Bit the bullet and bought an off season park model travel trailer, or as us hicks call it a camper. Has 2 slides, a smaller bedroom one and a bigger sofa and dinette booth slide. Just curious how you guys support the entire units and why you do it the way you do. It will sit on a permanent site with a newly, like 2 weeks ago, dumped gravel pad underneath of it and is 36 feet long. Will be pulling it into place shortly and open to ideas to help reduce settling, twisting, unstable, having to re-level, ect. Support slides or not, jack and block, remove wheels or not, cinder block/treated boards/jack stands, whuddya do n why?
We have 33' travel trailer with one big bump out for the whole living room/kitchen, probably 10 or 12 feet long. We pulled it in where it is 7 years ago on a grassy spot and used big pressure blocks cause I had em, to level it and put the stabilizers down on. We add some air to the tires every now and then, when I think of it. I adjusted the level once due to settling, and we've been fine. The biggest thing I did was build a roof over my bump out to leave it out through the winter. We had leakage issues before the roof, but none since.
Set her up with 24" concrete patio stones on the gravel and then support the frame X 4 on each side. DO NOT put anything under the tip outs. If they are power tip outs consider sliding them in for the winter. If you are going to cover it DO NOT cover the entire unit, just the roof. Covering the entire unit will create condensation under the NON-Porous cover.
If supported from the ground in winter, the frost can shift the slide out and cause it leak. If the shift is severe enough it can structurally damage the frame around the slide. They are built to be self supporting either with powered or manual push out/in
What I am planning and feel free to correct me... I have some 1/2" thick rubberized conveyor belting that I was going to cut into 1 foot wide 4 long and put 2 strips down end to end. Then put a 6 foot ground contact treated 2x12 over the belting to keep it off the damp ground. Get the wheels on the 2x12 and chock them. Lower the 4 corner stabilizer jacks onto a 12x12" concrete patio paver. Then was thinking a set of jack stands on pavers for the slides only when extended in use for summer then suck slide in for winter. Not planning on covering in winter. Would I need more jack stands under the frame in the center of the camper? It will be hard plumbed for the sewage, in winter should it be un-coupled for possible frost heaving?
Sounds good. You should be able to get away without the jacks under the tips,as they are self supporting. Your choice. If you insert a mechanical rubber coupler in the hard sewer line it will negate the need to disconnect it in the off season.
I can't pull my bump out in for the winter cause when we go up to camp then I can't open the bump out as the snow is 4 to 5 feet deep. The bump out can't push through the snow. That's why I leave mine out, and therefor built the roof over the bump out. It's worked great for 7 years. I'll see if I can find a pic.............
If you're going to leave it there permanently, I'd nix the jack stands. They're just another source of movement, and I don't believe they'll a actually raise the camper if needed in the future to correct any settling. Pour 4 (or 8 if you want it really solid) 24" diameter cookies 4" deep with redimix and roll/scoot them in place near the 4 corners of the frame (if using 8, I'd also shoot for the areas directly fore and aft of the axles) . Stack a couple 8x16 concrete blocks on top of each and use an assortment of 2x8's and wood shims to make it level. A better option yet is to auger 24" diameter holes in the correct locations down below the frost line and fill them with concrete and then place the same concrete blocks on top of that.
