We’ve all been there before. You finally make it to your destination only to find that the campsite is completely unlevel. Maybe you forget about it and decide to call it a night. Throughout the night you can’t help but fall to one side in bed and struggle to get to sleep. By morning, you’re exhausted and realize you should have just leveled your trailer.
Leveling your trailer with a sturdy set of jacks can help you make it through the night without slipping and sliding around. Not all trailer jacks are meant for leveling a trailer, though. In this article, we’ll take a look at which jacks you should be using and whether a set of scissor jacks are strong enough to hold up your trailer overnight.
How Do You Use a Scissor Jack on a Travel Trailer?
Scissor jacks are versatile tools and an absolute must in any trailer owner’s tool kit. If you’re unfamiliar with what they look like, imagine the jacks you’d find in a typical car tire kit. They work by cranking a small spring that extends a full 24 inches, depending on the make and model. When you leave, unscrew the jack trailer descends to the ground.
You can use scissor jacks for a couple of purposes. The first and most pertinent purpose is for leveling your trailer. When you make it to your campsite, insert a set of scissor jacks under the uneven side of the trailer and crank it upwards until the trailer is level. Alternatively, you can use scissor jacks to stabilize your trailer.
Strategically place them around your trailer to maximize stabilization and prevent your trailer from rocking around in the night as you sleep.
Can You Use Scissor Jacks to Level a Travel Trailer?
You can use scissor jacks to level a travel trailer as long as they are rated to hold the weight of your vehicle. Avoid using standard car jacks as they likely won’t be able to support your trailer with people walking around inside. Instead, find camper leveler jacks, which are designed specifically for supporting travel trailers.
The beauty of using scissor jacks to level a travel trailer is that they have a nearly infinite range of adjustments. As long as your trailer isn’t parked on a hill, you’ll be able to perfectly level it using microscopic adjustments. Standard stack jacks can’t compete since they come with prefabricated shapes.
Always speak with a qualified sales representative when you’re purchasing scissor jacks to guarantee that you’re buying a product that can hold and level your vehicle. If not, you and your family could be in danger by using an inferior product.
Are All Jacks on a Camper Meant for Leveling?
One of the biggest mistakes camper owners make is confusing stabilizing jacks for leveling jacks. While it’s an easy mistake to make, the two jacks are completely different. Leveling jacks are not designed to hold the weight of an entire family walking around a trailer. Instead, they’re only meant to level your vehicle after you’ve parked at a campsite
Stabilizing jacks, on the other hand, are specifically designed to support your vehicle while you and your family are inside. They are rated to support heavier weights and can withstand the slight sway of a vehicle as you move around inside. However, leveling jacks often look the same as stabilizing jacks. Be sure that you’ve bought a leveling jack before using a product to hold up your camper.
Can You Use Stabilizing and Leveling Jacks at the Same Time?
You should always use stabilizing jacks with leveling jacks. Leveling jacks help create an even plane for your camper to sit on. This way, you can sit or lie inside your camper or trailer without rolling around. Stabilizing jacks then provide extra strength to hold up your vehicle while you’re inside.
If you only use a set of leveling jacks without stabilizers, your camper will not be structurally sound enough to support you inside of it. Therefore, raise an additional set of stabilizing jacks around the leveling jacks to strengthen the support.
Also, never use a set of car jacks in place of stabilizing or leveling jacks. Car jacks are rated to support the weight of a small vehicle but cannot hold the heavier weight of a trailer or camper. If you try to get in a trailer supported by car jacks, they will collapse and your trailer will smash into the ground.
Final Thoughts
Scissor jacks are incredibly useful tools designed to lift your vehicle and level it once you get to your campsite. They are not enough to hold your camper while you are inside, though. Add some support by raising a set of stabilizing levels before you get in or you and your family might come crashing down with your trailer.
