New to Travel Trailers

[podunker]

What is the difference in Stabilizer jacks and leveling jacks? From what i have seen the big electric jacks are the stabilizers right? So are the little scissor jacks the leveling jacks? Also how important are the stabilizer jacks? The reason I ask is one of the models we are looking at doesn't have electric stabilizer jacks. Sorry if it a dum question. We are moving up from a Truck Camper and when we walked in some trailers at the dealer we noticed a lot of movement. I guess most don't have all the jacks down in the dealer lot. Thanks in advance

[Jhowemca]

The scissor jacks at the four corners are called the stabilizer jacks.
The tongue jack is used to level front to back.
Leveling side to side is accomplished by using blocks(or something else) under the trailer tires on the low side.

I will back into my site. First thing, check side to side level. If not level I'll back onto some blocks of 2"x 8" blocks (stack enough to level).

Then unhook (don't forget to chock the wheels first) and level front to back with the tongue jack.

After I'm level side to side and front to back I install my x-chocks, then deploy the stabilizers on all corners, extend slide and awning, that's it!

Good luck!

[robkelly]

Originally Posted by Jhowemca

The scissor jacks at the four corners are called the stabilizer jacks.
The tongue jack is used to level front to back.
Leveling side to side is accomplished by using blocks(or something else) under the trailer tires on the low side.

I will back into my site. First thing, check side to side level. If not level I'll back onto some blocks of 2"x 8" blocks (stack enough to level).

Then unhook (don't forget to chock the wheels first) and level front to back with the tongue jack.

After I'm level side to side and front to back I install my x-chocks, then deploy the stabilizers on all corners, extend slide and awning, that's it!

Good luck!

x2

[NVGun40]

x2 to what has been said already.

I can understand some confusion when coming from a in bed camper to a trailer. Most electric jacks (with exception to tongue jacks) on trailers are for stabilizing. They are not really meant to take the weight of leveling or lifting. Some do, but there you have to know what type of electric jack you have, how it is mounted.

Most dealerships do not put the stabilizers down while the trailers are on their lots and showing them.

Being used to a cabover/inbed camper, where the jacks are used to stabilize, lift the unit and can be used to level, it is easy to get confused when transitioning.

For the record, no question is to dumb. By the way, welcome to the forum.

[podunker]

Great Information, thank you so much.

I am a little confused on the jacks I guess. I have noticed some bigger/thicker jacks underneath the trailers that come down more in the middle of the trailer. What are these. I see scissor jacks in the corners, but these are much thicker with a bigger footprint and come down underneath the trailer.

[cekkk]

I'd only add to what's already been said, don't think of the stabilizers as jacks at all. They can be damaged if you use them a jacks.

And be sure to take them up before you raise the tongue to mount it on the ball. Otherwise you are, in effect, making them support too much weight and in effect making them jacks.