I've read on the Yahoo! Forum others who have debated how to store their QS for the winter. Some suggest lowering the jack stands (stabilizers) and taking the weight off the axle. Others say keep the jack stands up, as they are more prone to rust.
I bought my QS10 last year, and. I decided this winter to leave the jack stands up, so all the weight is on the axle. But in reading through various manuals to prep for another camping season, I read the Dexter axle manual, and it recommends to use stands and take weight off the axle for long term storage.
Here in NC, we generally have 2 camping seasons - spring and fall. So I'll probably not use my QS10 in June thru Aug. Does this count as long term storage? I may purchase some aluminum stands to preserve the stabilizers on the QC but still take weight off the axle.
What does everyone else do? And long-term owners see and problems with either method?
I have never used anything to reduce the weight on the axle during storage for any RV or camper. Maybe ignorance is bliss but I've also never had any problems either. My largest rig was a AeroCub at 20ish feet long and it sat for a couple of years when the family lost interest in camping before we sold it. It was towed away with no issues to the axle or suspension.
-Sean
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[/p]Does it hurt the tires to sit for months at a time? It used to make flat spots on the tires, years ago, but I am not sure it still does with modern trailer tires. However, I do lower the rear jacks, then crank up the front to just take off the entire trailer weight from the tires. Rusting has been minimal but I also use a lot of WD-40 spray on the stands. I now use the "corrosion-protection" version of WD-40 we all know and love, which comes out much thicker then the regular stuff and is less prone to evaporation. [p]Has worked well for 3 years. My camper usually sits from April to August. I use it mostly early fall to go up north in MI and winter in FL.[/p][p]Best also to cover the tires from the sun's rays also... or use a UV protectant like 303 brand UV spray on the tires. I also put a big tarp over the entire thing as I keep it outside year round. I tie a string around the perimeter to keep the tarp in place. I also put in a moisture absorbent in the trailer that I buy at the hardware store... Sta-Dry I think it is called. One summer I had an ant colony take up residence on the vinyl camper top under the beds during the summer, so now I also place several ant traps just under the trailer to discourage that from happening again. We had a real wet spring/early summer that year and I think that brought the ants up off the ground into the QS![/p]