| Author |
Message |
tobloyd
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018
Posts: 184
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ
|
 Posted: Mon May 17, 2021 10:12 pm Post subject: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
 |
|
I was camping in northern Italy a few years back and a friend’s camper had a cool feature that I wonder if we can add aftermarket to our vanagons. I don’t know the name of it to google though...
After parking their tow-behind camper, he went around to each of the four corners and inserted a crank beside a threaded vertical rod with a little foot at the bottom. He cranked it while the rod descended like a jack until it touched the ground, and by adjusting the heights on all four corners, he could make sure the camper was level and that it wouldn’t rock when they walked around inside.
I imagine these things must be sold aftermarket, and I don’t think they would be hard to attach to the frame. Do you have any idea what they are called? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
tobloyd
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018
Posts: 184
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ
|
| Posted: Mon May 17, 2021 10:19 pm Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things for Vanagons? |
|
|
This is the closest thing I can find a picture of online, but the ones my friend had were very thin, short, and low profile, and they screwed down instead of dropping down and being held in place with a peg. With his, the threading of the rods itself held them in place
https://nhtrailers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/DropLeg7.jpg |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
zoti
Samba Member
Joined: December 26, 2007
Posts: 2060
Location: Plano, TX USA
|
| Posted: Mon May 17, 2021 10:20 pm Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things for Vanagons? |
|
|
| You can use a jack to somewhat do that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Odd_Dutch
Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2011
Posts: 82
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32595
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bobbyblack 
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4349
Location: United States, Iowa
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 7:28 am Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
I 'borrowed' a stock jack from my bus row and like mentioned above, use two at the standard jack points.
Cautionary tale here;
1: be sure to chock the tires.
2: don't park with the bus on a slope that is more than a couple inches from level
2b: try not to park in a situation that puts the slope side to side, if there is some slope, have it fore to aft.
3: if the slope is greater than a couple inches, find something to rest the tires on, many carry leveling block/wedges, or find things around the camp site like big flat rocks.
You are looking to add stiffness to the platform, not raise ANY wheel off the ground.
Now, on to your direct question.. I once worked in the commercial fishing industry. At some points, our 42' boat might need to be moored in places where the tide would go out so much that the hull started to rest on the bottom. In our case, that would have destroyed the prop and shaft. There were some custom screw jacks that were attached to the rear and cranked down "exactly 120 cranks" according to the captain. These were simply long threaded rod with a plate at the bottom. more or less, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Towpower-74410-Trailer-Heav...amp;sr=8-3
Certainly a design like this could be made for a bus.
-bobby
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jAndrew
Samba Member
Joined: October 11, 2020
Posts: 306
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tobloyd
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018
Posts: 184
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
| bobbyblack wrote: |
Now, on to your direct question.. I once worked in the commercial fishing industry. At some points, our 42' boat might need to be moored in places where the tide would go out so much that the hull started to rest on the bottom. In our case, that would have destroyed the prop and shaft. There were some custom screw jacks that were attached to the rear and cranked down "exactly 120 cranks" according to the captain. These were simply long threaded rod with a plate at the bottom. more or less, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Towpower-74410-Trailer-Heav...amp;sr=8-3
Certainly a design like this could be made for a bus.
-bobby |
Yes exactly, but with a foot instead of a wheel. What I like is that it could be unobtrusive at the four corners, and maybe even look cool |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6245
Location: Portland OR
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 10:31 am Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
I just use an extra stock vanagon jack. Two jacks do the trick to level and stabilize. I agree something built in would be cool, but simplicity has it's cool factor too.
_________________
89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bobbyblack
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4349
Location: United States, Iowa
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 11:47 am Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
| tobloyd wrote: |
Yes exactly, but with a foot instead of a wheel. What I like is that it could be unobtrusive at the four corners, and maybe even look cool |
Here is one that has a side crank, and pivot. Side crank would be better than top as you might scrape your knuckles on the bus on a top crank. This one is way overkill at 5000# lift capacity... Depends on if you are carrying a dozen gold bricks at each corner or just a lot of lead in your PO's dent and ding patches. Think there's a song about that somewhere from my youth..
