lubricant then turns to grinding paste.
I have used the rubber flap secured to the body and axle to protect the brake wiring, works very
well.
FollowupID:
892997
Reply By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 06:57
Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 06:57
Kiss principle, a couple of cheap axle stands and a couple of bits of ply, use the jockey wheel to level, rocks won't damage them inside the trailer!
AnswerID:
620546
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 07:45
Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 07:45
I carry one jack stand already to use with the high lift jack and it is a bitch of a thing to stow, heavy and takes up a lot of room. It ended up riding lashed inside the spare wheel on the trailer and when i needed to use it it was packed so tight with dust and gravel it had to be flogged with a hammer to use.
You have a motorhome and you tell me to keep it simple lol.
FollowupID:
893014
Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 08:32
Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 08:32
It is simple go inside, pop the roof, push the slide out and your done!
On a serious note though anything outside and/or underneath where it is exposed to dust, rocks and moisture will stuff up eventually.
We towed a very early suitably modified Cub Supermatic all over Oz for 25 years and it had a normal jockey wheel on the front and a tubular drop down leg on each rear corner, the legs went up inside the camper but the L bolts that held them up copped a hammering from the gibbers. I found if I pulled them out and greased the threads on the L bolts before each trip they would work
well for a few months before needing to be done again.
I have similar on a box trailer and they work
well (tube inside a larger tube with a locking bolt on the side) they are mounted behind each taillight on the outside of the box on the rear corners.
FollowupID:
893016
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 09:01
Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 09:01
yes those rocks are punishing, when we got
home the front and underside of the trailer looked like it had been involved in a shotgun attack. That reminds me, still have to replace the broken grease nipples on the
suspension, another thing to add to my spares box.
The tailgate of the ute must have a thousand small stone chips which i have managed to camouflage by putting a large dent in the side of
the tub, nobody notices the chips any more lol.
FollowupID:
893017
Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 09:40
Monday, Aug 06, 2018 at 09:40
I had two conveyer belt stone deflectors bolted to the camper floor and hung down against the axle to protect the shocks, after 25 years they have done the job, the solid 40mm axle is peened with a 3 mm lip top and bottom on the leading side and the 12mm thick conveyer belt is down to about 5mm on the bottom edge. All the angle floor supports are bent backwards a few mm from the rocks as
well.
Makes it easy to repaint every other year as there is no surface rust after a trip.
FollowupID:
893018
Reply By: KevinE - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 15:21
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 15:21
You could try
Manutec
But I think that you're probably worrying about a problem that you may never encounter! I towed a Chinese camper, with Chinese wind down legs on it on a lot of dirt roads for 5 years & never had a problem.
Some of the
places I towed it were;
Oodnadatta Track –
Mereenie Loop –
Palm Valley –
Chambers Pillar – Dalhousie – Old Ghan
Heritage Track – Charlotte Waters -
The Painted Desert – Lambert’s Centre – Finke –
Cameron Corner –
Innamincka via Epsilon – Dig Tree –
Milparinka -
Tibooburra -
Warri Gate – Noccundra –
Hungerford –
Toompine -
Betoota –
Windorah –
Birdsville – Mt. Dare –
Birdsville Track –
Roper Bar – Nathan River Road-
Lorella Springs –
Borroloola –
Savannah Way - Hells
Gate –
Gawler Ranges –
Flinders Ranges (a number of times).
I sold it to another guy who likes to go bush about 18 months ago & as far as I know, the wind down legs are still fine.
AnswerID:
620665
Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 16:03
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 16:03
I have had problems, the spring loaded release packs with dirt & wont pull out far enough to allow the leg to swing down.
FollowupID:
893119
Follow Up By: KevinE - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 20:28
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 20:28
I was more worried that the legs would fall down as a result of the bumps on the roads & the corrugations, than get stuck in the up position.
So much so that I fitted short chains to the trailer, with snap hooks attached on the loose end. I wrapped the chains around the wind down legs & then snapped the hooks back onto the chains.
Who knows if they worked or not, as i never had a leg fall down on the move & get busted = good result :)
FollowupID:
893133
Reply By: Greg J1 - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 16:58
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 16:58
Hi,
Wouldn’t worry about stabiliser legs if I were you. I welded a set on my campertrailer I built years ago. Wrecked them on the
creb track on our first trip. Never used them. Cut them off when we got
home, never replaced them.
We have a Kedron van now. Only put the stabilisers down when the missus has that look in her eye !!!
Cheers Greg.
AnswerID:
620666
Follow Up By: qldcamper - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:13
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:13
Hence the need for stabilisers. Never feels like there is much movement when your in the camper, but from outside..........
FollowupID:
893124
Follow Up By: Greg J1 - Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:58
Sunday, Aug 12, 2018 at 17:58
Just give everyone the thumbs up when you get up the next morning. Hehe !!!
FollowupID:
893126