Camper jacks

[Stereo]

I currently have a Skamper pop-up secured to my truck via reinforced camper jack L-brackets that are fixed to the underside of the camper overhangs and attach to my truck with Happijac tie-downs attached to Happijac bumper buttons (rear) and Torklift tie-down brackets (front). I get the camper on and off with tripod crank jacks that bolt to the L-brackets.

I'm currently eyeing a used camper that is fixed to the bed of the owner's truck. He gets the camper on and off with a 2-tripod cable lift system, one on each side. The jacks look like this:


That system gives me the heebie-jeebies ; balancing thousands of dollars of camper at two points seems like a recipe for disaster.

I don't think I'll have much luck selling my Skamper without the L-brackets and tripod jacks 'cause whoever would buy it would probably be a first-time camper buyer without their own jacks. So I have to figure out new equipment to invest in and am suffering sticker shock from the price of new jacks. I'd appreciate your thoughts/ideas.

1. I can buy new tripod jacks and install the L brackets like I currently have. (I will have to ensure I have access points from the inside to install reinforcing metal plates to help avoid tearout.) Cost ~$500 just for the jacks. I'll certainly look for used ones, but they're hard to come by, especially now that you can purchase kits to upgrade to electrical systems.

2. I can install the in-bed eyebolt system (~$150 for parts) for securing the camper and then purchase/use tripod jacks ($500) to get the camper in and out WITHOUT permanently installing the L-brackets. Has anyone lifted their camper with the tripod jacks by just slipping the brackets under the camper at four points? If the current owner can do it with 2 cranks, it seems like it would work fine with four.

3. I could purchase corner brackets and have them professionally installed (~$350) and connect my current tie-down system to the corner brackets (though I'm not sure if that would give me good reverse angles on the tie-downs) and purchase corner jacks. I'd spend the extra $100+ for the corner monopod jacks over the tripods. Anybody know who sells them for the best price including shipping?

4. I could use some inventive, inexpensive system one of you has cooked up. Suggestions? I don't have a garage to install a lift system.

Any comments on Rieco vs. Happijac jacks? On the Rieco, what are the pluses and minuses of the tube clamps vs. the fixed plate? The store descriptions on the jacks say they come with "2-piece corner bracket." Is that what you attach to the camper? If not, where can I get corner brackets? Is the hole spacing universal?

Anyone familiar with Atwood "Acme" corner jacks? I can find no information about their load capacity or their travel distance. The new camper will be under 1000 pounds.

Thanks for your input and ideas.

 

[docdave]

I have used tripod jacks a lot....once you determine the balance point they work pretty good. Obviously one must be careful of your alignment while loading and unloading to prevent unbalancing the jacks. I lift a bit, check for balance and adjust if necessary. One big advantage, you're not carrying around an extra 100 pounds of camper jack....but you can't unload it away from home. The cable jack assembly must be kept in good repair, especially the ratchet locks.

 

[rotti]

Use three of the tripod jacks.

On my previous FWC Grandby I just used tripod jacks from a rental store here in Lakewood CO. At first I used three jacks which worked out well. When one jack from the store was stolen I was forced to use just two and that was a little hairy but doable. Seems like it was only $20 or $30 to rent jacks. If your camper is on most of the time rentals might be a solution.

 

[tanglefoot]

I used the rental route as well. The jacks they rent are pretty similar to those tripod jacks--they have the same L-brackets that slip under the edges of the camper but they use strap-winches instead of cables. The place I used rents them in pairs. It does seem scary in theory to just use one pair but it's not too bad in practice. The weight of the camper helps keep the jack feet planted. As long as the ground is nice and level and the jacks are under the balance point (takes a little experimenting at first), it's not too bad.

I think it would be difficult to use four manual jacks, as it would introduce a see-saw situation and possible camper tweaking each time that all the jacks aren't on the same plane, while raising and lowering. With two or three jacks, all the jacks always have weight on them.

