Jack points

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, csevel said:

but since I'm a girl with limited knowledge

What's that got to do with it?😇

Seriously - any human that I know of isn't going to lift one of these campers all by themselves.  Knowing what works and especially knowing the right way to do it pertains to all of us.  Besides usually being safer, the right way is also usually the most efficient and easiest way to get a job done correctly too.

Bill

p.s.  besides - these kinds of topics are good to revisit from time to time particularly with more and more people obtaining previously owners Ollies.

[csevel]

2 hours ago, topgun2 said:

What's that got to do with it?😇

Seriously - any human that I know of isn't going to lift one of these campers all by themselves.  Knowing what works and especially knowing the right way to do it pertains to all of us.  Besides usually being safer, the right way is also usually the most efficient and easiest way to get a job done correctly too.

Bill

p.s.  besides - these kinds of topics are good to revisit from time to time particularly with more and more people obtaining previously owners Ollies.

Yeah, you're right!  My Dad simply left me out of the mechanical stuff and reserved his knowledge for my brothers.   He died when I was 21 so I never got to ask him these things now that they are important.  The brothers..well, they live in other states.

[Landrover]

5 hours ago, topgun2 said:

The potential problem with doing this is that the axles just might be dented, bent or otherwise deformed.  These axles are not solid material.

The basic problem with this is that depending on where the jacks are placed there may be enough torque to "tweak" or bend the frame such that it will either be out of alignment and/or put stress on the fiberglass body.

Both these issues (and perhaps more) are reasons why Oliver started identifying the specific jack points on trailers sometime in 2017 or 2018.  As with SeaDawg my 2016 Elite II has never had jack points identified.  However, I've been told that when/if I need to jack up the camper I should place the jack on the steel subframe as close to the axles as I can.

It will be interesting to see what the latest word on this issue is from Service.

Bill

I cant see it but I also can’t argue.Trailer steel frames would flex much more than this solid box aluminum frame. My 2019 has the marked jack points. I’m sure its more of a liability thing like not using the elec jacks to change tires.  This is something that I personally won’t be concerned about.

[bhncb]

6 hours ago, csevel said:

 I have a 2 ton bottle jack that I could use roadside if the onboard jacks shouldn't be used for flat tires..  So the question is the spring plate the right spot if I don't have the steel subframe? 

Yes. On the side of the road this is the safest way because you only have to raise the wheel and axle high enough to make the change, not the entire trailer.  Just be sure your 2 ton bottle jack is short enough to fit under the spring plate when the tire is flat. You might need to pull the flat wheel up on blocks if not.

[geO]

On 4/1/2022 at 2:53 PM, csevel said:

I know I'm reviving an old thread but my '17 does not have the steel overlay forward OR aft of the tires as shown in the photo above.  I know because I used a magnet to see.   Am I safe in just using the spring plate to place jack stands under while I do bearing, lube and brake work??  

I'm getting ready to do the same thing and was just wondering that a few days ago.

[csevel]

I did receive a timely response from Jason Essary:

"The preferred method for a dual axle camper is to use an EZ Jack tire chock. If you do not have an EZ jack chock then locate the closest frame point, to the wheel that will be removed, and place cribbing between the frame & jack so that the pressure is spread across the cribbing"

I do in fact have the Andersen Rapid Jack from my Casita days in addition to the smaller Andersen leveler which I use for the front tire for side to side leveling on the ILOVHER.  I guess I was NOT thinking!  Makes perfect sense for roadside flats or bearing failures (which I hope doesn't ever happen to me)..DUH!  

 

 

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, csevel said:

"The preferred method for a dual axle camper is to use an EZ Jack tire chock.

Wow, that is cool! I have never used one of those. It would make it so easy. I wish I would have had one f those in my youth. There were several times it would have saved a lot of effort changing a trailer tire.  How many of you all use EZ Jack tire chock to aid in leveling your camper?

Thanks, 

Kirk

[Frank C]

2 hours ago, csevel said:

I did receive a timely response from Jason Essary:

"The preferred method for a dual axle camper is to use an EZ Jack tire chock. If you do not have an EZ jack chock then locate the closest frame point, to the wheel that will be removed, and place cribbing between the frame & jack so that the pressure is spread across the cribbing"

I do in fact have the Andersen Rapid Jack from my Casita days in addition to the smaller Andersen leveler which I use for the front tire for side to side leveling on the ILOVHER.  I guess I was NOT thinking!  Makes perfect sense for roadside flats or bearing failures (which I hope doesn't ever happen to me)..DUH!  

 

 

 

Yeah, the Andersen rapid jack or EZ leveler will work for changing a flat tire, but only on older Oliver Elite IIs without the Dexter E-Z flex cushioned dual axle system.  On later Olivers with the Dexter E-Z flex dual axle, there is so much articulation in the suspension linkage that if you drive one wheel up on the rapid jack, the other wheel on that same side will stay on the ground.    There have been a few posts about this on the Oliver Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OllieOwners/permalink/540818246323301/

And what is it with all these companies that use EZ in their product names!   

