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Old 01-23-2021, 07:14 AM   #1
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Replacement Leveling Jack Pads

Over the last couple of years, I have lost 2 pads from one of my leveling jacks. Not for sure why but the replacement cost from Lippert is about $80 a piece. I also noticed couple of my pads also are somewhat warped from being built with pretty thin metal. I had saw where a guy had built a set like what I was thinking on Ebay for some RVers with motor homes where the top of the plate had pulled through. I don't think that is actually my issue but I noticed when tightening up the replacement one, it seems the O-ring is getting smashed before it gets tight with the bolt. Anyway, I decide to build some heavier ones out of 1/4" thick plate and use a 2" sch. 80 weld cap for the pivot for the bottom of the cylinder shaft to rest on. This will be much stronger and resist distorting in the load surface when jacks are down with pressure. I will also add some flat bar for stiffeners for the base plate. I also decided to add a steel spacer between the bolt and go against the bottom of the cylinder shaft to enable bolt to be tightened against a hard stop. I had already got all the materials cut out and ready to weld together. So all I have is to weld, paint and install to complete. I decided to do this today and should finish so I can get on with the hydraulic line/cylinder replacement. I will take some shots today as project progresses. I added a PDF of the my sketch on what I am building..
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File Type: pdf jack_pads.pdf (6.4 KB, 50 views)
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Old 01-23-2021, 10:20 AM   #2
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I like your idea! would like to see finished product , b4 & after install
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Old 01-25-2021, 06:19 AM   #3
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Well got the jack baseplates complete yesterday. Took a while to get all the welding done. Will let them set this week for paint to setup. As I replace hoses on the DRV will remove existing and attach new baseplates. I attached some pictures through the process...
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File Type: jpg jack-1.jpg (187.7 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg jack-2.jpg (161.0 KB, 7 views)
File Type: jpg jack-3.jpg (240.0 KB, 8 views)
File Type: jpg jack-4.jpg (253.6 KB, 9 views)
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Old 01-25-2021, 08:31 AM   #4
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Nice job !!! those should last a LIFE time and be more stable ! Thanks for posting and keeping us in the loop !
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Old 02-01-2021, 11:26 PM   #5
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I think you have a calling. You could make those and sell them. I bet RVers would pay $200/ea ($700/set) for those.
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Old 02-02-2021, 07:53 PM   #6
Luv2RVCouple
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Are you referring to manual jacks and not the hydraulic leveling jacks? We’ve never had an issue with our hydraulic pads in the past several years. Just want to be clear on the item.

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Old 02-03-2021, 06:55 AM   #7
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I have had two issues with the hydraulic leveling jacks. One is I have lost 2 so far in traveling. For some reason the bolt has backed out and pad fell off. I think since there is an O-ring on the top and bottom of where the pad attaches, the bolt does not get tight enough. The non tightening seat on the O-rings allow for movement since DRV installs the jack at an angle. The pad needs to set flat (most of the time) when jacks are down. The current pad I used Loctite to help keep the bolt from loosening up and seems to be holding now. In building these replacement pads, I am using a steel sleeve to allow the bolt to be tightened up against a hard seat instead of the O-ring. The hole around the sleeve is 1/16" larger which allows the plate to float. The second issue is if you put much load on the factory pads, they will distort since they are pretty thin stamped metal. I replaced with 1/4" plate to ensure it can take any load the RV puts on it. I know a lot of RV'ers have not had issues but I seem to not had that good luck.
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Old 02-03-2021, 12:48 PM   #8
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The second issue is if you put much load on the factory pads, they will distort since they are pretty thin stamped metal.
I managed to bend the four rear plates. Was using snap pads at the time. Made some deep ruts on grass. They were just wide enough so that the snap pads spanned the rut. After a week when we went to leave I found the plates had bent.

I removed them, put them on upside down, used some 2x4's as spacers. I then used the weight of the trailer to "straighten" them.

For an unrelated reason Lippert changed out my left center jack.
When I was going over with the service anger about why the wrong jack was replaced (was supposed to be the right center), I noticed that the replacement jack had a thicker pad, not much but noticeable. Lippert gave me 4 more pads to replace mine.
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Old 02-03-2021, 01:05 PM   #9
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If you are picking up one side of the DRV (even not totally off ground), I can see where the original baseplate would bend (mine did). That is a lot of weight on the baseplate in a small area. I think the ball cup is not thick enough to carry the load. I used a 2" schedule 80 pipe cap which has a wall thickness of almost 1/4". I don't think it will bend it. Guess we will see how it holds up. If Lippert is using heavier baseplates now, that is a good deal. Maybe they had lots of complaints on them bending.
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