So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
As 'stabiliser' legs are just for that, to stop van from rocking and you having to put a sign on the door "if the vans a rock'n don't come a knock'n" I see no reason why tek screws are not good enough. As long as they are of good size that is. If you have a regular maintenance routine you could include checking them at same time.
In my mind (and thats a worry in itself) if you weld them and need to replace due to damage you would have to grind the weld the remove.
Stabiliser legs are just to stop rocking of the van NOT as a weight support.
Keep Safe out there.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
Rod, Your stabilisers are that, they don't do anything other than move from horizontal to vertical without any load, any method of attachment will do as long as they are secure (to ensure they don't fall off when travelling).
Screws may vibrate loose, similarly bolt and nut - welding is usually preferred for that reason.
__________________
Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
Bolts and nuts with spring washers - more than adequate.
Never use spring washers. The hole you have is too oversized to start with.
Use the next size bolt so it fits correctly. Use Nyloc nuts (they should only be used one).
Ideally you should tap the first hole for the best quality fastening situation.
I would expect the hole to be the correct size for the bolt to start with, then a spring washer and nut.......normal engineering practice in industrial (harsh) situations.
-- Edited by KJB on Monday 20th of November 2023 11:46:45 AM
So I want to upgrade my wind-down legs to the drop-downs. I have been reading about welding the mount brackets in place. Now my wind-downs are just tek screwed,2 on either side, to the chassis. Surely that would also be sufficient for the drop-downs?
TIA
Hi
I went the other way. Ihad drop downs on my Jurgens but they were about 350mm inside under the caravan. Ive seen them much closer to the outside of the van but not on my van. So that meant on hands and knees to pull the handle and also when packing up. An old back injury meant this was unacceptable. So I went with the wind down type and using a battery drill and socket extension.
So the drop down type are ok if they arent set in too far imo.
Tony
__________________
Be nice... if I wanted my school teacher here I would have invited him...
You dont say where the Tek screws are. If they are on the underside of the chassis, Tek screws MAY be OK, but if they are on the vertical face of the chassis, forget it. If the screws installed vertically, all they will do is hold the stabiliser in place. They are OK for this purpose, except for possibly vibrating loose. In practice, there isnt much vibration on the chassis, hence the manufacturers use them.
If the screws are are horizontal, they are going to take the applied loads in shear. If they are not big enough, they are likely to fail, unless the design of the bracket transmits the vertical loads directly to the chassis, in which case the Tek screws are there simply to hold the stabiliser in place.
-- Edited by erad on Monday 22nd of January 2024 11:01:30 AM
