What type of jack do you carry.....

[Shiny]

I just bought a small bottle jack after using my old floor jack for the first time. The floor jack worked OK but I felt it awkward to roll between the tires and get wood blocks stacked high enough to reach the frame. I used the bottle jack today and liked it better. I put the blocks under the jack which felt more stable. The bottle jack is small and light enough to carry with us so that's my plan for now.

I do like the simplicity and reduced labor with the "roll-on" ramps. Recognizing my limitations, I would be nervous about rolling over and falling off the Anderson version. The detent in the Trailer Aid looks like a good idea for someone with my foot coordination challenges. I may snag one if I can figure out where to stash it. Thanks for sharing this option I didn't know about.

Mike

[Rhubarb]

We use various combinations of 3/4" wood planks for leveling. Stacking four or five of these, and pulling the camper on top of them, lifts the other tire off of the ground for removal. We just had occasion to do this on our recent trip. This process is easy, safe, and eliminates the need to carry another jack. (Perish the thought that we would have flats on two tires at the same time.)

[cpaharley2008]

I see you are the owner of a 2012 E19? Are you the original owner, that must be one of the first made?

[GeorgeB]

Grandfather always told me to carry a slab of wood to support the jack. He even had nails sticking out one side to grip the ground/mud. Anything slipping off a jack is scary.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

Don't think this would work with mine—don't see a stem; has a frame that lifts.

Floor jacks normally have a saddle which has a post on the bottom that sits in a hole in the top of the jack arm. The extension is used by removing the saddle, inserting the extension, and putting the saddle into the top of the extension. If your jack has a non-removable saddle this won't work.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I just signed up for Good Sam Road service for one year. Anyone know if Good Sam is in Canada?

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

they should be anywhere Camping World is, because they are affiliated.

There are no Camping World locations in Canada, but as others have pointed out, that doesn't matter. Good Sam doesn't have tow trucks, and neither do Camping World stores; it has contracts with towing companies. Where they contract service is not really related to where they have stores, although it would be sensible to avoid a customer upset by being unable to get service in the neighborhood of a store.

Originally Posted by Fender

As a Canadian I know that Good Sam roadside service works in Canada or the US so I suspect it is the same in reverse.

Good to know... but the reverse won't necessarily work. Companies sell services to customers, and can offer different services to different markets. It is probably much more common for a Canadian customer to travel to the U.S. than for a U.S. customer to travel to Canada, so service arrangements may be different.

[gbaglo]

If you wonder why you're waiting so long for a tow truck it could be because the truck is under contract to Good Sam or AAA and gets paid a miserable amount for the tow.
A driver I had told me he barely covers the gas.
You might want to look up John Oliver's piece from last night on the trucking industry. Those trucks painted with Amazon Prime and Fedex logos may be under contract, not owned by Amazon and Fedex ( who take no responsibility ). Interesting story.
https://ew.com/tv/john-oliver-slams-...ver-treatment/

[advenas]

I carry an Omega 3 ton bottle jack and a set of Safe Jack aids for the bottle jack. The Safe Jack aid set allows me to extend the lift height of the bottle jack by 3 inches and gives me a set of mounts that allow me a variety of ways to support a vehicle or my truck safely. I highly recommend this setup as it is compact and very stable.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

In case of flats to your tow and/or Escape Trailer? There is a minimum clearance to place a trolley jack under the E19 axles by the wheels. I have called and left a message with the factory but was shopping on line and looking at jacks, made me wonder? My truck sits about 15" from the side frame less of course at the rear differential.....looking at 3 tons jack and stands combo on Amazon!

I always have a small bottle jack (2 ton I think) in the storage compartment in my truck. It will work w/truck(including a bed full of firewood) or trailer. You may need some blocks of wood or plastic lego levelers to get the right height but it does have an adjustable top that screws in or out quite a bit. I think it is cobalt or some such brand probably from Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight. They are cheap and relatively light. I have even used it to jack up a stuck wheel to stuff things under it and then drive off. Very handy.

[David Hendrickson]

Use a small bottle jack and don't jack under the axles, see manual.

[Martin Cramer]

I carry a ramp made of 2 4x4’s bolted together and angled 45 degrees on one end. I can pull the trailer up so it is supported by one wheel and can remove the wheel on the second axle. I haven’t had a flat but use it when I adjust the brakes.

