Can I use jack stands to level RV?

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pplwiz

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May 4, 2017
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I bought a 1988 Komfort 32' class A.  The engine is in great shape.  The remodel has had me both pulling my hair out and loving it!  LOL  But the leveling jack system is missing and the cost to repair/replace it is prohibitive.  I had some mechanics suggest that they could weld 4 jack stands to the RV and I could use a cordless impact drill to lower and raise them.  It sounds like a great solution!  BUT, is this safe and will it do the job of leveling the RV correctly?  I don't understand enough but it sounds like these would be used for stabilizing but not leveling.  Anyone know whether this would work?  Or have a more plausible suggestion (not leveling blocks - I am an older, disabled woman and that is way more than I can physically handle as we will probably be moving very often.)  Thanks in advance  :)
 
The jack stands would obviously need to be capable of carrying the weight of the respective corner of the RV, and have sufficient extension to raise the respective corner. A simple bubble level on a counter surface inside would tell you if/when things are level (that's what we use, even with hydraulic leveling jacks). The stand would also need to be high enough not to cause a clearance issue below the RV. One downside I can think of would be if you were on soft ground/grass, and the legs of each stand would sink. But your welder could weld a flat plate to the bottom of each stand, or you could use a wood block under each, which you said you didn't want to use.
 
Thank you!  Yes, my welder had talked about welding a metal plate to the bottom for exactly that reason :)  I believe my RV loaded weighs about 10-11,000 lbs.  How much weight would you think each jack should hold?  I'm not sure if just a simple divide by 4 would be appropriate math!
 
Look for a sticker or decal that shows you the respective front and rear axle ratings You can divide each of the two ratings by 2 to get left/right ratings, and maybe add some because RVs are rarely loaded equally side to side. If no sticker/decal, you could weigh the RV at a public scale or at a landscape materials yard.
 
I'd divide by 4 and then double that, to allow for one corner to be heavier than another and to provide a safety margin.

Since he is talking about using a drill to deploy, I'm guessing he is talking about scissors jacks rather than the more traditional  pyramid type?  Many such are rated as stabilizers and not to actually lift 5000+ lbs off the ground.  The stabilizer kind can bend sideways when extended. Makes sure that what you get are up to the job.
 
If, as Gary suggests, they're scissor jacks, I wouldn't expect them to be very stable.
 
[quote author=Seon]Curious as to why wouldn't they?[/quote]

Call it bias, from my limited use of scissor jacks for changing automotive tires (it's been many years). I eventually started hauling a hydraulic floor jack around. Just found this interesting comparison of scissor jacks.
 
I went to all the trouble to attach scissor jack to our first motorhome (28ft Bounder) And they really didn't work very well at all in stabilizing when we were parked. You might try the pyramid type.
 
Hmm...  They are scissor jacks (my mistake.)  But they are promoted as stabilizing and leveling jacks.  They are made by Libra and I found them on Amazon.  As I said, the mechanic is welding plates to the bottom to add surface tension and help when parking in soft soil, and also welding to the RV so we are less likely to loose them on the road.  They are not meant to lift the RV off the ground, just give enough 'lift' to level.  I hope this works!  I have a teen daughter who is willing to crawl under with a cordless impact drill and extend them.  God bless her!  :)

EDIT: Tom, thank you for that link!  The ones I was buying are on that list, which made me much more comfortable, but there seems to be an even better option with a max load of 7500 lbs each.  If the price is similar enough, I'll go with those.  And if I had room for 4 hydraulic floor jacks I would probably go with those!  LOL

JSplaine, the pyramid type cannot be jacked up with a cordless impact drill; they have to be manually lifted, and being under the RV, I think that would be pretty difficult and not something I care to do regularly.  I'm hoping that the quality of the ones I am buying, which are rated for RV leveling, will hold up well. Thank you :)
 
Larry N. said:
I'm curious -- why a cordless impact drill, rather than just a cordless drill?
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I think you'll find an impact to be much more robust, with more torque and better battery life.  Cranking a jack is certainly fine with a "regular" cordless, but you'll get better performance from a smaller package with an impact, IMHO.
 
Having used a drill, not an impact on four different trailers, I would have to say if a decent cordless drill won't operate the stabilizers, the stabilizers need to have some maintenance done on them. They are designed to be raised by a hand crank. Nothing like hearing folks running impacts every Friday afternoon/evening and Sunday mornings. Very annoying, and unnecessary. I would think impacts are also hard on the stabilizers.
 
kdbgoat said:
Having used a drill, not an impact on four different trailers, I would have to say if a decent cordless drill won't operate the stabilizers, the stabilizers need to have some maintenance done on them. They are designed to be raised by a hand crank. Nothing like hearing folks running impacts every Friday afternoon/evening and Sunday mornings. Very annoying, and unnecessary. I would think impacts are also hard on the stabilizers.
Click to expand...

If just stabilizers, I'd tend to agree.  When we're talking jacks, lifting that sort of load, I think a small drill's battery would fade pretty quickly.
 
If the jacks are scissors type, they are pretty much the same as stabilizers. I raised one side of a 28' trailer in an emergency (both stabilizers on one side) with my Milwaukee compact 18 volt and it didn't even strain. Give folks in the campground a break and try your drill first. Yeah, it was an old junk trailer that needed the tires replaced. Sometimes you just do what you gotta do.
 
I have a teen daughter who is willing to crawl under with a cordless impact drill and extend them.
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In the interests of safety, I'd suggest she not do that. Instead, get yourself a long extension for the cordless drill, even if you have to have someone make it. I don't wish to scare you (maybe I do), but we've had more than one report of someone being killed by a jack collapsing. They may not have been scissor jacks, but there's no reason to risk your daughter's life.
 
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