Posted 2005-12-14 12:53 PM (#34070) Subject: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
Regular
Posts: 57
Recently the wind blew my gooseneck off its block. The ground got soft from rain and the wind raged at at least 75 miles an hour. I was out of town. We tried to jack it up just behind the leg, I call it, underneath on some angled iron. Tweaked and riped the angle iron and now I have to have it cut out and replaced. This trailer is a 05, 30' long Hawk with partial LQ. You would think they would build a place to jack the dang thing up in case you need to. Hummm. I am taking it to a welder and I am going to have him put a plate underneath somewhere to jack it up behind the gooseneck drop. Anyone else have any suggestions other than putting the foot on a wider more stable perch ??? Live and learn. Thanks
Posted 2005-12-14 2:33 PM (#34077 - in reply to #34070) Subject: RE: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
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Posts: 274 Location: Memphis, TN
Are you saying that you had your trailer up on blocks ...as in take the wheels off and store it like an old car?
Or in re-reading your post....maybe the jack was knocked off the block and the gooseneck is too low...in that case I'd jack from the gooseneck and when it gets high enough, slip the block back under the trailer jack....maybe I am missing something in your description
Posted 2005-12-14 2:38 PM (#34078 - in reply to #34070) Subject: RE: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by highgatefarm on 2005-12-14 12:53 PM
Recently the wind blew my gooseneck off its block. The ground got soft from rain and the wind raged at at least 75 miles an hour. I was out of town. We tried to jack it up just behind the leg, I call it, underneath on some angled iron. Tweaked and riped the angle iron and now I have to have it cut out and replaced. This trailer is a 05, 30' long Hawk with partial LQ. You would think they would build a place to jack the dang thing up in case you need to. Hummm. I am taking it to a welder and I am going to have him put a plate underneath somewhere to jack it up behind the gooseneck drop. Anyone else have any suggestions other than putting the foot on a wider more stable perch ??? Live and learn. Thanks
I have a wide and fat (maybe 14 by a FULL 2 inches) board that I carry around to use as a ramp for changing tires if/when I get a flat, it is about 4 ft long. It sometimes serves as a landing gear pad and I could use it to spread the load if I needed to jack the trailer up to take weight off the regular landing gear. I'd guess a length of 2 x 12 could spread the weight enough to raise your trailer from it's damaged jack/landing gear. Use something that is long enough to go back at least to the first frame cross member, as well as the front frame (perimeter) end.
WRT the perch: I have a stack of 4 x 4 x 16, the bottom row is 3 of them and they're aligned to allow water to run between them on a sloped driveway, next layer is also 3 at 90 degrees to the first, third layer is 2 in the same direction as the first, then there's a bit of 2 x 12 and the trailer's steel pad. YES, I really DO NOT want to punch through the blacktop (-:
This might not hold up to 75 MPH winds and probably will never have to, it is close to the house and relatively well sheltered.
Posted 2005-12-16 3:30 AM (#34129 - in reply to #34070) Subject: RE: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
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Posts: 189 Location: nashville, In.
The way I read it, was his jack sank in the mud and he had to jack it up to get the truck under it. If this is what happened I might have tried putting a couple of pieces of wood (2in thick) big enough to provide stablity across the corners at the front of the trailer, then put the jack under them and jacked it up. I hope I explained it so you can tell what I meant.
Posted 2005-12-16 5:27 AM (#34130 - in reply to #34070) Subject: RE: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Get a wrecker or tractor with loader or forklift and lift it up by the hitch. Then put a couple of 2"x10" blocks under the jack. I always chock the trailer wheels on both sides front and back, wind will turn the trailer over before it rolls it over two 8" concrete blocks. When we get a storm in this area my trailer is hooked to the truck, never know when we may have to load up and get out of town, plus if the wind moves the trailer and truck, it ain't going to matter about anything else anyway. The barn, house and me are probley already gone anyway, as in blown away.
Posted 2005-12-16 10:31 AM (#34143 - in reply to #34129) Subject: RE: Jacking-up a big trailer ?
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Posts: 2689
Originally written by inIndiana on 2005-12-16 3:30 AM
The way I read it, was his jack sank in the mud and he had to jack it up to get the truck under it. If this is what happened I might have tried putting a couple of pieces of wood (2in thick) big enough to provide stablity across the corners at the front of the trailer, then put the jack under them and jacked it up. I hope I explained it so you can tell what I meant.
Under the front corners (say 2x12s diagonally), would be ideal, though I had assumed a 1 jack solution was needed. Either way, I think it will need some stacking of blocks to get the required height. Not firewood or bricks, a very cautious maybe on cement blocks.
Jacking-up a big trailer ?
