Storing Camper

[AlFischer]

What is the best method for storing my camper. Owners manual sez 'jack stands'.



1. How high?

2. What type of supports?

3. Placed where?



I will pour a concrete slab,

 

[MGordon]

I just leave mine supported by the electric jacks on the camper. (Don't do this if you have hydraulic jacks. ) I keep the lowest part of the camper about 6" - 8" off the slab.

 

[BV]

Camper storage

I use to set mine on home made saw horses built from 2x6's so they fit the full width plus a couple of inches.



Some folks set them down on cement blocks.



If your pouring a slab, you might consider putting in anchor points to hold it in place if you get high winds.

 

[AlFischer]

Would it cause problems if the hydraulic jacks were fully up and the camper was sitting on them and not touching the ground. This would be about 6" off the ground.



I can understand that a hydraulic jack would certainly slowly leak and lower the camper but not if fully retracted.



I guess part of my concern is distributing the weight so as to not deform the flooor.

 

[dresslered]

I lower mine onto a temporary wooden platform made out of cinder blocks, 2x6's, and a 3/4" piece of plywood. I still leave the jack stands down to take some of the load, which gives me a great deal of stability.

 

[JWhitcomb]

David, considering one of the worlds great fault lines must run right under your house I would get a whole lot of old bed springs from Goodwill to place around your camper.

 

[dresslered]

Ahhhh! This is coming from a man who stores his camper on the back of his truck.

 

[Dane]

I use sawhorses across the front and back with the jacks just touching the ground for insurance.

 

[JWhitcomb]

David, not true all the time. Why just yesterday I cut the welds holding it to the truck and set it down on a pad. However when it is on the truck I park it next to a power pole that has so many cracks you can see daylight on the other side. Next 6. 0 will bring it down, hope the truck is on the road at that time.

 

[Turbo Horseman]

I used empty oil drums to carry the load. One in front and one in back. The jacks were left down to provide stability only. Continuous pressure will wear out the seals.



The barrels work great and only begin to cause worry when you have about two feet of wet snow on the top of the camper. Roof held, barrels began to buckle.

 

[Doug]

I made a "box" out of some 2*4s and 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood. I ripped one sheet into 2@2*8 and the other into 4@2*4. I reinforced the corners and every 2 feet on the sides with the 2*4 placed upright and tied the middle together with a couple of 4 foot 2*4. Bolted the whole thing together with some galvanized carriage bolts. The result is a 2 foot high 4*8 "box".

I set the camper on top of it and leave the jacks "touching the ground" for support. Dad used a similar box for years on a big (HEAVY) old Scamper Camper, and it seems to work just great.

If this sounds confusing, email me and I'll try to send you a rough plan.

Doug

 

[TowPro]

I plan to put the pickup camper on a frame I build with 4" X 4" legs, with 2x6 side pieces that fit under the bottom of the camper, plus the jacks. (mine are crank up type jacks)



I think I am going to cover the camper this winter as I may not have fixed the water leak along the bottom bend of the overhang good enough yet.



I have to take the camper back off the truck this weekend because I may pick up a 89 sunline 8' camper next weekend (the one I posted about earler that the wind broke the jack out of the floor). The price is "real good", it has AC and my 9. 5' Shadow Cruser don't. not sure if the sunline has a bathroom though. What the hell, which ever one is in better shape is the keeper, and my neighbor wants which ever one I sell.



Plus we are taking the 5th wheel out the weekend of the October 19. Probably its last trip of the year for the 5er. Then 2 weeks later its out in the pickup camper with the dirtbike (or maybe I will take the quad?). Then Thanksgiving or Christmas my family and the pickup camper are going to Macon GA to see the Father In-law. come to think of it, its only going to get stored for about a month or 2!

 

[DPelletier]

Mine is just supported on two wood sawhorses with a 52" long 2x6 on top. The mechanical jacks are just touching the ground as a stabilizing measure. When I get the chance, I'm going to build two sawhorses the exact height of the truck bed out of welded steel (no wobbling due to loose screws, etc. ) On these I will encorporate a 16" x 52" platform on top out of 3/4" ply.

Having them the same height as the truck means I'll only have to jack up and down a couple of inches each time I load. Should save time. My 2 cents

Dave