Stabilizing

[DLudlow]

Our first trip out in our new (to us) 23RB was a great time but we have a 14-year old football player in the family and every step, roll, etc. moved us around a bit. I tightened the stabilizers a bit when I realized a couple seemed loose but it only helped so much. I did use plastic blocks under each stabilizer but after a bit of research I realize maybe I should use some additional wood blocks because the stabilizers were pretty well extended.

So the questions are:

1. Will adding blocks under the stabilizers make a significant difference?
2. I don’t mind adding more stabilizers. Should I? If so, what kind?
3. I’ve seen stabilizer crossbeam connectors but they’re more than adding stabilizers. Are they more effective than more stabilizers?
4. What do the tire-lock stabilizers do (between the tires).

Thanks so much for any and all advice!

[Big1]

Welcome to the forum, check these and I'm sure that other will chime in also, but you can start by using tires chock, X-chock https://www.campingworld.com/x-chock...ack-49876.html, https://www.campingworld.com/non-ski...ck-110705.html, https://www.campingworld.com/jt-stro...ear-69723.html and yes adding more blocks will work also I made some 14x14x4 wood block but you might not need your to be as big because I have some snap pads on my jacks feet. You want be able to take the movement out 100% but it's a good start.

[Pacman1214]

1: Depends on how many you have stacked and how extended your stabilizers are. I have 4 of the plastic "Lego" blocks under each of mine and they are extended about halfway.

2: Yes, but that ties into 3.

3: The crossbeam bar kits like the JT strong arm stabilizer kit will take care of 90% of the movement you feel, and is probably what you are looking for. That is assuming you have the scissor jack style stabilizers. Those jacks are ok for vertical loads, but with only 1 anchor point they don't stabilize side movement well. Adding the bars will greatly decrease
trailer movement and are on my list of things to do as well.

4: things like the X-chock wheel chock and the cheaper "travel trailer wheel chock" which is 2 metal wedges with a threaded rod to push them apart are only to keep the wheels from moving. They do a little to keep trailer movement down but are mainly for keeping the trailer from rolling away.

There are others here that know these topics much better than I do, this is mostly things I've picked upfrom YouTube....

[damammel]

X2 for the JT Strongarm kits. Just installed on our trailer a few weeks ago. I was very happy with the difference it made.

[TWP723]

Not a fan of putting cribbing under my jacks unless I absolutely have to. The back and forth motion can be minimalized with X-Chocks or strong arms. Depending on what steps you have, a support under the first step makes a world of difference when entering the RV.

[Scott]

I have done three things to help stabilize my trailer.

1. I use X-Chocks between my wheels to stop front to back motion.

2. I installed an additional pair of stabilizing scissor jacks just in front of the wheels to take out some of the bounciness in the center of the camper where the load is supported by the springs.

3. I installed JT's Strong Arms to help with additional movement front to back and side to side.

These three things together have removed almost all the bouncing when at the campsite. It only adds a few minutes to the setup time at camp.

Good luck!

[67L48]

There are sort of a few different stabilizing techniques:

1. Cheap. The X-chocks people mention. You can also get the old-school stabilizers and put them at various points along your frame. I never got a lot of success out of x-chocks; they made almost no difference in my experience.

2. Middle. Valterra makes a more secure stabilizer that, when used in tandem, has been reported to be quite good. This was always my plan, but I never actually executed this. ~$50-60 each and 2 is the recommended plan.

3. Middle-High. Bal Lock-Arm system is a poor-man's version of the JT Strongarm system. It uses the same physics properties, but makes a few compromises in the anchor points and such.

4. High. JT Strongarm and there's another identical version of this whose name I can't recall. This is 2 or 3 bills, but is the most rock-solid stabilizing system out there ... aside from dropping your trailer frame on a cinder-block foundation.

In the end, I only really ever camped for 2-3 nights at a time on most outings, so I just never really could justify dumping money into solving a problem that was livable for me. But, there were times when I really wanted to try something more substantial than a couple of crappy Bal X-Chocks.

[PaulB12]

Poor man's Strongarm:
I think I spent under $50.00.
Haven't used my stabilizers in the last couple of trips.
PaulB12

[Parcany]

Did the same thing as Paul did rock solid now.

[Route 66 Traveler]

I have used the X chocks on our last two trips, and they made a huge improvement in trailer movement. I got mine from Amazon. I also use enough blocks under the stabilizers so they aren’t over extended. One hint…install the chocks before extending any slide that will make installing much more difficult.

[85vf500rr]

Here's another vote for what PaulB12 did. We used ours over our last trip with one pair up at the very front of the frame, one pair in front of the tires, and one pair behind the tires. Still used our factory stabilizers and my homemade x-chocks and I can say we were rock solid. When the steps don't dip the trailer as you climb in, you've got it right. I like the design of the JT Strongarms, just not the price. I had 2x4s and ratchet straps at home so all I had to buy was eyebolts and those were cheap.

[DLudlow]

Originally Posted by PaulB12

Poor man's Strongarm:
I think I spent under $50.00.
Haven't used my stabilizers in the last couple of trips.
PaulB12

Never saw that. Where did that come from?

[85vf500rr]

Take a look at the photos in PaulB12's post above and you'll see what it is. You basically cut some 2x4s, lop a small miter cut off opposing ends, install an eyebolt a few inches up from the bottom on each board and then wedge them into the corner of your frame rails when you cinch up the ratchet strap. This basically makes a wide trapezoid with the ground as the lower plane, the trailer frame as the upper, and the 2x4 stabilizer boards as the angled ends. The ratchet strap at the lower end is parallel to the ground and doesn't take too much tension to lock it in super rigid.

In retrospect I should have taken some photos when I made mine for a tutorial, but I was in a hurry and just knocked them out.

[PaulB12]

Not my idea.... got from Trailer Life tips and tricks.
PaulB12

[67L48]

I'd say it's much less a poor-man's Strongarm and much more of a Valterra on steroids. The Strongarm uses triangular pattern in two axes tied to the corner; the Valterra uses the trapezoid system. Looks like a stout system, but much closer to the design & physics of the Valterra.

[klook]

So, these just wedge into the frame on the top? I have everything to do this....Nice tip!

[Parcany]

Originally Posted by klook

So, these just wedge into the frame on the top? I have everything to do this....Nice tip!

Yup and they work great and don't cost a arm and a leg.

[PaulB12]

Here ya go:
PaulB12
Sorry they are sidways!!

[garywilson]

I'm basically lazy and don't like the hassle of putting blocks under stabilizer jacks.
My trailer came with 24" jacks that were too short if spot not level, so I bought 2 pair of 30" and put a set of the old ones in the middle of the trailer. Solid now, and I haven't needed to block any jacks (the middle ones are always long enough).

If it is muddy I'll throw a 12"x12" piece of perforated horse wash pad from Tractor Supply under them because the mud just shakes off.

I got these. Some others available now are cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[njburn]

I use plastic chocks to keep from rolling away, x-chocks betwween the wheels (these are not designed to keep from rolling away, read their literature) and Steadyfast stabilizers on blocked jacks. Steadyfast, http://www.steadyfast.com/, is an alternative to JT Strongarms and easier to deploy. If nothing else, go to his site & read the info on shaking & blocking your jacks, good info there.