So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
Dougwe said
07:43 AM Nov 20, 2023
As 'stabiliser' legs are just for that, to stop van from rocking and you having to put a sign on the door "if the vans a rock'n don't come a knock'n" I see no reason why tek screws are not good enough. As long as they are of good size that is. If you have a regular maintenance routine you could include checking them at same time.
In my mind (and thats a worry in itself) if you weld them and need to replace due to damage you would have to grind the weld the remove.
Stabiliser legs are just to stop rocking of the van NOT as a weight support.
Keep Safe out there.
Possum3 said
07:47 AM Nov 20, 2023
Rod, Your stabilisers are that, they don't do anything other than move from horizontal to vertical without any load, any method of attachment will do as long as they are secure (to ensure they don't fall off when travelling).
Screws may vibrate loose, similarly bolt and nut - welding is usually preferred for that reason.
KJB said
08:47 AM Nov 20, 2023
rodsfromday wrote:
So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
Bolts and nuts with spring washers - more than adequate.
Craig1 said
09:34 AM Nov 20, 2023
make sure bolt heads clear the swing on the drop down
Whenarewethere said
10:47 AM Nov 20, 2023
Never use spring washers. The hole you have is too oversized to start with.
Use the next size bolt so it fits correctly. Use Nyloc nuts (they should only be used one).
Ideally you should tap the first hole for the best quality fastening situation.
KJB said
11:31 AM Nov 20, 2023
Whenarewethere wrote:
Never use spring washers. The hole you have is too oversized to start with.
Use the next size bolt so it fits correctly. Use Nyloc nuts (they should only be used one).
Ideally you should tap the first hole for the best quality fastening situation.
I would expect the hole to be the correct size for the bolt to start with, then a spring washer and nut.......normal engineering practice in industrial (harsh) situations.
-- Edited by KJB on Monday 20th of November 2023 11:46:45 AM
So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
Hi
I went the other way. Ihad drop downs on my Jurgens but they were about 350mm inside under the caravan. Ive seen them much closer to the outside of the van but not on my van. So that meant on hands and knees to pull the handle and also when packing up. An old back injury meant this was unacceptable. So I went with the wind down type and using a battery drill and socket extension.
So the drop down type are ok if they arent set in too far imo.
Tony
oxleigh said
11:22 PM Jan 21, 2024
As you can only use spring washers in the spring what do you use when you can't get summer, autumn or winter washers. Bunnings don't have em. I asked.
erad said
10:44 AM Jan 22, 2024
You dont say where the Tek screws are. If they are on the underside of the chassis, Tek screws MAY be OK, but if they are on the vertical face of the chassis, forget it. If the screws installed vertically, all they will do is hold the stabiliser in place. They are OK for this purpose, except for possibly vibrating loose. In practice, there isnt much vibration on the chassis, hence the manufacturers use them.
If the screws are are horizontal, they are going to take the applied loads in shear. If they are not big enough, they are likely to fail, unless the design of the bracket transmits the vertical loads directly to the chassis, in which case the Tek screws are there simply to hold the stabiliser in place.
-- Edited by erad on Monday 22nd of January 2024 11:01:30 AM
So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
In my mind (and thats a worry in itself) if you weld them and need to replace due to damage you would have to grind the weld the remove.
Stabiliser legs are just to stop rocking of the van NOT as a weight support.
Keep Safe out there.
Screws may vibrate loose, similarly bolt and nut - welding is usually preferred for that reason.
Bolts and nuts with spring washers - more than adequate.
Never use spring washers. The hole you have is too oversized to start with.
Use the next size bolt so it fits correctly. Use Nyloc nuts (they should only be used one).
Ideally you should tap the first hole for the best quality fastening situation.
I would expect the hole to be the correct size for the bolt to start with, then a spring washer and nut.......normal engineering practice in industrial (harsh) situations.
-- Edited by KJB on Monday 20th of November 2023 11:46:45 AM
Hi
I went the other way. Ihad drop downs on my Jurgens but they were about 350mm inside under the caravan. Ive seen them much closer to the outside of the van but not on my van. So that meant on hands and knees to pull the handle and also when packing up. An old back injury meant this was unacceptable. So I went with the wind down type and using a battery drill and socket extension.
So the drop down type are ok if they arent set in too far imo.
Tony
As you can only use spring washers in the spring what do you use when you can't get summer, autumn or winter washers. Bunnings don't have em. I asked.
You dont say where the Tek screws are. If they are on the underside of the chassis, Tek screws MAY be OK, but if they are on the vertical face of the chassis, forget it. If the screws installed vertically, all they will do is hold the stabiliser in place. They are OK for this purpose, except for possibly vibrating loose. In practice, there isnt much vibration on the chassis, hence the manufacturers use them.
If the screws are are horizontal, they are going to take the applied loads in shear. If they are not big enough, they are likely to fail, unless the design of the bracket transmits the vertical loads directly to the chassis, in which case the Tek screws are there simply to hold the stabiliser in place.
-- Edited by erad on Monday 22nd of January 2024 11:01:30 AM