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Old 03-13-2023, 06:46 PM   #1
Firefighter1406
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Electric Jack question.

Alright my old camper had the manual crank scissor jacks and JT Strong arms. That this is solid as a rock, no movements. Just bought a 2011 Outback 312BH. It came with the electric stabilizer jacks that the previous owner added. They are install nicely however I rapidly noticed they don’t stabilize anything. After research that’s the consensus. However a while back I picked up these Lippert Jacks that are supported to be part of their auto leveling systems for cheap. If I built mounting points would these jacks be able to level the trailer better and more rated to handle it?

Or do I just need to go back the manual ones with the JT Strongarms?
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Old 03-13-2023, 06:52 PM   #2
sourdough
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I can't tell that much from the picture, and someone else may know them at sight, but they look like regular stabilizer jacks to me which wouldn't improve over what you have.
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Old 03-13-2023, 07:06 PM   #3
Firefighter1406
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These are the ones on the camper. These one have one motor for both side. The other jacks I have are 1 motor per jack. If you click the pictures it gives a clearer picture.
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Old 03-13-2023, 07:44 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefighter1406 View Post
Alright my old camper had the manual crank scissor jacks and JT Strong arms. That this is solid as a rock, no movements. Just bought a 2011 Outback 312BH. It came with the electric stabilizer jacks that the previous owner added. They are install nicely however I rapidly noticed they don’t stabilize anything. After research that’s the consensus. However a while back I picked up these Lippert Jacks that are supported to be part of their auto leveling systems for cheap. If I built mounting points would these jacks be able to level the trailer better and more rated to handle it?

Or do I just need to go back the manual ones with the JT Strongarms?
No! Those are not levelers, they're stabilizers.
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Old 03-13-2023, 08:21 PM   #5
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No! Those are not levelers, they're stabilizers.
The term stabilizer isn't quite an apt name for those or the manual ones. I guess they help somewhat with the trailer rocking/swaying when someone is moving around the cabin but only marginally so. I don't notice it much and don't want to add more complication with those strongarm things as I am not bothered. I guess if a couple were young and frisky they might want to add such devices so as not to be the talk of the campground.
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Old 03-14-2023, 03:37 AM   #6
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First of all, they are stabilizer jacks not made for leveling. They are made to put down after the rig is level to stabilize. Most of the movement on and RV is front to rear. Thats why the strongarm system works as well as it does.
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Old 03-14-2023, 04:51 AM   #7
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If you look at the link, scroll down a bit and look close, the ones the OP posted sure look like the ones I have installed on travel trailers.

https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jack...ent=0%20-%2030

OP: you need to look at the installation manual to figure out how to fabricate the correct mounting system.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:21 AM   #8
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About 99% sure those are the front arms for the Lippert Ground Control TT automatic leveling system.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:28 AM   #9
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Each jack having it's own independent motor is definitely the way to go. Why? Because if you are ever parked on a slope (side-to-side slope), each jack can be lowered different lengths. Not every campsite is ancient aqua duck level! Especially in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolina's.

But, those jacks are not "levelers" they are stabilizers. What that means is, they are designed to keep the trailer from tipping if too much weight rests on the tail end, causing the front end jack to left off the ground (which is possible, not practical, but possible). And on the sides, their purpose is to keep the trailer from rocking so much side-to-side.

In your case, adding the original Strongarms manual style, is the sure-fire way to do it.
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Old 03-14-2023, 06:41 AM   #10
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https://store.lci1.com/ground-control-tt-kit-672136

They are from an auto LEVEL system.
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Old 03-14-2023, 07:25 AM   #11
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Yes, those look like the auto "levelers" from the auto level system Chuck linked. From looking at the description those looked have a total of 10k lbs for the system; I am assuming all 4 jacks equaling 2500lbs. per jack - what does your trailer weigh?

If trying to install as standalone jacks you would have to rig up some wiring and switches to operate them independently so you would need to have that kind of knowledge or access to it. Also, if only using 2 I would think they would still be nothing more than heavy duty stablilizers. You will have to level your trailer side to side, front to back first and then just drop those for support. If you try to level the entire trailer from only 2 points, whether it be front or back, you are going to twist the frame so from a leveling standpoint I don't think they would work well.
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Old 03-14-2023, 12:36 PM   #12
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The switches and everything are already in place. I would just be fabricating a mount. So I am torn I guess. My son was really looking forward to the electric jacks and so was I. The trailer should be under 10K, dry weight is 7,500. So I may try out mounting up the lack’s and see how they do however it may just be a swap out and go back to the manual and strong arm jacks.
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Old 03-14-2023, 01:56 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Firefighter1406 View Post
The switches and everything are already in place. I would just be fabricating a mount. So I am torn I guess. My son was really looking forward to the electric jacks and so was I. The trailer should be under 10K, dry weight is 7,500. So I may try out mounting up the lack’s and see how they do however it may just be a swap out and go back to the manual and strong arm jacks.
Chuck is much more experienced in this than me, but on many (maybe most) light weight trailer frames, putting a "leveling jack" on each rear corner" can twist the frame so much that the doors won't close and could, possibly put enogh torque on the floor/sidewall fasteners to actually separate the floor from the wall. That's not a common result, but.....