[csevel]

2 hours ago, FrankC said:

Yeah, the Andersen rapid jack or EZ leveler will work for changing a flat tire, but only on older Oliver Elite IIs without the Dexter E-Z flex cushioned dual axle system.  On later Olivers with the Dexter E-Z flex dual axle, there is so much articulation in the suspension linkage that if you drive one wheel up on the rapid jack, the other wheel on that same side will stay on the ground.    There have been a few posts about this on the Oliver Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OllieOwners/permalink/540818246323301/

And what is it with all these companies that use EZ in their product names!   

Well then!  Back to the drawing board as I DO have the Dexter E-Z flex Suspension!  Now I'm completely confused!  My goodness..does it have to be this hard??

[Frank C]

3 hours ago, csevel said:

Well then!  Back to the drawing board as I DO have the Dexter E-Z flex Suspension!  Now I'm completely confused!  My goodness..does it have to be this hard??

I just use a good heavy duty scissor jack on some 4”x4” cribbing to lift the trailer (but mine does have the marked jack points on the steel subframe) and then after raising the trailer I put the stabilizer down just as a backup.  Chocks under the tires on the opposite side of course.  Doing my wheel bearing re-packing now. 

[Geronimo John]

On 4/5/2022 at 8:24 AM, FrankC said:

I just use a good heavy duty scissor jack on some 4”x4” cribbing to lift the trailer (but mine does have the marked jack points on the steel subframe) and then after raising the trailer I put the stabilizer down just as a backup.  Chocks under the tires on the opposite side of course.  Doing my wheel bearing re-packing now. 

Frank: 

I like your approach of having two safety supports at the tire change side.

In addition, I only jack up my OE2 ATTACHED to my truck.  Parking brake set of course.  So, should something upset the apple cart, I'll have three safety points.  Nothing like having a  6,000 pound truck as an anchor.  🙂

GJ

[MobileJoy]

On 4/5/2022 at 11:56 AM, FrankC said:

Yeah, the Andersen rapid jack or EZ leveler will work for changing a flat tire, but only on older Oliver Elite IIs without the Dexter E-Z flex cushioned dual axle system.  On later Olivers with the Dexter E-Z flex dual axle, there is so much articulation in the suspension linkage that if you drive one wheel up on the rapid jack, the other wheel on that same side will stay on the ground.    There have been a few posts about this on the Oliver Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OllieOwners/permalink/540818246323301/

And what is it with all these companies that use EZ in their product names!   

I don't yet have approval to use this FB link. However, I did purchase a Blaylock EZ Jack and tested it on my 2021 EII which has E-Z Flex. The test was performed in a garage on a flat concrete floor. Tires were inflated to approx. 60 lbs. It DID lift the other wheel off the ground. Test repeated for front and rear wheels on street side successfully. Had this not worked, the EZ jack would have been returned.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaylock-American-Metal-EZ-100-Wheel/dp/B000R5PMWE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ez+jack&qid=1652777701&sr=8-2

I also own Andersen levelers and they will not lift the other wheel when used alone.

When I have a flat, if this jack doesn't work for some reason, then it will double as a jack stand while I use the F250 tire (bottle) jack with an Andersen Trailer Jack Block:

https://andersenhitches.com/product/trailer-jack-block/

I have tested the latter combination (without the EZ Jack) and it worked fine. I did this while adjusting wheel bearing play on one wheel.

 

[Frank C]

3 hours ago, MobileJoy said:

I don't yet have approval to use this FB link. However, I did purchase a Blaylock EZ Jack and tested it on my 2021 EII which has E-Z Flex. The test was performed in a garage on a flat concrete floor. Tires were inflated to approx. 60 lbs. It DID lift the other wheel off the ground. Test repeated for front and rear wheels on street side successfully. Had this not worked, the EZ jack would have been returned.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaylock-American-Metal-EZ-100-Wheel/dp/B000R5PMWE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ez+jack&qid=1652777701&sr=8-2

I also own Andersen levelers and they will not lift the other wheel when used alone.

When I have a flat, if this jack doesn't work for some reason, then it will double as a jack stand while I use the F250 tire (bottle) jack with an Andersen Trailer Jack Block:

https://andersenhitches.com/product/trailer-jack-block/

I have tested the latter combination (without the EZ Jack) and it worked fine. I did this while adjusting wheel bearing play on one wheel.

 

Seems to be conflicting results on using the ez jack type ramp with the ez flex suspension.   See below post from another thread.  Maybe different ramp heights?
 

[MobileJoy]

I can't explain it. The Blaylock I have measures 6" x 6" x 22", yet it did perform as I described it. The Andersen Rapid Jack is specified as being 7" tall.

[Hokieman]

On 4/5/2022 at 2:00 PM, csevel said:

Well then!  Back to the drawing board as I DO have the Dexter E-Z flex Suspension!  Now I'm completely confused!  My goodness..does it have to be this hard??

I’m completely confused also.   If either the Blaylock or the Anderson drive-up type jack works with Dexter EZ Flex suspension, I want to buy one for roadside repairs.   Several posts on the forum and Facebook have advised these types  do not work with the Dexter EZ Flex, but apparently it worked for Mobiljoy.   One concern I have is if the spring shackles have a tendency to flip.  

