Raising and lowering camper with jacks

[Doff]

Hi all

Wondering if ya’ll have any tips or tricks for raising and lowering your camper? We get ours in 4 weeks!! We plan to keep it on a trailer and use the jacks to raise up it up onto the truck and to lower it down onto the trailer. Wondering if there’s any tricks to mend that process easier? Or do I just need to work one Jack at a time little by little?

 

[DarinH]

It's a huge time saver to have 2 people working in unison on each side to raise and lower the camper. If your buying your camper from a FWC dealer, it should come with 2 hand-crank jack tools and 1 jack tool that will fit in a cordless hammer drill. At least mine did, last March. Buy a 2nd drill tool ($30 on Amazon), have 2 hammer drills, and save your arm strength for funner pursuits (like fishing).

 

[jimjxsn]

I have a Rieco-Titan wheeled camper stand that is about trailer height. I got tired of raising and lowering the camper so I built a wood extention on the top of the stand. With this extension the camper sits at the same height as the truck bed.

When mounting the camper, I raise each corner 5 or 10 cranks and make the switch on or off the truck.

 

[Doff]

Is there a specific drill bit you suggest I can purchase online?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Is there a specific drill bit you suggest I can purchase online?

Yes, it’s the adapter for the Rieco Titan jacks.

 

[57Pan]

I raise and lower mine by myself, using a cordless drill and one of those jack adapters. Just raising it a little at a time keeping it reasonably level all the way up and down. It makes me a little nervous when it is high enough to slip my truck under it, but that’s just part of the game.

 

[longhorn1]

2 people. My wife and I start at the back (front or back works) and do 10 cranks each. We move to the front and another 10. We repeat until we have it high enough to back under the camper or until it is lowered onto the storage base. When we load my wife guides me back. Take it slow.

 

[SkyP]

It's a huge time saver to have 2 people working in unison on each side to raise and lower the camper. If your buying your camper from a FWC dealer, it should come with 2 hand-crank jack tools and 1 jack tool that will fit in a cordless hammer drill. At least mine did, last March. Buy a 2nd drill tool ($30 on Amazon), have 2 hammer drills, and save your arm strength for funner pursuits (like fishing).

Curious why you use hammer drills?
What does it do for jacking that a regular drill won't do.

 

[CougarCouple]

Hello Doff
Congratulations on the upcoming delivery.
Secure the camper with ratchet straps to the trailer. Secure the rear of the trailer before you enter camper on trailer.

Russ

 

[Jon R]

Heavy rubber mallet to make fine adjustments in the jack foot positions allows me to easily get the camper perfectly centered when putting it on the truck..

I also like to use the cranks rather than the drill for touching it down. It gives better control.

If you are on ground that is sloped at all, it’s important to keep the camper level except when it’s in contact with the truck. Otherwise you are putting lateral load on the jacks and mounting brackets. They can handle a little of that but not much.

 

[DarinH]

Curious why you use hammer drills?
What does it do for jacking that a regular drill won't do.

Regular drills work also

 

[BBZ]

When stored, store as high as possible so there is less to raise and lower if that makes sense.. like the pic above, I use a platform on my trailer and make it so it can fit in the garage. Take your time, it gets easier as you do it more..

I used a 2x4 as a wedge on one side in the rear between the tailgate and a 1 x 4 on the other to keep the rear tight between the tailgate opening and help me center while putting on..

Two people is nice, but its not that hard solo..

 

[BigRanchInSky]

"you are putting lateral load on the jacks and mounting brackets. They can handle a little of that but not much."

Those are truly words of wisdom! I almost tipped the whole camper backward into thin air whilst doing a dolly-to-truckbed switchover on a slightly angled driveway. Never doing that again, scared the crap out of me and my buddy! The jacks are not meant for any shear-stress.

If you store your camper on a dolly in a space that has a slopping entry/exit, be sure to get the camper on most level as possible, otherwise jacking at on an angel (or in a way that creates any angle by having front or rear jacks at different heights) is inviting disaster.

 

[BBZ]

"you are putting lateral load on the jacks and mounting brackets. They can handle a little of that but not much."

Those are truly words of wisdom! I almost tipped the whole camper backward into thin air whilst doing a dolly-to-truckbed switchover on a slightly angled driveway. Never doing that again, scared the crap out of me and my buddy! The jacks are not meant for any shear-stress.

If you store your camper on a dolly in a space that has a slopping entry/exit, be sure to get the camper on most level as possible, otherwise jacking at on an angel (or in a way that creates any angle by having front or rear jacks at different heights) is inviting disaster.

Yes, solid advice.. however, some of us don't have options. Mine slopes a bit and there is no way around it.. slow and steady for sure, keeping as level as possible.. keep dolly under until truck is ready to be under..

Have done it many, many times with no mishaps.

 

[SkyP]

It's a huge time saver to have 2 people working in unison on each side to raise and lower the camper. If your buying your camper from a FWC dealer, it should come with 2 hand-crank jack tools and 1 jack tool that will fit in a cordless hammer drill. At least mine did, last March. Buy a 2nd drill tool ($30 on Amazon), have 2 hammer drills, and save your arm strength for funner pursuits (like fishing).

Curious why you use hammer drills?
What does it do for jacking that a regular drill won't do.

I asked about hammer drills because many manufacturers of various jacks state to not use hammer drills. Reason is the impacts can over stress components and cause breakage.
Not sure if that applies to truck camper jacks but I'm not taking the chance...