Any Ideas re better jacks for TM?

I love my 2720 TM but I hate the process of putting the jacks up and down as it is set up. I wondered if anyone had changed the jacks into a less manual format or something??
Thanks

[Bill]

Have you tried chucking a big Allen wrench into a cordless drill, and letting that crank them for you? Long end of the Allen wrench in the drill, short end hooks through the hole in the jack screw. Can't get much easier than that.

A 1/4" or 3/8" Allen wrench will work fine.

Bill

I have the drill and even bought the Jenie bit for putting the jacks up, but my issue came down to knee comfort. So I borrowed one of my gardener-wife's foam kneeling cushions for the knees, and now she bought me my own. The last two times out, I didn't even bother with digging out the drill and bit. By the fifth time out, I was very adept at the leveling and scissor jack drill. -- Walter

[Bill]

Umm, Walter, I'm not clear about whether you use the drill to crank the stabilizers down and back up, or the hand crank that comes with the TM.

Of course, I'm talking about stabilizing, not leveling ...

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

Umm, Walter, I'm not clear about whether you use the drill to crank the stabilizers down and back up, or the hand crank that comes with the TM.

Of course, I'm talking about stabilizing, not leveling ...

Bill

Hi Bill,

Sorry for murky communication; I have been leveling the TM using the hand crank, rather than bothering to unpack the drill and Jenie bit. I found that my reluctance to crank and level by hand wasn't because of the repetiveness, but rather my old knees complaining. The foam kneeling pad has been very helpful. Of course, I still have the drill available, especially if it is really uncomfortably cold or wet outside. -- Walter

[Bill]

Walter -

Not to flog a dead horse, but ...

I use the drill-and-Allen-wrench approach, and I never have to actually get down on my knees. I just squat.

I saw another approach a while back - can't remember where. Someone had bought a 2-foot length of 1/4" round steel rod from a hardware store, put the last inch of one end into a vise, and bent/hammered it to a right angle. At the other end he filed the round rod into a triangle shape, so the chuck of the drill could grip it. The idea was that while standing, you could insert the bent end into the jack socket, then squeeze the trigger and crank from a standing position. I tried it and it worked after a fashion, but it ran kind of rough since the rod really should extend straight out from the jack socket.

I thought about putting a universal joint into the short end of the rod, but never got around to trying it. Or maybe using a flexible shaft like these.
www.mcmaster.com, then put "1083" into the Find box.
Kind of expensive, but certainly cheaper than a $1500 set of electric jacks from Camping World!

I have been leveling the TM using the hand crank, rather than bothering to unpack the drill and Jenie bit.

Hmmm. I carry a cardboard box way at the rear of my tow vehicle. In the box, I carry everything needed for the hitch/unhitch process. Things like the springbar lift handle, hitch safety clip, a tube of grease and a can of oil for the hitch ball and the springbar stubs, hitchball rubber cover, rubber gloves, paper towels - you know the kind of stuff I mean. It is all instantly accessible when the tailgate is opened. In this box I also carry the drill, with the Allen wrench already chucked in it. So there is no such thing as "unpack the drill and bit". It takes about the same amount of time to grab the drill and lower all four stabilizers as it would take me to open the TM's bumper storage bin and grab the manual crank.

YMMV, of course.

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

Walter -

I carry a cardboard box way at the rear of my tow vehicle. In the box, I carry everything needed for the hitch/unhitch process. Things like the springbar lift handle, hitch safety clip, a tube of grease and a can of oil for the hitch ball and the springbar stubs, hitchball rubber cover, rubber gloves, paper towels - you know the kind of stuff I mean. It is all instantly accessible when the tailgate is opened. In this box I also carry the drill, with the Allen wrench already chucked in it. So there is no such thing as "unpack the drill and bit". It takes about the same amount of time to grab the drill and lower all four stabilizers as it would take me to open the TM's bumper storage bin and grab the manual crank.

YMMV, of course.

Bill

Thanks for the tips. Every trip out we get better! Thanks to this forum, lots of little nagging questions get help and answers. Thanks! -- Walter

[rpcoombs]

Most of the time I don't even bother with the jacks and just keep the TM hooked up to the TV or accept a little "bounching" when we walk around the TM. Why bother? As for the ease of raising and lowering requiring a level trailer I have found that the electric jack takes care of fore and aft problems and sideways pressure on "lower side" of the shells by hand during the opening/closing process solves that problem. The refridgerator doesn't seem to mind. Cheers, Dick

Heck I just turn the jacks with the hand crank. I think it is a good way to get some exercise. Maybe when I get over 50 (in two months), I will try something different or maybe I will wait until I am 60.

Like Bill and others, I use my cordless drill and allen wrench (see attached photo) to quickly lower and raise the stabilizer jacks. I don't have a problem using the manual crank, but the drill is much faster. And again, like Bill, I have the drill in the back of my truck with the rest of my tools and getting it out is quicker than getting the manual crank out of the bumper storage area. I imagine over time, it will save wear and tear on the arms as I get older (I am 50). Once the jacks contact the ground, the drill will lift the trailer if the batteries have a good charge, but I have used the manual crank to finish the leveling. I learned about the drill and allen wrench from Custom RV in Anaheim when I went to see the TM there before buying one. I thought it was a great idea.