Jacks down or not??

[Johno02]

Thought brought up by previous post. In our small Class A, the question has come up several times. If parked, and high winds or storms are forecast or happening, is the RV more stable with the jacks planted, or just sitting on the wheels?? On the Jacks, it does not seem to sway as much, but what do the rest of you think??

[apr67]

Jacks down will feel more comfortable. However from a safety standpoint it probably doesn't matter. If the wind is strong enough to blow you over it probably will either way.

[valhalla360]

Durb wrote:
The Class A motorhomes I have seen have their jacks mounted to the frame and are inboard of the tires. Jacks down in a storm would mean the coach is less likely to sway or bounce around, but is more likely to roll over with a high velocity side wind. If winds that extreme are forecast, move the rig nose first into the wind and slides in.

Assuming you didn't jack it up so the tires are off the ground, if it did start to roll, immediately, the tires would come into play the same as if you didn't have the jacks down...but you will have eliminated harmonic sway as the jacks aren't springy.

[bigred1cav]

Nose in the wind it is built for 90 mph

[Horsedoc]

Wall SD. Storms come out of the west generally. We were there and a huge storm blew in from the west. We were parked with the rear of the coach into the wind. I got up during the night and put up the ownings and the slides in. The movement, even with the jacks down was pretty scary but it calmed down some with the smaller profile with the slides in. I cannot imagine what it would be like sitting broadside to something that storm and winds

[Durb]

The Class A motorhomes I have seen have their jacks mounted to the frame and are inboard of the tires. Jacks down in a storm would mean the coach is less likely to sway or bounce around, but is more likely to roll over with a high velocity side wind. If winds that extreme are forecast, move the rig nose first into the wind and slides in.

[harley-dave]

We've been in a couple of 50-65 mph wind storms with our 31' class C and its definitely jacks down and slides IN. We also have a Winegard Travel'r on the roof that got bent one year so it gets stowed now also.

Dave

[wa8yxm]

DrewE wrote:
Jacks down should be a bit more stable;

I will second that. If jacks down your ability to "Rock and roll" is greatly reduced.. Springs are designed to allow you to Rock. and if you rock it's easier to roll.

[valhalla360]

Assuming the jacks are outside the footprint of the tires...no question jacks down. The wider the base the better...plus if they do fail or sink into mud, the tires will be there as a backup anyway.

Assuming the tires are on the ground, still better to have the jacks down as they will disrupt harmonic motion since there is no spring motion.

[Blazing_Zippers]

After parking along the Columbia River (wind surfing capitol), we learned to point the tow vehicle into the wind and drop the front jacks. The first time we experienced the winds there, I spilled a couple glasses of Two Buck Chuck (wine) before I learned.

[1320Fastback]

Jack's are there for stability, wind or not, class A or tent trailer.

[STBRetired]

We have been through some pretty rough spells of weather. Jacks down has always been our choice and has worked well for us. I have 1-1/2" x 16" x 16" plywood pads under the jacks (unless on concrete) which give a nice stable footprint. If the site is reasonably level, the jacks usually only lift the coach an inch or two to get it leveled. If we had the front wheels lifted, I would drop the front to get them back on the ground even if it meant I had to shut off the fridge til the storm is ended.

[DrewE]

Jacks down should be a bit more stable; typically they would have a slightly wider footprint than the wheels, and for sure less suspension motion. As long as the tires are still on the ground, I can't think of any possible reason why it would not be any less stable with jacks down.

If the winds are particularly high, you're much better off to be aligned with the winds than perpendicular to them. An RV is perfectly capable of withstanding 60+ mph winds head on without any difficulty, as you demonstrate every time you drive down the highway.

[Lwiddis]

I’m not concerned about me in high winds. I’m concerned about my RV. Jacks up. And if possible my TT is connected to the TV nose into the wind.