Proper jacking procedure

[BradF]

Hello,
I have a new set of Goodyear Endurance tires ready to mount and have a concern about the proper way to lift the trailer.
Rather than jacking up the trailer at the axle or frame, is it appropriate to drive one side of the trailer up on my Anderson levelers, jack up one wheel a few inches and put the spare tire on that wheel, then remove the adjacent wheel, block that axle and have the tires mounted and balanced for that side? I am concerned that a tire shop may put a jack on the axle tube and bend it.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Brad

[pomocamper]

I have a similar question, the best jacking location and device for our 312BHTS TT. Don't have a flat now, but we would like a plan before it happens. We have an underweight trolly lift (floor jack) from our previous TT and want to upgrade it with the right equipment. Thank you all, you have been very helpful!

[Jkwilson]

According to Lippert, lifting by the frame is the only acceptable method.

Most people, including RV techs lift by the spring U-bolts or using boards or a Trailer-Aid.

I prefer to take two tires off myself, and take them to the shop for replacement. Bring those home and reinstall, then take the other two. I have to listen to some crotchety old guy moan and groan the whole time, but they are done the way I want.

[Cate&Rob]

There are several threads on this forum about jacking the trailer by the frame vs by the end of the axle at the U bolts. The suspension manufacturers will tell you to only lift by the frame. This is their way of "protecting" their axles from incorrect jack placement damage. If you lift by the frame, you will need a lot of blocking to get your jack hight enough to do this and you will have to lift about 4" or more to get the tires off the ground as the suspension relaxes. This also puts a lot of twist into the RV frame and body and can overload the front landing gear leg of a 5th wheel trailer unless you are hitched to the truck. Lifting one tire at a time at the U bolts on the axle, means a lift of less than 2" will get the tire off the ground. I like to use combination hydraulic jack and axle stands. This leaves the weight on the much safer axles stand rather than on the hydraulics of the jack. It is important to have a saddle on top of the jack to conform to the shape of the axle tube without denting it. A block of hardwood under the U bolts is another alternative if you don't have a saddle. I store my trailer with weight off the tires on four of these stands/jacks. See https://gdrvowners.com/forum/referen...-off-the-tires

Rob

[pomocamper]

Thank you both!

[Guest]

I have the older solid Camco blocks that can be used ( I have two sets) to jack by the frame but the new ones that you can see through are really cheap, so I would not trust them to support a bottle jack. I use the bottle jack saddle adapter that Rob and others use and lift at the end of the axle just inside the tire. This method is so easy, I have added a block under the tires on one side for a little better leveling after setting up.

One to add: Never lower the front jack and add blocking to the rear of the rig and use the front jack to lift the rig (tires) off the ground. The jack will not be able to sustain these loads without resulting in damage.

Jim

[FlyStar]

Driving up on blocks outs all the weight on one axle which is surely over the axle limit. Probably not a great idea. Here is a pic of using the frame on my 312 bhts.

[Yoda]

Driving up on blocks outs all the weight on one axle which is surely over the axle limit. Probably not a great idea. Here is a pic of using the frame on my 312 bhts.

Sent you a PM
Keith

[rottekatz]

Driving up on blocks outs all the weight on one axle which is surely over the axle limit. Probably not a great idea. Here is a pic of using the frame on my 312 bhts.

That looks like the way to do it. 1 3 ton jack and two jack stands?