When Using Scissor Jacks for Your RV

RV scissor jacks are used for lifting with crossed blades which raises vehicles into the air when operated by a lever. When trying to buy the right RV scissor jacks for your RV, it is very important to understand the differences in models of jack. Some jacks are made for motorcycles and ATVs while others are made for cars and RVs. Some jacks are good for body shop work while others are only made for transportation lifting. Scissor jacks were designed for compactness and temporary use. A simple scissor jack is perfect for a small vehicle such as a car in need of a tire change, or even an RV where it will just be jacked up for the weekend. However, for RV’s. it is not for a long-term solution. In fact, if you read through several RV forums, it’s not difficult to find stories of them collapsing when using ordinary scissor jacks. For this, you should not be using these simple scissor jacks under any vehicle or heavy load, including a tiny house. Having an RV scissor jacks that is designed for RV users usually are welded to the trailer which doesn’t provide any flexibility where your RV is placed. Moreover, if you locate your mobile house someplace where a scissor jack won’t work properly because of something in the terrain, there’s no way to relocate it without moving your house. If your house is not level and you extend a scissor jack, it’s going to make contact with the ground at a location that will not be 90 degrees to the trailer once it is leveled. This will exert a force on the weld which may cause to flex resulting to unsuccessful leveling. So you must use the RV scissor jacks correctly.

Technically, this also applies to those RV owners with expensive, high-end electric jacks too. All trailer jacks are subjected to toppling. In most cases, this is a result of improper use of the jacks. Whether they aren’t deployed correctly or are not properly supported, all jacks can fail. With this matter, whatever your intended use of scissors jacks may be, think carefully and take proper safety precautions. Make sure the units have a proper foundation to lift with. In some cases, be sure to use the proper devices rather than the jacks themselves. Moreover, before using RV scissor jacks, you can always contact your RV manufacturer and ask about the sub-frame strength. Some RVs may be designed and manufactured with sub-frames incapable of handling force beyond the intended strength to support the cabin weight. Lots of RV owners have added stabilizers to support the front of the trailer. Most RV scissor jacks are less expensive than some of the ordinary ones. Keep in mind that stabilizers are not meant for jacking up the trailer. Make sure you get RV scissor jacks that will extend high enough to do the job without too much blocking up.