# Jack Points Underneath Trailer



## slman (Jan 21, 2012)

I positioned a 6 ton jack close to the frame reinforcement plate behind the rear wheel of my 23 ft. Outback. This of course is a tandem axle unit.

While I was jacking the trailer up to change a flat, I heard a distinct pop, in the area I was working, I also was observant of where the jack was putting pressure on the frame to not bend or distort the large channel iron frame.

Where should one exactly place a jack to not tweek anything under there. At home I use two jacks at above said lift points and never heard a sound, but out on the road, I only carry one jack for the trailer.

I is dark, so morning I will inspect with a high intensity light and look for a weld crack.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Just back your trailer (or pull forward depending on which tire is still good) on to some blocks, so only the good tire is on the blocks. This will leave 3 contact points and the flat tire will be easy to change. Make sure you get the good tire high enough so fully inflated spare will still clear the ground.

And I'd leave the trailer attached to the truck....no reason to allow anything to move on you.

I'd never use any other way.


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## therink (May 13, 2010)

To change a tire, adjust brakes, etc I place bottle jack with block of wood directly under the spring shackle u bolts (not on the axle tube). This area is plenty strong to support the weight and raises tire off of ground with only 2-3 inches of Jack movement. IMO is better and safer than lifting via the frame which requires lift of 6" or more due to the suspension movement.


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## Leedek (Nov 28, 2010)

It's been talked about a few times here. The Trailer Aid shown in the link comes in two size heights. Trailer Aids It's available at online retailers and Camping World. The TA Plus should be adequate for any flex-axle TT.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

robertized said:


> I like your idea of using a bottle jack or even a small floor jack to raise the axel just enough to replace the tire or do maintenance. As the top of a bottle jack doesn't have a wide surface area I would build an attachment to fit on the top of the jack shaft that would prevent it from sliding/flipping off. I have built other attachments for my floor jack in the past, as the round lift pad on the jack can be removed and reinstalled. I agree that it isn't a good idea to apply pressure from a jack to a small surface area on the bottom of the axel, as they are not overly built, and the round shape of the axel wouldn't secure a jacking point very well. What I have decided to do is use a 6" length of heavy gauge pipe of a diameter large enough to cut a saddle to be welded on top of the attachment to spread the contact point over a larger area as to prevent any damage to the axel and also prevent it from slipping off. This is something I have been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to yet. When I get it done I will post some pics for everyone's amusement. Good Luck.


Excuse the question...but why do all that work, when all you need to do is drive one tire onto some blocks (or the device Leedek listed)???


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## slman (Jan 21, 2012)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I like your idea of using a bottle jack or even a small floor jack to raise the axel just enough to replace the tire or do maintenance. As the top of a bottle jack doesn't have a wide surface area I would build an attachment to fit on the top of the jack shaft that would prevent it from sliding/flipping off. I have built other attachments for my floor jack in the past, as the round lift pad on the jack can be removed and reinstalled. I agree that it isn't a good idea to apply pressure from a jack to a small surface area on the bottom of the axel, as they are not overly built, and the round shape of the axel wouldn't secure a jacking point very well. What I have decided to do is use a 6" length of heavy gauge pipe of a diameter large enough to cut a saddle to be welded on top of the attachment to spread the contact point over a larger area as to prevent any damage to the axel and also prevent it from slipping off. This is something I have been meaning to do but haven't gotten around to yet. When I get it done I will post some pics for everyone's amusement. Good Luck.


Excuse the question...but why do all that work, when all you need to do is drive one tire onto some blocks (or the device Leedek listed)???y th

When the trailer is stored, and as I have many things stored under or leaned, sometimes ---to service and check things as a bearing or brake---, by yourself, you just want to grab a bottle jack, some tools and not warm the diesel truck up.

I inspected the frame in daylight, and my frame jack job apparently didn't do any damage I could see, Next time FIRST, I will try the block on one wheel, and for service while stored--- I will put the jack under the U bolt, as it's clamped on the the axle tube, with a washer cushion, because of the 'pin' where my jack point does the pushing.
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## therink (May 13, 2010)

I have used the block/ramp methods under one tire and found that I have to raise that tire 6" or more to get the other tire to clear the ground. This requires a lot of blocking and moving the trailer. I have found it much easier to simply place bottle jack and 1 small block of wood under axle at the u bolts. It takes about 30 seconds and IMO much safer and stable means to change a tire, especially if on the shoulder of an interstate with wind and vehicles whizzing by.


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