JACKS & JACKING PRACTICAL
WE HAVE
LIFT-OFF
1
JOHN WICKERSHAM LOOKS AT HOW TO PROPERLY JACK UP YOUR
CARAVAN OR MOTOR CARAVAN IN THE EVENT OF A PUNCTURE
O
N PAGES 619-620 of your Sites
Directory & Handbook 2007/08,
there’s a section on jacking and
wheel changing procedures. Further
guidance is given in the Handbook that
supports the Club’s Ownership and
Manoeuvrability courses, and points like
these are included:
■ Never use corner steadies to raise a
caravan – this could lead to a distorted
chassis, damaged steadies and a
fractured floor
■ Whenever possible, always leave a
caravan coupled to its towing vehicle
before jacking it up to change a wheel
■ In many roadside situations it’s
often safer to call out an emergency
service specialist rather than tackle
the job yourself
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2. Before elevating an uncoupled
caravan, car chocks are placed on
both sides of this unjacked wheel
■ Never crawl underneath a vehicle if it is
only supported by a jack. Robust axle
stands are essential for keeping it
elevated safely
■ If a caravan is unhitched, fully engage its
handbrake and place chocks on both
sides of the unjacked wheel AND the
jockey wheel.
Note: on smooth surfaces, unhitched
caravans have a nasty habit of pivoting
around if chocks lose their grip during
elevation.
There are many other issues, too. For
instance, when my caravan had a puncture
on the Paris périphérique, the telescopic
tubing on the underfloor wheel carrier
wouldn’t slide open so I had to remove
the entire rack. Now I keep it well
greased. On another occasion, I was
3
3. The front jacking points under the
cab of this Fiat-based motor caravan
are easy to find
pleased I’d packed a small trolley jack in
my motor caravan when a nail went into a
tyre on a remote campsite track.
1. Punctures can
even occur on a
caravan site
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Like many owners, I’d normally expect to
change a wheel myself, but commend the
wisdom of carrying out dummy runs at
home. It’s only when you do things ‘for real’
that you find that a standard scissors jack
can take a lot of arm muscle – especially
when lifting a fully-laden twin-axle tourer.
Working on a level location is important,
of course, and I always carry sturdy boards
to extend the base of a jack to prevent it
from sinking into soft ground.
As regards coachbuilt motor caravans,
the manual accompanying a base vehicle
provides guidance on wheel changing, but
>>
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4
4. A service engineer should NOT
have jacked up this caravan under its
chassis side member
5. This caravan on a ramp shows where
a jack has to be positioned under the
axle tube of an older AL-KO chassis
MAY 2008 THE CARAVAN CLUB MAGAZINE
71
PRACTICAL JACKS & JACKING
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6
6. This support stand is under the plate
securing the axle tube to the chassis.
It can also be used as a jacking point
7. These are the heavy-duty AL-KO
brackets fitted on a bare chassis to
accept the company’s 2000kg side jack
difficulties can arise when the rear part of a
chassis has to be lifted. For instance, if an
AL-KO chassis has been fitted as a
replacement for the original Fiat, Peugeot or
Citroën chassis, the jack provided for lifting
the cab might not be suitable for the rear of
the motor caravan.
JACKING POINTS
Even if you summon roadside assistance to
deal with a puncture, it’s still worth
knowing where the jacking points are as
some roadside assistance personnel are not
well-informed when faced with a touring or
motor caravan. When my caravan tyre had a
blow-out north of Lyon many years ago, a
French mechanic retrieving the caravan
twisted a corner steady which he
inappropriately used for lifting purposes.
