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Since I intend to almost exclusively boondock I look at those rear jacks hanging down and just shudder imagining driving through an arroyo and having them hanging up. And they just look so gangly hanging there! The very first thing I intended to do is take those puppies off and put quick connects on the wires. I doubt I will use them much while camping and the camper will rarely come off the truck. I will take them with, at least on the first few trips. I guess it makes sense to have them with in case of some sort of emergency, huh?
It’s good to be a n00b - so I can aspire to be just stoopid.
Monrovia, CA
Mine jacks are manual(not by choice), plus I made mine quick-release (picture a large hinge that can come apart.) for the reasons that you mentioned. If I camp locally, and alone, I don’t care if the camper bounces a bit in the rear when parked, so in that situation I will take them off and leave them at home.
Because of the way they disconnect, I can (and do) invert them for longer trips. That way I have them, they are not inside the camper, and they are not gangly as you put it. (Apt description)
Here is a photo of an inverted jack. (during construction phase)
Here it is on gangly position:
It depends on where you’re going with the camper. If I was planning on doing some serious off-roading. I’d take them off. For the most part, though, I just leave them on. You never know when you’ll need them. Suppose your truck breaks down and you need to take it in to the shop? Having a way to remove your camper will make break downs more manageable.
Mark, great idea! You win a dinner at Mello Mike’s! Or a beer on me. ?
Only problem I see is figuring out an anti-theft set-up.You get two beers if you tell us about your rig! That would definitely go through some sharply angled arroyos!
It’s good to be a n00b - so I can aspire to be just stoopid.
Monrovia, CA
The main reason that I went with a TC on my overland rig was so that I could separate from it and go wheeling. I would leave it at a friend’s property, or a campground for security’s sake. Hoping to do that in 2020 when my group from mississippi-mud.com heads west for another epic getaway.
The other reason for taking the jacks is for the very reason that Mike brought up. Suppose the transmission fails and the shop needs to put it on a lift. Maybe you can nurse it to a campground, or stay on their lot while the truck is pulled to the shop and repaired.
As for my rig, It is a month’s worth of campfire stories all to itself. LOL. Check out my “Reserector” YouTube channel. Reserector Channel
Well, if this thread is still alive i’ll put in my contrarian view. On another forum, I’m known as the “King of the Jacks-Off”, and for good reason. We never take our jacks with us, they’re always left at home because the routes we take are hazardous for jacks, what with the slow-mo attack of the boulders; passing trees or bushes; high curbs; interference with the side view mirrors; and that 160 pounds of outrigger weight. In reference to the shopping of the truck if broken down; what do people with MoHo’s do when their rig breaks down? They go to a firm that has a tall RV bay just for that reason. In the 18 years; 245 nights; and countless off road excursions we’ve owned the Lance Lite 165-s, we’ve never needed the jacks for any reason on our off road trips. We’ve even had Jiffy lube or equivalent change the oil on an Alaska trip by pulling into their extra tall bay. jefe
Watch these short video clips: The jacks don’t stand a chance.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ns02z7g1q1jhu0r/up%20a%20rocky%20cyn%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
or this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f0j10uxr4sn8jrx/end%20Sandstone%20Cyn%20Anza.m4v?dl=02020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.
Well, if this thread is still alive i’ll put in my contrarian view. On another forum, I’m known as the “King of the Jacks-Off”, and for good reason. We never take our jacks with us, they’re always left at home because the routes we take are hazardous for jacks, what with the slow-mo attack of the boulders; passing trees or bushes; high curbs; interference with the side view mirrors; and that 160 pounds of outrigger weight. This is the same reason we don’t use frame mounted tie downs. They’re as susceptible to a mualing as jacks. In reference to the shopping of the truck if broken down; what do people with MoHo’s do when their rig breaks down? They go to a firm that has a tall RV bay just for that reason. In the 18 years; 245 nights; and countless off road excursions we’ve owned the Lance Lite 165-s, we’ve never needed the jacks for any reason on our off road trips. We’ve even had Jiffy lube or equivalent change the oil on an Alaska trip by pulling into their extra tall bay. jefe See these short clips: the jacks don’t stand a chance.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ns02z7g1q1jhu0r/up%20a%20rocky%20cyn%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f0j10uxr4sn8jrx/end%20Sandstone%20Cyn%20Anza.m4v?dl=02020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.
We only take our rig out a few times a year. On one of those times, we got one of those,’In 100 miles your speed will be reduced to 5mph. Take your vehicle to a service center immediatedly’ messages. Turned out to be bad DEF. We ended up having to dismount the camper on the street outside the dealership (in 105 deg temps) while they took the truck in, dropped the DEF tank, flushed it and reinstalled it. If we had NOT had the jacks mounted… I dunno, rented a car to drive home to get the jacks and bring them back???
All that said, I’ve often thought it would be nice to leave them at home but our Lance 650 is a tight fit on the Ram 3500 (SRW) and the jacks don’t hang out that far. And of course, there’s always the chance we might have to remove the camper again far from home.
Hey, I only LOOK stoopid! I won’t be rolling without ‘em completely! ?
They’ll be stored somewhere, trust me. A lockable stout irrigation pipe on the
roof seems like a good place.You’re scaring me more about buying an oil burner. Sure seems like I hear a lot of bad press about DEF systems. You would have thought they would have
sorted it by now. Doesn’t seem like rocket science.It’s good to be a n00b - so I can aspire to be just stoopid.
Monrovia, CA
Just over two months ago my truck and camper were hit by a lady driving while chatting (actually arguing with her Mom) on a cell phone, which ripped off the left rear jack and destroyed the outside dually alloy wheel, tire, bent the axle housing and twisted the upper leaf spring in the main pack. But with over 4,900 lbs of wet-loaded camper still on the truck I wouldn’t attempt to use the flimsy OEM jack to change out the tire…
It took three tow trucks later (and over 5hrs of time wasted) to finally get a jack of sufficient capacity to lift this heavily laden rig!!
Once the tire was finally changed, my next FIRST move was to go buy a HF 12 ton bottle jack ($29) and a 120v tire impact wrench ($39) which (if ever needed) I can easily run from the camper’s 2000w sine inverter. Post accident, the 12 ton jack lifts the fully laden rig quite nicely.
Lesson Learned!!
Right on, Craig. In the 18 years of TC-ing, never once did i wish I had the jacks along.You will note that the hard core off-road type TC-er’s, sooner or later will loose the jacks.
The way i see it is, traveling sans jacks is like having a very small class ‘C’. If you need service, go to a place with a 14′ rollup door that will fit taller equipment. In a catastrophic crash, the jacks are damaged enough to not be able to use all 4 anyway.
Phil’s jack problem was not being prepared to lift the rear axle in the first place. We’ve had a 12t hydraulic jack and a ‘jack board’ since day one and have used it only a few times: about half of those times for someone else or extrication. Slow but will lift anything I have up to 24K pounds. It was also used for fender straightening in a fender bender to clear the front tires.
The other jack we never take along is the hi-lift. I have both the 48″ and the 60″ version and use them around the spread (there is a reason they’re called a farm jack) but they’re useless with a drop in truck camper.
jefe2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.
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