2012 Eagle 308 RLTS question about movement after setup

[C&RCAMPERS]

We are new to camping and this was a new unit on the lot but a year old. I have been reading this and other forums trying to learn as much as I can to avoid doing the wrong things. The information has been priceless!

We camped in the back yard and made a list and are now in our second night at a campground less than a hour from home. Everything has worked awesome except when I forgot to turn the light switch for the hotwater heater and my wife took a shower.

My main concern is the amount of movement you feel in the unit when someone is walking. I have the unit level and the stabilizers down with enough pressure until the electric motor changed tunes a little. We are on a concrete pad with no other problems.

This being our first official trip we didn't know what kind of movement is acceptable or considered normal.

We are having a blast, should have done this a long time ago.

Thanks for the replies in advance.

[tinlizzie23]

Without any stabilization, you have only the wheels and the hitch jack touching the ground. You will get movement under this setup. There are many products on the market that increase stability and decrease movement. The first I would recommend is a pair of BAL X chocks, which are basically a set of scissor type metal pads which tightly contact the tires (between the wheels on each side), and greatly reduce the movement of the wheels rocking back and forth. For me, this reduced the movement about 75%. The remaining movement can be pretty much eliminated, so I am told, by stabilizing telescopic bars that attach under the frame and use the triangulation principle to eliminate just about all movement. Several brands are good ones, and my personal preference (on my wish list) is the ones made by Plug-it-right. Steady Fast is also a popular brand. None of this stuff is cheap, but is about the only way to partially or completely eliminate the movement. Hope this helps.

[David472]

In addition to the BAL-X chocks, I would suggest a pair of stands just in front of, or just behind the axle to support the TT frame. These take the vertical bounce out of the suspension springs. IMHO they will do more for you than telescoping bars on the corner jacks. For a picture, see the link here.
http://tweetys.com/aluminum-stacker-jacks.aspx

[clutch]

x2 on extra stabilizers.

[C&RCAMPERS]

Thank you for the replies. I am going to try the jack stands first or jacks, we have a harbor freight distribution center 3 miles away.

We had a great first trip, will try some different stuff before the next trip.

[Murphie]

I had a credit at a local RV dealership and wanted to get the Steadyfast system. They were not able or not wanting to bring them in so I decided to get a Fantastic fan for the bedroom vent instead. I will try the telescoping jacks to see if that makes much of a difference. I have the Bal Xchocks and still feel lots of movement. Thanks for the suggestion.

[mikefos]

We have a similar model and year trailer. Bal X-Chocks will cut down most of that movement. Snug 'em up the next morning when the tires are cool after the initial setting when you get to camp.

Mike

[Honeymoon Campers]

We just used our camper for the second time this past weekend. Isn't it GREAT?

We upgraded from an 8-foot long pop-up and I was surprised by how much more our 18D Jay Feather Ultra Lite rocks than our little pop-up did. I expected less. Glad I could read that this is normal and can be remedied.

Don't you just love the coziness of a TT? Even though the 5 of us are bumping into each other and the kids fuss at each other, I wouldn't trade these days for anything! And I thought tent-camping was fun!

[outofhere]

We use the valterre tv stabilizer they're about $50 from amazon have two of them will be getting another one next season but the two of them reduced the rocking considerably