Mechanics ought to know better but
sometimes make mistakes. I’ve visited two
well-established servicing workshops and
INFORMATION PRODUCTS
■ AL-KO Kober – tel 01926 818500. Jacking products,
brackets and chocks
■ D&J Industries – tel 01476 860815. Australian Trail-A-Mate
hydraulic jockey wheel which converts into a side jack
■ Purple Line – tel 0800 298 7765. For dealer network selling
the Kojack
INFORMATION GENERAL
■ Gold pages (starting p619) in the Sites Directory &
Handbook 2007/08
■ Caravan Club Technical Leaflet: Caravan Tyres and Wheels
■ AL-KO AMC Handbook (for motor caravans built on an
AL-KO chassis) – p15 for rear jacking points
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10. This is the smaller bracket for
lighter caravans which can accept
either a side jack or this scissor jack
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THE CARAVAN CLUB MAGAZINE
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8. Even when a tyre is completely flat,
a scissor jack with its cradle bracket is
easily positioned under the axle
seen a jack being placed under an AL-KO
chassis side member to lift a caravan.
That’s WRONG!
Of course, this procedure was acceptable
on most caravans built more than 25 years
ago, because chassis members were sturdier
– and heavier. Modern chassis from AL-KO
and BPW are lighter, providing strength
where needed, and jacking points must be
carefully noted.
In AL-KO chassis used in the 1980s, the
recommended place to position a jack was
at the outer end of the axle tube. An
alternative point was under the heavy steel
plate that fastens the axle to the main
longitudinal chassis members.
However, there was a clear need for a
side-lifting jack, and on most 1991 BPW
chassis and AL-KO chassis built around
1992, fixing holes were formed in the main
longitudinal members to accept brackets
for side jacks. To save pennies, some caravan
manufacturers didn’t fit the brackets, but
AL-KO confirms that they can usually be
fitted retrospectively to chassis from 1980
model year onwards.
As regards coachbuilt motor caravans
constructed on an AL-KO chassis, the rear
jacking points are found in the damper
mounts in front of the axle. For tandem axle
models, a jack should be placed under the
shock damper mount on the second axle.
However, AL-KO does not supply jacks for
elevating the rear of motor caravans.
JACKS COMPARED
Positioning a jack isn’t always easy when a
tyre is completely flat. That’s where a
scissor jack scores because it folds down
into a compact unit. Moreover, to achieve a
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11. The side bracket fitted on this
AL-KO chassis member is often used
in workshops with a trolley jack
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9. It’s so much easier to fit and
operate this heavy-duty side-lift jack
shown on AL-KO’s exhibition chassis
good location, AL-KO’s products are made
with a cradle-shaped top (or saddle) to
achieve a close register with the flat sides of
the axle tube.
However, side-lift jacks are easier to
attach and AL-KO’s two models can
support caravans with 1600kg and 2000kg
maximum gross weights; their different
brackets also reflect their respective
loadings. There’s also an AL-KO scissor
jack designed for side-lift operations.
Furthermore, some workshops employ
the bolt-on bracket as a lifting point when
a trolley jack is used.
Purple Line also offers an hydraulic
scissor jack, the Kojack, priced at £59.99.
At 10kg (on my scales), it’s quite heavy to
carry in a caravan but it’s sold with a
compact carrying case that easily gets
hidden in the back of a towcar.
Different again is the Trail-A-Mate from
Australia. This is another hydraulic side jack
which also doubles as a jockey wheel. If
you’ve seen the chassis on Australian
caravans you’ll know they are heavy, so this
product (£99 inc delivery) should easily
cope with European caravans fitted with
appropriate coupling points.
There are also products advertised
with a 12V motor which are “…suitable
for most cars, vans, caravans or trailers.”
However, a distributor informed me that
their motorised products are not sold with
support brackets and are unlikely to be
suitable for caravans on an AL-KO chassis
(although Pyramid Products’ Powerjack,
featured in the Oct 2007 issue, does come
with AL-KO compatible brackets). So
check details of products’ support systems
before making a purchase. ■
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12. The hydraulic Kojak provides a lift
from its folded position to a maximum
height of around 12in (300mm)
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13. The hydraulic Trail-A-Mate side
jack doubles as a jockey wheel