Jack legs

[caledonia]

As the dealer noted when selling us our van, "And now we come to something you'll never use and the sole purpose of which is to reduce your payload!"

That said, I lower ours when laying up the van for a couple of months or more. I also put chocks under the front wheels and release the handbrake so it doesn't stick on.


FWIW, I have a socket that I bought when a tugger. This is used with an electric drill and make it possible to lower or raise a steady in around ten seconds and without breaking into a sweat. Here's a piccy of something similar...
View attachment 121562

Don’t go too hard with them though as they won’t raise the vehicle but will go through the floor

 

[r4dent]

I'll stick with ramps!

Some people do indeed "legs" as a leveling device (especially on caravans) but that is not what they are for.
Supporting the weight on the "legs" can damage them and/or the chassis.
They are more correctly know as "steadies".

 

[wildebus]

My Autotrail has the rear jacks/steadies and I suspect the previous owner never ever used them as when I decided to have a look at them earlier this year I found they were seized up. Plus the winding handle for them was blocked by the towbar so couldn't actually be used anyway.

However, I did persevere and freed them with some liberal application of a maintenance spray of some type of other (QX?) and now I can lower them and after using them the last time I was away, actually I think they can be useful.
I haven't done so as yet, but Trev's comment above applying some grease makes sense, although given their position I wonder if the grease will just make the screw shaft covered in road grit? . Similar situation with a van sliding door, where greasing those actually makes the rollers wear prematurely?

Cordless impact gun or drill with a 19mm socket and there down quicker than a bride’s nightdress

I use my Impact cordless Ratchet. just set yourself down by the jack and press the button for around 20 seconds. Not the quietest process in the world, so I recommend you do this at around 6AM if you have annoying neighbours

and has been said, definitely just for steadying a van with a long overhang and nothing to do with levelling.

 

[GeoffL]

Some people do indeed "legs" as a leveling device (especially on caravans) but that is not what they are for.
Supporting the weight on the "legs" can damage them and/or the chassis.
They are more correctly know as "steadies".

As an ex-tugger, I know that it's easier to level a caravan than it is to level a motorhome. Procedure I followed is:

1. Place a ramp in front of the downhill wheel and pull the van forward until it's level side-to-side.
2. Apply hand brake and unhitch.
3. Adjust the jockey wheel to level the van front-to-back.
4. Lower the steadies until they firmly touch the ground (i.e. they don't lift the van). The steadies are only to retain the van in level and to prevent it tipping backward when (e.g.) you walk to the rear of the van.

In contrast, levelling the motorhome is a load of faff and it's usually impossible to get the same accuracy of levelling as I could with the caravan. More often than not, we try to ensure that the error means we're sleeping "head up" and say "that'll do!"

 

[trevskoda]

Dont require them on my yogi as its built like a brick s-it house, no movement whatsoever.

 

[colinm]

release the handbrake so it doesn't stick on.

I always release the handbrake when parking up at home, well apart from the time I parked up for last time before my hip op and absentmindedly left it on, it then stood without moving for the longest time ever, it didn't half bang when the brakes unlocked next time it was driven.

 

[marchie]

So it is not obvious whey you are fooling around.

Setting the stopwatch to 13 seconds will be enough to identify that ...

Steve

 

[r4dent]

As an ex-tugger, I know that it's easier to level a caravan than it is to level a motorhome. Procedure I followed is:

1. Place a ramp in front of the downhill wheel and pull the van forward until it's level side-to-side.
2. Apply hand brake and unhitch.
3. Adjust the jockey wheel to level the van front-to-back.
4. Lower the steadies until they firmly touch the ground (i.e. they don't lift the van). The steadies are only to retain the van in level and to prevent it tipping backward when (e.g.) you walk to the rear of the van.

In contrast, levelling the motorhome is a load of faff and it's usually impossible to get the same accuracy of levelling as I could with the caravan. More often than not, we try to ensure that the error means we're sleeping "head up" and say "that'll do!"

As another ex-tugger (1973 - 2012, so almost 40 years) my routine was slightly different because I believed that adjusting the Jockey wheel with the handbrake on was not a good idea.

Procedure I followed was:

1. Place a ramp in front of the downhill wheel and pull the van forward until it's level side-to-side.
2. Chock the Wheels and unhitch
3. Adjust the jockey wheel to level the van front-to-back.
4. Apply hand brake.
5. Lower the steadies until they firmly touch the ground.

When we had a Caravan SWMBO was insistent on precise levels.
On one occasion a friend was helping us set up and offered to get a box of Rizla from his van to help with the final leveling!
With the MoHo levels are not so critical (I don't know why) and I find it setting up a lot less of a faff.
We for slightly "Head up/ Drivers side high" which means that the sink drains better and we sleep better.

 

[wildebus]

I always release the handbrake when parking up at home, well apart from the time I parked up for last time before my hip op and absentmindedly left it on, it then stood without moving for the longest time ever, it didn't half bang when the brakes unlocked next time it was driven.

had that with a car a couple of times and the wheel wouldn't free and was dragging along the gravel. Called AA/RAC ... they arrived, got a big mallet out and whacked the wheel with it. problem fixed.