[Ken G]

I carry a 2 ton bottle jack for the tow vehicle and those leggo blocks for the trailer. I have a 21 so it is tandom axles. I just pull the front tire up on the blocks till the rear wheel is off the ground or back the rear wheel up on the blocks till the front wheel is off the ground. I would suggest if you are using a bottle jack to jack up the trailer you do it on the frame not the axle

[mtnhigh]

I also belong to Good Sam roadside assistance. But i also carry a tire ramp for my 5.0 camper. This makes changing a tire in a remote area where there is no cell service. I do a lot of boon docking. You don't need to carry a jack for a dual axle camper. There are many makers of these tire ramps. You can find them on Amazon. Mine is call Trailer Aid. Hope this helps

[Paul Dean]

Bottle jack and a ramp have both served me well for multiple lifts. I got to use them more when I had the crummy original tires, only for regular maintenance since I switched to light truck tires, Goodyear Wrangler HT's (LT215/75R15). LOVE these tires so far!

[Gregw]

I carry a small bottle jack as well as a number of 2x's for blocking, Also carry a "tandem Aid" for that as well as leveling at times and it works great for adjusting the brakes.



https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-T...%2C209&sr=8-6#

[bnorman53]

I carry BCAA in my pocket!!!

[cpaharley2008]

Axle clearance is 12.5 inches on E19, unloaded....

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye Ed

But if you really need to jack up your 5.0 on one side, where do you place the jack? Anyone have a picture with a good description, especially how much clearance you have when you start jacking (assuming you're jacking the axle for the good tire if you have a flat).

With the Torflex suspension, don't jack up on square tube of the axle - that can bend. You can jack up on the bracket where the axle assembly is attached to the frame; this is stated and shown on page 17 of the Owner's Manual. For stability, always lift rearward of the centre of mass, which essentially means the rear axle bracket or the frame rearward of that. If jacking on the frame, I would jack on the main (lower) frame section, not the raised section at the back.

It doesn't matter what tire is flat, as you are lifting the entire side of the trailer rather than one axle.

The manual is not specific to Escape model, but jacking is the same for all current models (except that the 17' obviously has only one axle assembly rather than two).

For those with early 5.0TA's and their leaf-spring axles - and this may apply to you, Ed - the situation is different and you can jack on the axle with the flat tire rather than lifting the whole side of the trailer. I would want to lift on the axle as close to the end as possible to avoid bending the axle.

[John in Santa Cruz]

and ideally never jack up a trailer unless it is connected to a tow vehicle if you want stability. if its NOT connected to a vehicle and is just sitting on its nose jack, make DARN sure the wheels on other side are well chocked. I like those black hard rubber solid chocks, they don't slide on concrete or asphalt. the molded plastic chocks are just too sketchy. also many tire chocks are for much bigger tires than us little FG guys run, so don't mate well against the curvature of the tire.

[Little Richie]

I have a 5.0 TA and the F250. I am a bit more careful than many people so you have to discount my comments appropriately. Hopefully they are helpful.

I have a US Jack High range bottle jack and a set of US Jack Jack stands (US Made). In general US made jacks are more expensive . In terms of quality and cost these are at the higher end of the scale. I have use them to jack up my camper and jack up the truck once, just to confirm I could do it correctly. As an aside, I have identified all my jack and jackstands points and sprayed them with orange paint so I can find them when I need them. I have found this very helpful in the past.

A fellow camper use the jackstands once when he had to replace his stabilizer jacks because his camper slipped rolled off its moorings, so to speak. While I might use a cheaper Jack, I don’t think I would do away with the jackstands especially in that case. The problem is they take up space.

Prior to this, on a different camper, I use a cheap bottle jack twice to change the tire and once to get the camper out of a hole. The latter was probably the most important reason for having a Jack.

I am getting older and my joints are failing. Consequently I rely more on roadside service, and a tire inflator. The tire inflator is a very useful tool. In most cases you don’t have a blowout, you just have a leak. In several instances I have just inflated my tire stopped, inflated it again, etc. ; and driven it to someplace where they would change the tire and fix it. That is almost as good as a service.

There are several different options out there that you might want to consider, depending on how much risk you associate with the choice, your skill set and the condition of your body.

Overall, my choice is a tire inflator, roadside service and a bottle jack and a set of jackstands. Even if you don’t know how to use the ladder you can sometimes find somebody who will help you out. Good luck.