Tag Archives: welding

photo of The Atwood Stabilizer Jack in use

Easy Leveling with an Atwood Stabilizer Jack

Jim, July 31:

The new storage box and galley table would certainly improve our setup and strike time, but I was sure it could be improved a little more. When we drive into a campsite, one of the first jobs is to level the trailer. Up to now, I used two scissor jacks (one under each rear corner of the trailer) and that worked well enough. Scissor jacks are fiddly and can be hard to use. They certainly aren’t quick. The light-weight jacks had to be extended by hand until they could be wedged under the trailer because they would “dance around” while turning the adjustment screw. They couldn’t be stored under the trailer. I thought we could do better.

photo of Atwood Stabilizer Jack -- Deployed

Atwood Stabilizer Jack — Deployed

Looking around at other RVs, I learned about a “stabilizer jack”. Intended for leveling a trailer and designed to store under it, they seemed to fit the bill. A quick cruise on Amazon, and we had a candidate — the Atwood 82301stabilizer jack. I ordered a set of three. One for the tongue and one for each rear corner.

The Atwood stabilizer jacks can be either bolted or welded onto the trailer. My friend Jason at Vintage Motor Car agreed that welding would be best. A day or two later, they were installed. A little black spray paint, and the job was done.

photo of Atwood Stabilizer Jack -- Retracted

Atwood Stabilizer Jack — Retracted

The jacks hide under the trailer when not in use, and only take a couple inches of ground clearance. Deployment is easy. Pull into the site, swing the two rear jacks down into the locked position and then deploy the front stabilizer jack the same way. The trailer sits pretty low to the ground, so occasionally I dig a little ground out from under the jack before it swings into place.

photo of Jack handle in use

Jack handle in use

The final step is using the steel handle to adjust each jack’s height while watching a bubble level. The recommended jack handle (purchased separately) is rather short and will only install in the jack if all the holes are perfectly aligned — not always the case. A “heel” pry bar with a tapered end is both longer and will work with less perfectly aligned holes. The 16-inch pry bar (purchased in a set of four for $12 from a Red Power Roundup tool vendor) was the perfect size. Amazon has a similar product from about $25.

photo of Pry Bar Set

Pry Bar Set

Each stabilizer jack has a 650-pound work capacity and a 1000-pound support capacity. They measure 11 1/2-inches retracted and extend to 17 3/4-inches. I carry an assortment of wood blocks from 1/2-inch to 3 1/2-inches in thickness to account for sloping campsites. Also, I carry one scissors jack for unforeseen circumstances from pulling a stuck trailer hitch to changing a tire. That satisfies my “belt and suspenders (and belt)” approach. So far, we’ve been able to meet every camping challenge!

photo of Pry Bar vs. Atwood jack handle

Pry Bar vs. Atwood jack handle

photo of trailer front with box mounted

More Storage – A Trailer Tongue Box

Jim, May 17:

photo of the bare trailer tongue

Bare trailer tongue

During the Big Bend trip, I started to think about refining our trailer and realized that storing jacks and other trailer equipment in the galley complicated our setup. A second storage area would make the galley more convenient and allow Marilyn to start our evening meal while I was setting up camp. I had seen boxes that mount on a trailer tongue, and thought that might be the answer. They aren’t hard to find, and I soon had one on order. Made by Better Built, and 34-inches by 19-inches and 18-inches high, it looked like it would just fit on our teardrop’s small tongue.

The new trailer tongue box

The new trailer tongue box

In hand a few days later, it looked great and didn’t weigh much — welded aluminum construction with a locking latch and power-assisted top hatch. Our trailer has a single rail for the tongue however, and it looked like the box was better suited to trailers with a “y” front hitch. Mounting the soft aluminum box on a single rail seemed like a problem — the first time it was leaned upon, it would bend. I decided to get some help from my friends at Vintage Motor to make a stout steel mount. Jason and I quickly decided  to cradle the front and back bottom edges with 1 1/2-inch angle iron. These would be welded to other angle iron and attached to the 2 by 3-inch trailer tongue with bolts.

We set to work. After measuring the front and back box edge, Jason cut 16 and 34-inch pieces of 1 1/2-inch angle iron on a chop saw. By placing them under the front and back edge, we were able to mark the precise size and angle using a sharpie. Using these marks, he was able to trim the rails with a pneumatic cut-off tool, and round the rough edges with an angle grinder.

Next, we cut brackets and holes and drilled them to accept the tongue bolts. They were then welded to the rails. There was one bracket per rail, and they were placed so that the rails would be centered on the trailer tongue with a bracket on each side. Finally we drilled four holes on the long rail, and two holes on the short one to mount the box.

Rails and brackets complete, it was time for a test fit. Everything seemed to work, so I set about drilling bolt holes into the trailer tongue. This is very tough steel, and it took awhile — even with the help of my grandad’s 1/2-inch drill. Now we could bolt the rails on, and set the box into them. Last, we drilled holes from the bottom, through the rails, and into the box. It was secured with six bolts as well. We’d had to “fudge” the fit to straighten to box and allow for lid clearance with the trailer, so the front rail was a little off-center. A trip back to the shop to adjust it’s length, and we were ready for paint.

Now painted, it was time for the final installation. To protect the bottom from being dented, I’ll cut a piece of plywood to fit the inside. The box size seems proportional to the trailer — a lucky break. I was also pleased to see that the diamond plate on the trailer matches the box, both in pattern and rising to about the same height as the diamond plate on the trailer. Looks like a custom fit!