Using camper on jacks

[bento]

First of all, this is my first post. I bought a used FWC Fleet Shell a few weeks ago and have been loving the upgrade from tent camping every weekend. I've been reading a lot of old posts on this forum and am exited to have found a community of people who are passionate about truck camping.

I'm having some heavier duty leaf springs installed in my truck this week, so the camper will be in my driveway for a few days. I'm wondering if the mechanical jack mounts are attached such that the camper can be used while it's up on the jacks. I'd been planning to do some work on the furnace this week and didn't want to risk bending the frame or something.

 

[James T Kirk]

Just put something underneath the floor and lower the camper down onto it. Pallets, old tires, you get the idea...

-Kirk Out

 

[iowahiker]

No. My understanding is the floor to frame attachment is too weak. Support from below the floor before entering.

 

[Alley-Kat]

Here you go...

Supporting Camper (floor off the truck)

 

[bento]

Thanks for the replies. I'll try to grab some plywood while I've got the camper off this week. It sounds like people find the "X" structures to be fairly sturdy.

 

[buckland]

I used six milk crates for my Eagle for a week and it did fine... I was reticent at first until others said it would be OK.

 

[Squatch]

Yep milk crates work fine. Mine is sitting on 5 double stacked milk crates right now. The jacks are lowered to just touch the ground finger tight for stability.

I wouldn't do a lot of climbing in the overhead bunk while it's not fastened down though.

 

[Portercassidy]

I never knew milk crates were that badass.

 

[PackRat]

OK...we're sitting maybe 1200# or more on four places using milk crates? Sure the crates can handle 300# plus apiece but can your floor handle 300# in basically about a 14" x 14" area?

The whole point here is to distribute the weight of the camper over the ENTIRE floor and especially around the perimeter where the front, rear and side walls that carry most of the weight down to the bed of the truck is located.

Look at it this way, say you needed to fix the foundation of your house. Would you support the building using cribbing in the middle? Would you support the building using beams that extend from the perimeter walls on one side to the other under cribbing?

Remember, while a load bearing wall carries the weight of the house down to the foundation, if you jack up the house you need to support it in the same fashion. This isn't just an issue for older campers with possible rotted floors or sidewall/floor joints, it is something you should consider anytime you mount/dismount your camper. Leaving it on the jacks temporarily is how the mfgers intended you to use them. Leaving several hundred pounds of gear in there and then walking around in there puts unneeded strain on the floors and...on the sidewalls no matter what type of jacks you are using.

Just as most answers to the new owners who inquire about raising their camper to fit the truck cab/tub walls indicate you should consider something to distribute the weight around...be it plywood, dense foam or stringers...they usually mention that the choice should extend to the full width of the camper so as to support those perimeter joints as much as possible.

1) I would NEVER counsel someone to leave their camper on jacks alone in the off-season.
2) I would NEVER suggest they enter their camper when on jacks alone at all!
3) I would SUGGEST that in the off-season or during extended dismounted maintenance that they use a sheet of at least 5/8" plywood and then six milk crates or something around the perimeter would be OK...but it is critical to have a FLAT surface to set it on otherwise you defeat the purpose of even distribution of the weight.
4) If you dismount for the off-season, or any length of time, support the floor as above and I would suggest using the jacks with just a bit of lift to help distribute the load even more.

While a brand-new camper may not have any wood issues, older campers invariably do...so why tempt the hand of fate and put unneeded strain on the camper?

Just sayin'....

 

[Mark G]

The common wisdom here and from 4WC is to only go in it with the floor supported. I must have missed that instruction when I got mine. For the first 15 years I used the jacks to level it by lifting one end off the bed and I have often gone inside while it's on jacks only to work on it or occasionally sleep. I've had no problem but your experience may vary. These things are extremely well built.

I don't do it anymore BTW.

 

[Yukon]

Love your User Name. Ha Ha. Hope you don't get beamed into space by the Star Trek Police for using their name and picture. Love visiting Moab. Chris

 

[esimmers]

This thread is a perfect example of how people with different perspectives share their experience. It shows why this forum is so valuable, whether you're an old-timer our a new member.

Original Poster: Tell us what you decided to do and why. It will help the next member know what to do with his/her particular situation.

I'm not afraid to enter my camper while it's held up by corner jacks during transfer from my pickup to the winter storage wheeled dolly. That being said, I wouldn't leave the camper bottom unsupported for days or weeks at a time. Why stress the seams and the materials. We've been blessed with hand-crafted campers and should respect the purpose for which they are built.

 

[bento]

Tell us what you decided to do and why. It will help the next member know what to do with his/her particular situation.

I've got the camper up on the jacks right now. I lowered it most of the way down to prevent strain on the jack mount welds. I'm not planning on being in the camper until I've got it back on my truck or get around to building some "X" structures from plywood to rest the base on. I just got the camper a few weeks ago and am hoping to have it for a long time, so I'm playing it safe. We don't really have an off-season for rock climbing in Colorado, so I plan to always keep the camper in my truck anyways...

 

[James T Kirk]

It's pretty simple to build this. Then all your issues are solved. -Kirk Out

 

[PackRat]

Add some crossmembers to that roll-around for support in the middle and you have covered all your bases. No floor issues for the next 40-50 years.

 

[Roaming_Eagle]

I lived out of my Eagle off the truck for about a month down in San Diego. I recently took it off for a week to do some maintenance to the truck and lived out of it then. I didn't have any issues, but would I do it again? Heck no it was like crawling in and out of a hermit house.