Jacking up a Campomatic camper with Alko suspension ?
Submitted: Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 20:36
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Member - Outback Gazz
G'day All
I recently purchased a 2006 Campomatic camper trailer. Got it in my shed today to tweak a few things to suit my needs and tidy a few things up to make it look newer. Got some new rims and tyres for it and this arvo thought I would quickly put them on - what a hassle !
The only place I could put a jack was under the shocker mounts due to the angled design of the Alko
suspension. The bottle jack I have has a high lift and got the wheel off the ground easily but after putting an axle stand under the rear chassis which needed some solid concrete blocks under to reach the main chassis at the back as there is no axle then when letting the jack down the wheel just sat back on the concrete due to the good travel in the
suspension.
So then I got my hi-lift trolley jack out only to find I can't get the jack centre under the shocker mount due to the jack hitting the tyre irrespective of how I positioned the jack. Then I got my old dangerous hi-lift jack out but found there is no solid place to put it.
So with a second jack on more concrete blocks after the first jack reached its limit I eventually got the wheel off the ground and the trailer now safely on an axle stand (on more concrete blocks) under the rear chassis I'm ready to change a wheel.
So could someone please tell me how the buck am I supposed to change a tyre on the camper out bush somewhere should I be unlucky enough to get a flat - without carrying 2 jacks 6 concrete blocks 8 pieces of hardwood or a gantry, block and tackle ??
Thought I would mention the bottom of the chassis is 700mm off the ground
Hope this makes sense as I'm on my ?? beer lol
Cheers
Gazz
Reply By: Bushranger1 - Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 21:43
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 21:43
G'day Gazz,
I had a camper trailer with Alko
suspension & changed a few tires in remote spots.
I had an option that a pipe bracket fitted on the lifting jaw of the High Lift jack
I welded a short piece of pipe either side to the chassis that the pipe jaw slid into.
Very safe & can't slip off like the standard jaw.
Cheers
Stu
AnswerID:
638030
Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:47
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:47
G'day Stu
Cheers for that.
I have come up with a couple similar ideas but was hoping not to lug the hi-lift jack around with me.
Cheers
Gazz
FollowupID:
916236
Follow Up By: Bushranger1 - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 13:41
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 13:41
G'day Gazz,
Yea they are heavy but I had it mounted on the trailer & had it with me all the time.
I had the pipe adapter & Bullbar lifter for it. I don't use a highlift any more as I keep the weight down on the slideon camper.
Cheers
Stu
FollowupID:
916244
Reply By: RMD - Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 22:51
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 22:51
Gazz
I presume it is the rubber
suspension and not the trailing arm and coil spring variety of Alko. They jack up easily.
If you procure some heavy steel channel which fits over the arm and is long enough to extend past the tyre. The end of the channel can be jacked upwards to lift the wheel. Some device, similar to lynch pin would need to be used on inner side of arm in two
places to hold it snugly/securely. This can be used for both sides when reversed. Best to have a piece of solid round steel welded to the jack end on two opposite edges so as to engage with the jack properly. That outer end can be boxed in so ensure forces don't bend the channel. Much lighter than concrete blocks and easier to store and carry.
The device may need some dogleg to get past the tyre.
Alternate to the lynch pin fixing, a suitable heavy sq form C section which will slide over the arm if a flat plate style is what you have. This could also be fabricated specially for the job.
AnswerID:
638031
Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:55
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:55
Trailing arm suspension
RMD
It's the trailing arm type.
And after some online research this morning I see Alko make bolt on jack brackets.
I will play around a bit with it as I think I might have an idea to make something up to use my bottle jack.
Thanks for the reply
Cheers
Gazz
FollowupID:
916237
Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 08:06
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 08:06
Hi Gazz,
My full off road caravan has a similar
suspension. It has jacking points on the chassis, I need my Trailer-mate HiLift hydraulic Jack to reach it. I agree, they are heavy, probably the heaviest single item I have to carry. I also carry a few blocks of treated pine sleeper off cuts to use under my stabiliser legs, so they can also be used under the Jack if necessary.
Macca.
FollowupID:
916239
Follow Up By: RMD - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 10:48
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 10:48
Gazz
Thanks for clarifying the type. Please forget all I mentioned re, rubber
suspension.
It shouldn't be hard to make or have made a piece of sturdy RHS to fit under the arm and catch the top of the pivot area steel RHS. That way you can still lift with a hydraulic jack on the end of the attachment.
Just lifting the arm sufficiently to remove a wheel or a bit higher to remove a flat tyre/wheel and allow fitment of spare.
I don't like jacking heavy things into the sky to allow for
suspension droop before you even begin to get near wheel changing possibility.
I made a U shaped plate link and drop chain on an extendable RHS. The larger RHS slid over the inner bit. That way the outer end could raised with a Hi lift jack and the inner end on opposite side member of ute chassis. That way you can lift the whole side, wheels off ground if need be.
FollowupID:
916241
Reply By: Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 22:51
Thursday, Sep 23, 2021 at 22:51
I had a camper with Alko
suspension. It had a few bells and whistles but came with no jack. Now I know why.
AnswerID:
638032
Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:59
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 07:59
G'day Frank
The chap I bought it from said in all the years he's had it he never got a flat.
I think that was his way of saying - Good luck changing a tyre if you have to lol
Cheers
Gazz
FollowupID:
916238
Reply By: Rangiephil - Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 09:37
Friday, Sep 24, 2021 at 09:37
My 1999 had limiting chains to prevent the shocks topping out.
I could place a jack under the back of the swing arm to jack it up.
I jacked it up a couple of times using a Discovery 2 jack which has a high lift.
However my
suspension was an earlier version with the shocks angled inwards .
AnswerID:
638035
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Saturday, Sep 25, 2021 at 08:07
Saturday, Sep 25, 2021 at 08:07
Have a look at the Trail-a-Mate hydraulic jack. Quite compact.
My Goldstream has Al-Ko independent
suspension and the Trail-a-Mate jack was supplied by manufacturer.
The van does have purpose designed "channel" brackets on chassis to accommodate the jack's lifting arm, but I'm sure you could add a similar solution to your campomatic.
AnswerID:
638054
Reply By: Member - Outback Gazz - Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 at 08:42
Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 at 08:42
Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.
Worked out I'm going to make something similar to the Roadsafe bottle jack extension - 50x50x6 angle welded to some round tube that sits under the front part of the trailing arm. This angle will be welded on at the same slant/angle the trailing arm is so it's good support.
This will fit over my bottle jack and have adjustment to allow for changing a tyre when flat and when not flat - then carry some thick blocks of wood to maximize the lift of the jack. Hopefully all my measurements work lol. Worst case scenario is I might need to make one for flat tyre changing and one for non flat tyre changing. These can easily be stored in the trailer somewhere.
This way I don't need to carry the hi-lift jack as I already carry the bottle jack.
Cheers
Gazz
AnswerID:
638078