I know that Lippert was recommending that no levelers could be installed on some frames, and then a couple years later, they were installing levelers on those same trailer floorplans, so apparently Lippert made some changes to the frames between those years. What the changes were, what they beefed up and how they did it might well be "not much at all" or it may be a series of upgrades that you can't incorporate into the older frame design... I simply don't know just what the differences were between those two recommendations... Or which frames were compatible with levelers and which were not....

The lighter the manufacturers are making trailers, the lighter frames they order from NOCO and Lippert and the less strength there is to resist twisting....

Depending on what type of frame is under your trailer, it may well be "not strong enough for a leveling system" and installing one may end up doing more damage than you'd imagine....

I'd do some good research before investing the time to manufacture mounts and installing them only to find out that Lippert and Keystone both are recommending that no leveling system is compatible with that model trailer....

I'd urge you to contact both Keystone and Lippert before doing something that you might not be able to undo.....
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Old 03-14-2023, 04:24 PM   #14
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I appreciate the heads up and all the info. Guess I need to get down and dirty and do more research. You would think this would be easy but apparently not.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:08 PM   #15
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I would start with a call to LCI tech support. Tell them what frame you have and they should be able to tell you if you can even mount them. LCI tech support is top notch.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:10 PM   #16
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I appreciate the heads up and all the info. Guess I need to get down and dirty and do more research. You would think this would be easy but apparently not.
Well, it's "sort of like" trying to install a GM turbocharger on a Ford diesel... Sure, the technology is similar, but the application, well, that's where it gets "really tricky"....

For some "history", way back when leveling systems began to show up on fifth wheels, several people wanted to install them on their travel trailers. Obviously, they wouldn't fit without some extensive frame modifications. That stopped most people from proceeding, but a few did do some "hack mods to install levelers" and some worked, but some people wound up with some pretty significant damage. It was 4 or 5 years after levelers came out on fifth wheels before they started showing up on travel trailers.

I'm not suggesting that it won't work, rather just make sure your frame is rigid enough to survive the torque that a leveler system or part of a level system will place on the frame....

When you talk to Keystone, you might hear, "Yes, your trailer is equipped with the fittings for the optional leveling system. Just pull the coroplast back and you'll see the mounting holes for the adapters already in the frame."

Then you might not get such good news..... Only contacting Lippert and Keystone will tell you what they recommend.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:23 PM   #17
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OP for clarification; did you get the entire leveling kit or just 2 jacks? I don't see how you are going to use 2 leveling jacks alone to level a trailer without damage. I was under the impression you only had 2.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:27 PM   #18
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Last GC TT I installed required drilling the frame, there were no “preset” brackets.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:29 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Well, it's "sort of like" trying to install a GM turbocharger on a Ford diesel... Sure, the technology is similar, but the application, well, that's where it gets "really tricky"....

For some "history", way back when leveling systems began to show up on fifth wheels, several people wanted to install them on their travel trailers. Obviously, they wouldn't fit without some extensive frame modifications. That stopped most people from proceeding, but a few did do some "hack mods to install levelers" and some worked, but some people wound up with some pretty significant damage. It was 4 or 5 years after levelers came out on fifth wheels before they started showing up on travel trailers.

I'm not suggesting that it won't work, rather just make sure your frame is rigid enough to survive the torque that a leveler system or part of a level system will place on the frame....

When you talk to Keystone, you might hear, "Yes, your trailer is equipped with the fittings for the optional leveling system. Just pull the coroplast back and you'll see the mounting holes for the adapters already in the frame."

Then you might not get such good news..... Only contacting Lippert and Keystone will tell you what they recommend.
I get it. Definitely not trying to mess anything up.
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Old 03-14-2023, 05:33 PM   #20
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OP for clarification; did you get the entire leveling kit or just 2 jacks? I don't see how you are going to use 2 leveling jacks alone to level a trailer without damage. I was under the impression you only had 2.


I have 4 jacks. Just to clarify I am not trying to install a leveling system. I got 4 jacks for $50. So my thoughts were to mount them similarly to the electric junk stabilizer jacks that are on the camper currently. And since they are jacks designed for a leveling system(not trying to install a complete leveling system) they might be able to put a little more force to the ground to be able to stabilize the camper better then currently. If it’s not a good idea then I will just be getting manual jacks and installing them with the JT strong arms and calling it a day. Of course to my sons dismay but oh well.
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