400 Stabilizers Supporting Weight!

N7SHG_Ham

Had a shop do the annual axle hub service yesterday. I showed them the jacking points and left. They took wheels to a tire shop for new tires and then I returned later with the wheels with new tires. They had completed the bearing service, no issues noted, but I walk in shop and there is my 400 supported by the four stabilizer jacks! They told me they lifted it with the jack points and then put the stabilizers down to support the 400 while they worked on the hubs. Obviously I had a conversation about that! No apparent damage done and the four jacks plus the tonuge jack held the weight.

This is a very good general automotive shop, they do regular work on my vehicles, just goes to show you almost need to spell out step by step everything even to a shop with very experienced techs. Silly of me to assume they would use the jacking points and then take the jacks out of way for working on hubs. At least they asked what TQ for the wheel studs I wanted, and I watched them do that with a very nice high end electronic TQ wrench.

I still will go there, my truck is scheduled for rear axle diagnosis on Thursday, lots of metal flake in oil they just drained, suspect it will be rear axle rebuild time. Dodge Rams with Dana 80 rear axles and the V10 or diesel engines hammer the rear ends pretty good with normal rebuilds due @ 125-150k. I haven't gone quite that long since previous rebuild, but I suspect it needs it again. This will likely be a $2-3k bill, but only three or so payments on a new pickup

[Deleted User]

Omg! I would have been livid! Thing is, the damage might not show up for awhile. Things happen though.  

N7SHG_Ham

@TabbyShack no damage to stabilizers and even if there was, easy to replace bigger concern might be bending of frame, but nothing obvious.

[Deleted User]

The damage concern is where the side walls attach to center section. The weight is transferred to the side wall seams. Yea, stabilizers themselves can handle the weight,  but not the location where they are attached. 

The stabilizers are not mounted to the trailer frame....unless they started doing that after 2019. 

pthomas745

Which stabilizers do you have?  The newer C-Jack ones?

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/14684/stabilizer-levelers-on-2021-320s-do-we-know-any-more-about-them

[Deleted User]

It doesn't matter which stabilizers they have. The issue is the stabilizers are not mounted to the frame (unless nucamp started doing this on models afer 2019) so any weight you put on them is transferred to the body of the trailer which puts stress on the seams. You could put stabilizers on there that would support 10,000 pounds and it they are not mounted to a load bearing location (the trailer frame) you are putting stress on where the camper is put together which could cause leaks along the seams if the sealant fails. 

N7SHG_Ham

@pthomas745 it is a 2019, so not newer stabilizers.

This is only second time the camper has had the wheels off, I don't know what the 1st shop did, wouldn't have known what the 2nd shop did except I showed up and said, what the heck.

They did not lift via the stabilizers, jacked the trailer using proper lift points and then cranked the stabilizers way down, further than I ever have camping and then took the jack out, why I don't know, but I suspect to have more room to work at getting the wheels off and then the hubs. Shop owner did say, they sure don't give a very big jacking area, and he isn't wrong about that.

I guess I don't know if anything buckled or bent, I didn't see any damages, but other than stabilizer attachment points, I am not sure where to look.

In my use while camping, I always level the 400 and then put stabilizer down and no more than a turn on the screw after contact.

[Deleted User]

That's perfect. I always say just kiss the ground enough for solid contact without seeing the trailer lift at all. I wouldn't worry about it anymore at all.  T@bs are very well built and I'm sure just the occasional "oops" isn't going to do damage. It's a good idea to visually look at the ceiling along the side seams on both sides from inside for early signs of leaks which is part of what I consider routine maintenance anyway but that's probably just my OCD kicking in!