[Now I don't know but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold
Other hand I have heard it said
It's just as hard with the weight of lead]
https://www.amazon.com/Ejoyous-Trailer-Pipe-Mount-...&psc=1
Oh, and BTW, using the stock jack on the slider door rear location has a great wake up call when you've got your rig up a ways and open it only to find that you've just put a groove in your door... BTDT
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tobloyd
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018
Posts: 184
Location: Fountain Hills, AZ
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
| bobbyblack wrote: |
| tobloyd wrote: |
Yes exactly, but with a foot instead of a wheel. What I like is that it could be unobtrusive at the four corners, and maybe even look cool |
Here is one that has a side crank, and pivot. Side crank would be better than top as you might scrape your knuckles on the bus on a top crank. This one is way overkill at 5000# lift capacity... Depends on if you are carrying a dozen gold bricks at each corner or just a lot of lead in your PO's dent and ding patches. Think there's a song about that somewhere from my youth..
[Now I don't know but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold
Other hand I have heard it said
It's just as hard with the weight of lead]
https://www.amazon.com/Ejoyous-Trailer-Pipe-Mount-...&psc=1
Oh, and BTW, using the stock jack on the slider door rear location has a great wake up call when you've got your rig up a ways and open it only to find that you've just put a groove in your door... BTDT |
Thanks—I think that would be pretty slick. I might get a set if I can think of a good way to attach them |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bobbyblack
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4349
Location: United States, Iowa
|
| Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 8:37 pm Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
Indeed, how to attach. That last linked one has a pipe of 1.9" that it pins to. Stubbing out through the bumper would be a way to do it, and it would be interesting looking with those units riding at 90 degrees while not in use.. Putting a hole in your bumper would be pretty gross tho. My PO cut holes in my front bumper for hitch pin mounts. Its ugly when I look at it, which is by now, almost never.
My real intention, if I might be forward, is to hide 4 'levelers' that could be actuated with power window motors, and be fixed in place hiding inboard of each wheel. I have not yet come up with a good design, but your question has sparked me up again, thanks!! I would love to be able to punch a button when I park, anywhere, that would set my bus up enough to immobilize it, tires every so slightly past their traction point.. I can imagine a thief sitting there, having already gone to the lengths of bypassing my fuel and start cutouts, finding themselves not able to get the tires to grip enough to move the bus!!!
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3028
Location: MD
|
| Posted: Wed May 19, 2021 7:56 am Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
What would be really slick is to use an air jack system from a race car. Getting it to auto level would be the tricky part. I guess you could manually fill each independently with in line valves.
https://pitstopusa.com/i-23899586-allstar-performa...troke.html
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
vwhammer
Samba Member
Joined: May 20, 2006
Posts: 998
Location: Boulder CO.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
space
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2017
Posts: 673
|
| Posted: Wed May 19, 2021 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Stabilizer things (jacks) for Vanagons? |
|
|
| bobbyblack wrote: |
| tobloyd wrote: |
Yes exactly, but with a foot instead of a wheel. What I like is that it could be unobtrusive at the four corners, and maybe even look cool |
Here is one that has a side crank, and pivot. Side crank would be better than top as you might scrape your knuckles on the bus on a top crank. This one is way overkill at 5000# lift capacity... Depends on if you are carrying a dozen gold bricks at each corner or just a lot of lead in your PO's dent and ding patches. Think there's a song about that somewhere from my youth..
[Now I don't know but I been told
It's hard to run with the weight of gold
Other hand I have heard it said
It's just as hard with the weight of lead]
https://www.amazon.com/Ejoyous-Trailer-Pipe-Mount-...&psc=1
Oh, and BTW, using the stock jack on the slider door rear location has a great wake up call when you've got your rig up a ways and open it only to find that you've just put a groove in your door... BTDT |
Nice GD reference 
_________________
82 westy
w:
2.5 JDM Subie
Rear discs |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
