RV draggggggggs.

[theboman]

Here's the deal. Got 03 F250 and a 35' 5th wheel. As I leave and enter the drive way the scissor jack(s) will drag on one side or the other.

The road is pretty darn level and flat the rise/hump is on the driveway. How do I figure out where and how much of the driveway I need to lower to get things to work propery?

Keep in mind that I have 15" tile that I'll be installing whenever I do this (or have it done).

No transit here, but plenty of string and a line level!! I know can't make it all level but I know there's a happy medium somewhere along the way.

Thanks!
Bo

 

[matt_isserstedt]

Basically, what has to happen is you have to increase the "radius of curvature". In other words where the truck and trailer have to make a sharp transition is what undulates the trailer to the point it scrapes. Make the transitions smooth and gentle and the problem will go away.

 

[theboman]

Such language! I didn't understand them....but figured it out as gotta get rid of the hump!

 

[BigE_]

I'd hook everything up and get it positioned in the place where you first start to hear the dragging. Stop, get out, and take a good look at where your truck is. That's the place that needs to be adjusted.

Of course, you could also lower the area that is dragging near the scissor jack...

 

[theboman]

Not exactly, but that works...

Drags going out in the driveway, drags coming back in the road, I'd upset a few if I dug up the road

 

[Bird]

Bo, I guess you know that Camping World and some other places sell some pretty tough skid wheels you can mount to the frame of the RV that might protect your scissor jacks.

 

[theboman]

The jacks are the lowest part of the unit, at the very end of the camper. I guess I'll measure from the drag marks in the road and take down accordingly, or until I get it right and try to maintain a small grade in the drive. It jumps is higher than the road.

The drive was never ever graded. It was an ATV trail, then turned into the drive...

 

[Willl]

Git rid of the jacks.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I had the same problem with the jacks.....and i didn't do anything to the driveway or the county road....What i would do is when i got to the point where they would drag, then i would put some blocks of wood in front of the camper wheels & drive on them and it wouldn't drag at the low place.

Then i laid them beside my driveway so i could use to get back in.....I also carry the plastic leveling blocks and have used them before at campsites that had a low place, and i could always tell if someone else had dragged there before....because the blacktop had places in it.

LEVELING BLOCKS

 

[ronjhall]

Problem may be the truck is on a hump. Raising front end of 5er and lowering rear end causing it to drag. Some 5er owners flip the axles on top of springs to get more clearance.

 

[sandman2234]

You might want to seriously consider "Bird"'s post, as it is short and sweet. It pretty much tells you what your going to find is the best way to fix the problem. You can fix your driveway, but your not going to be able to fix EVERY driveway in the country that you attempt to enter, so the best way is to put heavy duty casters, or a couple of heavy duty rollers on each corner of the rear bumper. This should protect the leveling jacks, and the roadway that gets torn up.
Just remember that these rollers aren't a free pass to hit every bump at 30 miles per hour just because you can. They are supposed to be for slow speeds, and you might suffer damage to your camper if you try to speed into drives, etc. However, not having them will do the same thing, so it is a wasted bit of space on the 'net.
David from jax

 

[theboman]

The hump is it. That's what I gotta get rid of. Flipping the axles, don't sound safe and not to my mechanical abilities.

 

[sandman2234]

Bo, I guess you know that Camping World and some other places sell some pretty tough skid wheels you can mount to the frame of the RV that might protect your scissor jacks.

This is what you should do....
David from jax

 

[theboman]

Those mount on the RV frame and the scissor jacks hang will still be lower to the ground.

 

[2manyrocks]

Actually, flipping the axles is a common thing done at RV dealers to gain a few inches of clearance, and I think there was an article on doing it in Trailer Life a few years ago.

If the trailer will clear if the jacks were removed, I supposed you could remove the jacks and then use portable jacks when camping. Or you could fabricate a detachable bracket that would let you bolt them on and off as needed.

 

[tommu56]

If the axles are under slung already a couple of lift blocks and new u bolts might do the trick.

If is there any way to put the scissors up in the frame so they are flush with the bottom when up?

then "Birds" casters would work.

tom

 

[Bird]

Those mount on the RV frame and the scissor jacks hang will still be lower to the ground.

Of course, different brand manufacturers do things differently, but it sounds to me as if your scissor jacks are mounted in the wrong place; i.e., too far back. They should not be back at the tail end of the trailer.

 

[pat32rf]

Sounds to me like you should make those scissor jacks removable.....then skid plates/rollers if you still need them

 

[theboman]

Of course, different brand manufacturers do things differently, but it sounds to me as if your scissor jacks are mounted in the wrong place; i.e., too far back. They should not be back at the tail end of the trailer.

They should be at the back, that's what they do stablize the unit when camping. Most RVs have a plate welded to the frame to mount the jacks, some are bolted on (like mine) and many are welded.

Been RVing many a year but for past year I've had the big 5er (35') and pull with a F250 King Cab, so it's a spell from bumper to bumper. The only place I've dragged so far in at the new home place.... I think I can handle the dirt moving with my mighty B7500, FEL and box blade. I'm guessing about a 1' needs to removed from the drive....but I'll wail till I have the 15" tile put in and have a load of limestone standing by for delivery.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

I went to a slide-in camper so i can haul the camper & pull a boat in one trip....But before that i owned a 5th-wheel & a travel trailer....The jacks on both of those campers was close to the rear & at the bottom of the frame.

All the campers that i have seen are like that.