I'll likely be in the market for some camper jacks in the future once we move someplace more rural and I have a place to set the camper. I've seen some Craigslist listings for tripod trios or pairs around $100 or less--I'll likely be going with something like that.

 

[Stereo]

I think it would be difficult to use four manual jacks, as it would introduce a see-saw situation and possible camper tweaking each time that all the jacks aren't on the same plane, while raising and lowering. With two or three jacks, all the jacks always have weight on them.

Unfortunately, the area where I store my camper is a dirt area and it's not flat or level. We've been taking my Skamper on and off the past four years with four tripod jacks. Usually, we work in pairs and just crank a bit on the front, then the back. But I've also done it myself, moving from jack to jack. I guess I figure it's not getting any more wracked then what it does on the trails. But I also don't understand how it would be any different with the cable jacks. If we're using three jacks, wouldn't it take three people, one on each jack, to keep the same amount of weight on them too?

I'm getting two cable jacks with the purchase. I'd be happy to sell them to you. I'm up the road in Louisville.

 

[mikes350]

I also use the three jack system sometimes four depending on the ground, I can get it on and off alone ,you just do a lot of back and forth by yourself adjusting each one a bit at a time. I take mine on and off on a dirt area that's a bit uneven I just make sure i'm level and it" not a problem . I got one set of jacks with the camper I bought and another better set from someone giving away a free popup. I find these jacks a lot safer and more sturdy then the old hyd hijackers I used to have on a hard side camper.

 

[tanglefoot]

Alright--I wondered what it would be like with one person running around to four jacks.

Thanks, but I'm not ready to buy yet (and have no idea when I will be).

 

[goodtimes]

Alright--I wondered what it would be like with one person running around to four jacks.

Thanks, but I'm not ready to buy yet (and have no idea when I will be).

I do it all the time - nothing to it.

I lift the front end first (6" on first corner, 12" on the second, 12" on the first, etc until it's about 24" off the ground), then lift the back about the same (try not to get the back much higher than the front due to the extra weight of the cab-over), back to the front until it's high enough to clear the bed of the truck (somewhere shy of 48"), then the back one last time.

With a 18v cordless drill and the adapter, it takes less than 5 minutes to lift it. A single fully charged battery will get me through, but it won't do much more.

Long ago, we always used two of the cable operated tripod style jacks with really big cab- over campers. Always on uneven ground, and always with a clear exit path. We tried to avoid doing it when the wind was blowing - it made a sketchy operation downright scary. I don't have any of those concerns with the 4 corner jacks.

 

[Stereo]

Here's what I'm gathering from the responses. Two cable jacks can accomplish the task safely if I'm REALLY careful to get the right balance points, make sure the jacks are really stable and level, and pick a day with no wind. No one's come forth with a horror story about losing their camper to totally scare me away from using just two but obviously three jacks would be better - might be found at a rental place - and four better yet. No surprises really but I do appreciate all the replies to reinforce my gut feeling.

 

[Badfinger]

3 jacks for $368. http://www.amazon.com/Rieco-Titan-P...=1385071369&sr=8-1&keywords=Rieco+jack+stands

 

[goodtimes]

Here's what I'm gathering from the responses. Two cable jacks can accomplish the task safely if I'm REALLY careful to get the right balance points, make sure the jacks are really stable and level, and pick a day with no wind. No one's come forth with a horror story about losing their camper to totally scare me away from using just two but obviously three jacks would be better - might be found at a rental place - and four better yet. No surprises really but I do appreciate all the replies to reinforce my gut feeling.

When I was a kid, our camper took a fall when a gust of wind came through. It as already sketchy (windy, uneven ground), but a big gust knocked it over when it was a couple feet up. One jack punched a hole in the siding (didn't get through the interior wall though), bent the legs on one of the jacks, & made us all cringe - but we continued using that camper for another 10 years or so.

People do it all the time - just be careful.