Parking

I have maneuvered my TM into the spot I will be parking it for the winter. (Side note: I purchased a trailer dolly from Harbor Freight and it was a big help and cost only $60, so I think it was money well spent.) I was wondering if those of you who park your TM's outdoors, in the winter, put your trailer up on blocks or jacks?
I have a friend who owns a boat and trailer who insists that the best thing to do for the trailer is place a cinder block or jack stand under each side and get the tires up off the ground for the winter months. I'd appreciate hearing from those of you in similar circumstances.
Thanks

I don't know if it makes a difference or not, but I have my TM stored closed with the wheels barely off the ground.  However, I just use the TM's levelling jacks, I have not supported the TM with auxillary jacks or cinder blocks.

This is the first winter I have owned the TM so I will also be interested in hearing from those that have had their TM's longer.

Regards,

Keith

Keith,

The stabilizer jacks on your TM are for that purpose only - stabilizing the trailer to minimize the trailer's movement when you're walking around on the inside. In my opinion they should not be used to support the total weight of the trailer. This is not because they don't have sufficient lifting power. They do. It is because the frame of your TM is designed to have its weight borne at the axle, and, by the wheels. By raising the wheels even slightly off the ground with your jacks, you're essentially supporting the TM's weight at the ends of a long beam-i.e. stressing the TM's steel framework in a manner for which it wasn't designed. You may wind up distorting the frame.

If you want to take the weight off the wheels, you should place blocks or jacks under the axle. This is the correct location to lift the tires off the ground. The same is true when you're changing a tire. You should not jack up the TM by using the stabilizer jacks.

With the radial tires that our trailers are equipped with these days, there may not be a necessity to block up our wheels during periods of storage. I think Oilspot may be able to give you an expert's advice about this. ??? ???

We are on our 4th trailer, (2 tent trailers, 1 TM, 1 TT) and I've never stored any of them with the wheels off the ground.

Depending on where we stored them, the wheels have been parked on gravel, crushed rock, concrete, and currently (under cover) on bare ground covered with sawdust.

I make sure the tires are fully inflated to the max. recommended pressure, covered if there is potential exposure to the sun for long periods of time.  When we picked up our travel trailer in April 2002, it had been stored for 6 months sitting on a sawdust covered floor at the local fairgrounds.  The tire pressure was down an average of 4 lbs. in all 4 tires.  Since they are radial tires, there were no "flat spots" and seem none the worse for the experience.

We live in California "snow country" and the temps where it is stored drops into the teens, so the trailer nor the tires aren't being "pampered."

[Bill]

Larry is right about not using the stabilizers as jacks. I can't find the reference at the moment, but I know I have seen it.

On the other hand, the Dexter Company, which makes the wheel and axle assemblies for TM, says the following about storage (a copy appears on page 27 of the TM owner's manual).

"STORAGE PREPARATION
If your trailer is to be stored for an extended period of time or over the winter, it is important that the trailer be prepared properly.
1. Remove the battery ...
2. Jack up the trailer and place jack stands under the trailer frame so that the weight will be off the tires. Follow trailer manufacturers guidelines to lift and support the unit. Never jack up or place jack stands on the axle tube or on the equalizers."

On page 11, the owners manual gives the same instructions for changing a flat tire - place the jack under the frame just behind the axle - not on the axle itself.

The Goodyear website has a new section on Trailer and RV Tires - much easier to find and use than it was before. At http://www.goodyear.com/rv/tirecare/maintenance.html they say "Ideally, a vehicle in storage should be placed on blocks to remove all weight from the tires."

Conclusion?  Lift it, but not by the ends (stabilizers), and not by the axles.  Do it at the center of the frame.

Hope this helps

Bill

When jacking the trailer, be careful that you place the jack behind the wheel on the "main" frame member that runs front to back and not one of the "cross" members that are welded on and run left to right. I hope this makes sense. The cross members aren't designed to support the weight of the TM. I use a bottle jack I bought at Wally World, with two 4x4 blocks stacked underneath. The top part of the jack unscrews until it touches the frame, then I jack from there. Pretty easy to do, actually. Be sure to chock front and back of the opposite wheel.  

Wade