On 4/5/2022 at 10:15 AM, csevel said:

I did receive a timely response from Jason Essary:

"The preferred method for a dual axle camper is to use an EZ Jack tire chock.

If Jason is referring to the Dexter EZ-Flex models, which I assume he is, then Oliver owes it to all us to make this high priority safety issue very clear.   I was not able to attend the rally.   Could one of you “experts” run this to ground with Jason and others at the rally and get back to us? 

[John E Davies]

5 hours ago, Mike D. said:

 One concern I have is if the spring shackles have a tendency to flip.  

That can happen any time you raise both tires of the ground. It has never happened to me when just one is raised with weight on the other one. It will definitely occur while checking the brakes with them off the ground, spin a tire and have a helper pull the emergency breakaway cord. The brakes lock and ***BANG*** the axle shackle flips and one wheel drops down. I was never able to figure out a way to manually put it back where it belongs, using floor and bottle jacks, but simply towing your lopsided trailer will eventually fix it, or you can drive that side of the Ollie over a concrete curb and ***BANG*** back it goes. I am not enamored with the EZ-FLex system, or any tandem equalizer setup. What a primitive design.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Hokieman]

On 5/18/2022 at 3:15 PM, Mike D. said:

If Jason is referring to the Dexter EZ-Flex models, which I assume he is, then Oliver owes it to all us to make this high priority safety issue very clear.   I was not able to attend the rally.   Could one of you “experts” run this to ground with Jason and others at the rally and get back to us? 

Did anyone that attended the rally ask Oliver representatives the preferred method for changing a tire on the roadside while traveling?   Jason Essary has apparently recommended the EZ Jack.   The manual recommends a scissor or bottle Jack used on the designated frame  locations. 

[ScubaRx]

On 4/2/2022 at 9:41 AM, csevel said:

I didn't mean to revive the beaten topic as I've noticed this has come up time and time again through searching and I know there are a number of variables that would predicate different jacking methods, but since I'm a girl with limited knowledge, I'd like to feel confident lifting the trailer in the right spot whether on the side of the road or in my driveway.   I have a 3 ton floor jack to use for in-driveway maintenance or rotations, but obviously wouldn't have that available on the side of the road.   I have a 2 ton bottle jack that I could use roadside if the onboard jacks shouldn't be used for flat tires..  So the question is the spring plate the right spot if I don't have the steel subframe?  Thanks for all of your help!

It’s perfectly fine to use the spring plate. 

[MobileJoy]

I attended the rally and brought this up as a question at the Maintenance discussion with Jason. I did mention E-Z Flex as part of my question. He said that the E-Z style jacks should work. When I mentioned to him that some folks have said on the forum that the other tire did not lift off of the ground for them, he said that there has to be something wrong there, but did not go any further in detail.

Thanks JD for the point about not lifting both wheels off the ground simultaneously as it could cause the spring shackles to flip. I had not done that with Mojo. It also sounds like the symptom is pretty obvious when it happens, so I assume the negative experience with E-Z jacks probably has nothing to do with this.

 

[Hokieman]

Thank you for asking Jason these questions!

[SteveCr]

2021 LE 2 ....tried using one of my 6.5" high Harbor Freight ramps. It will indeed lift either tire off the ground. Similar to using a leveler...it's as easy as it looks.

 

 

 

[Hokieman]

I did a quick test with my 2021 LE2, but just used stuff I had with me while camping this past week.   I used a Beech Lane leveler, 2 rubber jack pads, and a few 6x6 wood blocks.   The total height off the ground was 6.5”.   The rear wheel lifted free, very easy to do.   If I wanted to remove the wheel, I would have lowered the rear stabilizer for additional safety.   I did this test in a slightly sloped gravel parking lot, my objective being to simulate a roadside tire change.  I assume the EZ Jack will work just fine, and will be more elegant and safer than my makeshift arrangement.   I also think it’s much safer than a bottle or scissor Jack on the frame. 

[MobileJoy]

FYI, I'm at the Mother Ship for annual maintenance, and I noticed that in their accessory store they have new Blaylock jacks for sale. Seems like they believe in the recommended jacking method enough to invest in it.

[Hokieman]

Thanks for update Mobilejoy.   If you get the opportunity, perhaps you can discuss with OTT management  if they  will consider editing their owners manual so we can clear up the confusion on a key safety item.   A video would be a benefit.   Following are the instructions from the 2021 Owners Manual on Changing a Tire: 

”Slightly loosen the lug nuts on the tire you want to remove. Locate the approved jack points on the steel sub frame. Using a bottle or scissor jack, raise the trailer until the tire clears the ground, then finish loosening and removing them. Pull
off the old tire, slide the hubcap out backwards and insert it on spare. Set spare tire evenly on the lug nuts and hand tighten lug nuts. Retract front jack back to travel position and remove all external jacks. Now tighten lug nuts completely. Lug nuts should be torqued to 120 ft. lbs. ”

[csevel]

I think the results will vary with the EZ Flex as we DID in fact try it with the Rapid Jack which is 7" tall on an asphalt driveway and it did NOT lift the other tire off the ground at all.  Just saying.