# Stabilizing jacks



## Hitch Pin

I could use some opinions. Our Jayco Swift travel trailer came with stabilizing jacks on the rear but didn’t come with any on the front.


They are BAL light trailer stabilizing jacks, they are made about like the C series jacks, it would take a little bit of work to install this kind of jack on the front, do to the way the frame is made.


My question is, are the scissor type jacks more stable than the type of jacks that came on the travel trailer? If they are I may put them on the front and rear.


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## artmart

I think either style (scissor or jackknife) has the same stability. They become more stable the more you crank them down, but too much cranking and you'll break something. The problem with most of these stabilizer jacks is that they provide vertical stability ONLY - you'll still experience side-to-side movement. Most rigs don't do overkill on stabilizer jacks because they add weight, and users tend to crank them too much.

In order to really take out much of the side-to-side movement one needs an aftermarket product like Steady-Fast, or JTs or some other brand. These use the vertical stablizer jacks to provide horizontal or cross stability and remove much of the side to side movement. Many owners who have added these report that their rigs are VERY stable with virtually no movement. These are on my wanna-have list.

Finally, other owners then add vertical jacks on the front and rear of the tires to remove any movement from the wheels/tires. While I don't think it's possible to remove all movement, with these additions one can sure get pretty close. Otherwise accept you are in an RV, it's on rubber tires and there will be some movement.


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## dogbone

Hitch Pin I don't know about the stability, but in my opinion the scissor jacks are made stronger. By this I mean they are more forgiving when you crank them down to stabilize the trailer. My friends Citation has the jack knife stabilizers and the rod that brings them down bent. It's a flat rod with the gear at the end. Once it bent it was useless. I don't know if yours is set up like that. Granted the Citation is older, bigger and heavier.
I just think the design on the scissor jack is stronger. Whether or not they stabilize better I don't know. I never had the jack knife style. 
If you want to add some temp. jacks to the front pick up a set of the aluminum jack stands. You can get the at Walmart or any auto parts store. They would be strong enough to do what you want. Just put them under the frame in front on both sides and screw them up. Between the stands, the rear stabilizers and the landing leg you should be in good shape.
Just remember none of these things are made to lift the trailer off the ground. They are just to get some weight off the tires and stabilize.
Everyone sez the JT's work very well. The fiver's are more prone to movement than the TT. We just deal with the movement. It's not all that bad. The JT's are expensive.


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## edwinjd

From what I know, scissor jacks do a better job than the drop down single arm types that usually come with trailers since scissor jacks can be either bolted or welded onto the frame.


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## hideout

i will say this! i use slide out stands under my slide out and will say it helps to keep my hide out from moving to much when i am staying in it.:thumbup1:


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## bigjr

Yeah scissor are stronger I have had both and like them much better. One thing I use which most in our group had before me are the spreader chokes between the tires man did they make a big difference in movement. I used to just use the good ole under wheel wedges but last year added the spreaders and were rock solid now:thumbup1:


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## dogbone

hideout said:


> i will say this! i use slide out stands under my slide out and will say it helps to keep my hide out from moving to much when i am staying in it.:thumbup1:


Be careful using supports under the slides. The instructions on the trailers I have had, with slide outs, say not to use supports. The reason being the supports put to much stress on the rods and trailer sides when and if the trailer settles. I have seen trailers with them used though.

bigjr, I made the chocks that your talking about out of 4x4's and 1/2 inch threaded rod. I put nuts and washers on the rod and tighten them down with a ratcheting box wrench. It pulls the 4x4's down between the two tires. I got it from someone on the open roads forum. They work good for about 5 bucks and a bit of time to make.


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## bigjr

Yeah im thinking this year about maybe picking up one of those tripod stands for under my hitch pin for my 5er see if that helps to any one use one?


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## dogbone

bigjr said:


> Yeah im thinking this year about maybe picking up one of those tripod stands for under my hitch pin for my 5er see if that helps to any one use one?


I have one under mine. It helps a little, but the trailer does move a bit. Others say they don't do anything.
I have heard good things about the JT Strong arms, but don't have any first hand info. They are a bit pricey too. I think anyway.


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## bigjr

Yeah my main part is pretty solid but up in the bedroom it moves a bit more then we like so does your tripod help that at all?


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## dogbone

bigjr said:


> Yeah my main part is pretty solid but up in the bedroom it moves a bit more then we like so does your tripod help that at all?


It does help a little. We still get some movement.


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## artmart

The tripod only helps the front of our fifth wheel, too. We'll need to spend some money on JT Stabilizers or other similar products to stabilize further. Others I've talked to say they help a lot.

Another negative on the slideout supports is that if your tires start to lose air, which will happen unless you check every day, then think of the extra pressure on the slideout supports - think about the worse case of a tire or two going flat. The damage could be real bad.

If one concentrates on the frame attached stabilizers that provide lateral support, this should help a lot with reducing motion.

Then if you can afford it go for the BigFoot or Lippert 6-point automatic hydraulic systems that can pretty much raise your trailer into the air to level it and remove the suspension from the equation. But these systems are in the 1000s of dollars.

Until we hit the lottery we just remember we are trailering it and some motion is expected.


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## Hitch Pin

I can't use the scissor type jacks, I don't have the ground clearance needed, so I'm gone with the c-type jacks.

Thanks for your input.


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## KentuckyCamper

I have a 2011 jayco jayflight swift 264bh, and I had the dealer put the scissor jacks under ours, front and rear. I had the cheap stabilizers on my old gulf stream, and they bent when I put too much weight on them to get them camper to sit level and not bounce around when we walked in it. So I had the dealer put the heavy duty ones on my jayco when we got it last year. These will lift the camper up with no problems and it stabilizes nicely.


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