So, you’re thinking about RV scissor jacks, huh? Lemme tell ya, I’ve been down that road, and it wasn’t all sunshine and perfectly level campers right outta the box. We got our first rig, a bit of an older gal, and boy, did she like to dance. Every time someone walked from one end to the other, it felt like we were on a trampoline. Made dinner prep a real adventure, and not the good kind.
I figured, okay, scissor jacks. Seen ’em everywhere, gotta be the solution. Went down to the local RV place, grabbed a set. Didn’t go for the cheapest, but not the top-dollar ones either. Thought I was being smart. The fella at the store said, “Oh yeah, easy peasy to install.” Famous last words, right?
The “Easy Peasy” Installation
So, one Saturday morning, I crawled under that beast. First thing, the instructions looked like they were translated by a tired pigeon. Pictures were blurry, and the “step-by-step” guide seemed to skip a few crucial steps. I found some spots on the frame that looked about right. The pre-drilled holes on the jacks? Yeah, they didn’t line up with anything solid on my RV frame. Not a single one. So much for “universal fit.”
Out came the drill. Metal shavings everywhere. Managed to snap one drill bit, of course. Murphy’s Law. Lying on my back, dirt falling in my eyes, wrestling these heavy metal things into place. My shoulders were screaming by the end of the first one. It wasn’t just bolting them on; it was measuring, re-measuring, drilling, hoping I wasn’t hitting anything important on the other side of the frame.
Took me the better part of the day, not the “hour or two” I’d optimistically budgeted. Lots of grunting, a few choice words I won’t repeat here, and a desperate need for a hot shower afterwards. My knuckles were scraped, back was aching. But, they were on. All four of ’em.
Did They Work?
The moment of truth. I got out the crank handle – that long, awkward thing. Started cranking. Up, up, up… until they made contact and started to take some of the load. And you know what? It made a huge difference. Not perfect, mind you. It wasn’t like being on a concrete slab, but the major sway? Gone. The trampoline effect? Massively reduced. We could actually walk around without feeling like we were going to tip the whole thing over.
What I learned through that whole ordeal:
- Don’t always trust the “easy peasy” talk. Add a “frustration tax” to your time estimate.
- Make sure you have good, sharp drill bits if you’re doing it yourself. And a decent drill.
- Sometimes, paying a bit extra for a better quality jack, or even for installation if you’re not handy, might save you a lot of grief.
- A good cordless impact driver for lowering and raising them once installed? Absolute game changer. Saves so much time and elbow grease compared to that manual crank.
Over the years, those jacks served us pretty well. Had to replace one after I, uh, might have forgotten to retract it fully before trying to level on some very uneven ground. Bent it good. My fault, entirely. But getting a replacement and swapping it out was way easier the second time around, funny enough. Guess I learned a thing or two from that first wrestling match.
So yeah, RV scissor jacks. They do their job, eventually. Just be prepared for the journey to get them there. It’s all part of the RV life, I suppose. You fix one thing, learn something new, and then something else needs attention. Keeps you busy!
