Electric Jacks for CL trailers

[fasteddieb]

Guys,

I'm probably ordering a pair of the Anderson Levelers later today.

Tinkering,

In your photo you show them in place PLUS a between-wheel chock. Is that not a bit redundant? Anderson advertises their levelers double as chocks.

[funpilot]

[quote source="/post/1666/thread" timestamp="1403637856" author="@tinkeringtechie"][quote source="/post/1663/thread" timestamp="1403632962" author="@funpilot"]Tinker, thought I read on another post that you use the Anderson leveling ramps.  Are these the ones?  http://www.amazon.com/Andersen-3604-Andersen-3604-Camper-Leveler/dp/B001GC2LVM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/quote]That's it. I've been really happy with them so far. The only downside was that I had to trim them to fit between the wheels. Here's what they look like in use:




They're more expensive than blocks (at least the cheaper ones), but they take up a lot less space, they appear extremely durable, they double as chocks, and they allow continuous adjustment.[/quote]What are those yellow items in your pic?  Are they for security? ( I see fasteddie is asking the same thing....lol)

[funpilot]

Ok, just ordered mine from Amazon.  What did you do to trim them BTW?

[fasteddieb]

My guess is that if one does not quite fit between the wheels, it needs it's "pointy end" either sawed off or ground down just a bit until it does.

[funpilot]

Easy....thanks.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/2247/thread" timestamp="1406979706" author="@fasteddieb"]In your photo you show them in place PLUS a between-wheel chock. Is that not a bit redundant? Anderson advertises their levelers double as chocks.[/quote]
[quote source="/post/2248/thread" timestamp="1406980034" author="@funpilot"]What are those yellow items in your pic?  Are they for security? ( I see fasteddie is asking the same thing....lol)[/quote]
Those are the camco "wheel stop". It might seem redundant, but they're actually another awesome product. Let me explain:

Stabilizing jacks keep your trailer from moving up and down at a point. They do very little for lateral motion (twisting). If you want to see what I mean, give you bumper a kick from the side and see how "stable" it is. The stabilizers are just too flexible in that direction, especially when they're extended fully. If you use four chocks (most people just use two) then it would help to reduce twisting a little bit, but tires are flexible and bouncy and chocks are just ramps, so they also move quite a bit. Have someone else do the side kick and watch the space between your tires... the two tire faces will oscillate in opposite directions. The wheel stop works like a parking brake on all four wheels and doesn't allow them to move at all. It ends up improving stability significantly.

The second reason truly is for redundancy... the Anderson design is really smart, but the materials feel slightly slippery. I wouldn't trust them by themselves. My fear is that on a smooth surface, the chock portion might "shoot" out. I think eventually the trailer would be stopped by the chock itself, but I wouldn't want that to happen while I was in there and it might damage my stabilizers.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/2249/thread" timestamp="1406980904" author="@funpilot"]Ok, just ordered mine from Amazon.  What did you do to trim them BTW?[/quote]I cut off the tips with my bandsaw. It ended up being a little more than an inch, and I cut it at an angle so the tire could still roll onto it easily.

[funpilot]

I see that I can get those Camco wheel stops at Walmart.  Now, what is that green thing with the cord for?  

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/2257/thread" timestamp="1406985784" author="@funpilot"]I see that I can get those Camco wheel stops at Walmart.  Now, what is that green thing with the cord for?  [/quote]To keep my dog at the campsite 

[leslie]

If you go to Livin Lite's Website, there is a downloadable owner's manual about 50 pages long that explains leveling and a whole lot more. And yes, I always read the manuals, completely. My husband is an electrical engineer who sometimes writes manuals. Does he read owner's manuals? Nooooo. He hates them. He waits until I read them, and explain to him in English how to do stuff.

[leslie]

I just read my last post to my husband. He asked if my name was on here. I told him they have my name but not his. He said yeah. So I will give you his name - Alan. Now if I can just figure out how to put a smiley face here...

[pinstriper]

[quote source="/post/2256/thread" timestamp="1406985568" author="@tinkeringtechie"][quote source="/post/2249/thread" timestamp="1406980904" author="@funpilot"]Ok, just ordered mine from Amazon.  What did you do to trim them BTW?[/quote]I cut off the tips with my bandsaw. It ended up being a little more than an inch, and I cut it at an angle so the tire could still roll onto it easily.[/quote]Now you've got me thinking I need a bandsaw...

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/2271/thread" timestamp="1407019069" author="@pinstriper"]Now you've got me thinking I need a bandsaw...
[/quote]
Honestly, it's one of my most used power tools besides my drill. Pretty much any rough cutting is done with it because it's so much more safe and controlled compared to a circular saw, jigsaw, table saw, etc... The only downside is the ~13 clearance to the left of the blade. I've got a Grizzly G0555P and would recommend it.