Recently there has been some discussion on levelling of vans whilst parked.
A friend who was preparing to go on a long drive with his van asked if I could find out why one of his D.D. legs was inoperative.
I removed the whole thing and proceeded to his tractor shed. Dismantled the leg to find that the two "rollpins" securing the drive cogs were worn out. The pins were 6 mm. diameter and 25 mm. long. After inspecting the damage I removed the other three legs and found similar wear and tear. After renewing all the pins with solid rod the problem was basically fixed on all four legs.
Apparently he had been using the "drop down" legs to level his van on sloping sites.
I am of the opinion that the mechanical structure and design of his D.D. legs was not designed for this purpose.
I suggest that these legs are only to stabilise the van when it is level and any jacking should be done by other means.
Just my opinion, other units on other vans may be more robust.
Have fun Haji-Baba
Haji-Baba said
10:13 PM Nov 1, 2014
Yes, I know, should be in "Techies Corner" but the message is the same for all to see.
Sorry about that error, my apologies.
Have fun Haji-Baba
spida said
12:18 PM Nov 2, 2014
I must agree that some are only for stabilizing. Am often surprised at people who suggest I could level my Jayco with the DD's - they are certainly not made to do that!
D and D said
05:34 PM Nov 2, 2014
The guy who made our van showed me a letter from the manufacturer of the legs on our van that said the same as you have done Haji-Baba, the legs are not jacks and using them as such will damage them. What's more, they aren't designed to be used in a straight down position but at an angle with the front and back legs opposed to each other. I think the Trailer-Mate people make a hydraulic system for leveling vans using the jacks - don't know what effect this would have on the structure of the van though.
Recently there has been some discussion on levelling of vans whilst parked.
A friend who was preparing to go on a long drive with his van asked if I could find out why one of his D.D. legs was inoperative.
I removed the whole thing and proceeded to his tractor shed. Dismantled the leg to find that the two "rollpins" securing the drive cogs were worn out. The pins were 6 mm. diameter and 25 mm. long. After inspecting the damage I removed the other three legs and found similar wear and tear. After renewing all the pins with solid rod the problem was basically fixed on all four legs.
Apparently he had been using the "drop down" legs to level his van on sloping sites.
I am of the opinion that the mechanical structure and design of his D.D. legs was not designed for this purpose.
I suggest that these legs are only to stabilise the van when it is level and any jacking should be done by other means.
Just my opinion, other units on other vans may be more robust.
Have fun Haji-Baba
Yes, I know, should be in "Techies Corner" but the message is the same for all to see.
Sorry about that error, my apologies.
Have fun Haji-Baba
Regards
Dave