Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

[mike64]

I need to replace the leaf springs on my trailer. But suprisingly I'm having a hard time finding the right springs & hardware beforehand. I have another post about it here:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=389370

I'm thinking now I'll just jack up the boat & trailer, take the spring & hardware off one side, and take it in somewhere to make sure I get a perfect match.

But if I do that, the boat & trailer might have to sit for a few days, especially if stuff has to be special ordered or something. Normally I'd connect the trailer to my Jeep hitch for stability if I was taking a wheel off, but I don't want to try to take the trailer off the hitch when one side is jacked up (can't leave it hitched for days, I need my Jeep to drive). If I'm planning on leaving the boat for days without a wheel on one side, would it be best to jack it up without being hitched, or hitch it and try to carefully take it off after, risking it slipping off the jack stands? I have two heavy duty jack stands, I figure I'll put one in front of the wheel area and one behind. And I have to do this on gravel, so I'll put wood underneath to support it. The boat and trailer together aren't that heavy-- 1500 lbs. Will this be safe enough for a few days?

 

[capt sam]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

should be, I've done it several times, use a decent piece of wood.

 

[RL Gman]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

I don't think you will have any problems jacking it up not attached to the jeep. I've done this several times for similar reasons, with a boat of approximately the same weight. The lateral movement (due to wind, or grade of the driveway etc) is the issue that is of main concern (since your jack stands will obviously be strong enough to hold the weight). Obviously when connected to the jeep, it mitigates the lateral movement. When not connected I would just be very certain the other tire is blocked out (on both sides) and that the tongue jack is blocked out some way (if it has a wheel, which most due, they sell a wheel donut that blocks it from rolling at Wal-Mart etc. I don't know how well they work, I've never tried it...). Regardless, as long as that's done, you could leave it there all season like that.

v/r Gman.

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

the plan sounds good, however I have gotten mixed reviews by using jack stangs one top of wood on top of gravel, I skip the wood and keep moving the jackstand till I get a good bite, unless you're talking about 12 x 12 of plywood over a 2x6 or something like that

BTW ...I left a boat on jack stands for almost 4 months while waiting for a axle to get welded and re-installed

 

[180shabah]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

jack stands on a level, stable base - that is what they were made for.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

My boat sits all winter on jack stands in gravel on 2x12's I'ts 6200 lbs. No problems.

 

[Jeff-in-PA]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

My boat trailer has been up on jackstands since late October. It's a 24' pontoon.

 

[mike64]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

Thanks for the responses! Yeah, I keep my trailer up on jackstands all winter long too, to keep weight off the tires. But if the trailer slldes off the stands, it doesn't have far to come down with the wheels on it. It's sitting around with a wheel off for any length of time I'm concerned about-- don't want an accident with my kids playing around the boat. Not to mention possibly knocking the boat off the jacks when I'm fighting the bolts trying to get the hardware off.

It's not that big a deal-- I had the boat up on stands when I replaced my wheel bearings. But in that case I only had it up on stands for a couple hours, and I was there the whole time to make sure kids stay clear.

I had an idea when I was putting away some firewood today-- I got a big level stump I use for a chopping block that I think is the perfect height for fitting under the frame, I'm hoping just a little bit lower than the jack stand when jacked up to full height. Will make for a nice failsafe

 

[Newbie@boats]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

I had mine parked on a hill, when the axles broke, I took all 4 tires off, 2 5 ton jack stands in the rear, 2 hydro jacks in the front, pulled the tires and axles, disconected from my truck, no problems.

 

[JimMH]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

Not to sound like a broken record but Jack Stands!

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

Put some caution tape around it just to remind the kids to be careful.

 

[DianneB]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

If you are REALLY worried about stability get the local lumber yard to cut a couple of 4x4x8 into 2 foot lengths and stack them in a square under the trailer log cabin style. That kind of base wont go ANYWHERE and it's cheap to (not to mention 4x4 blocks always come in handy).

 

[mike64]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

Not to sound like a broken record but Jack Stands!

Who's he?

If you are REALLY worried about stability get the local lumber yard to cut a couple of 4x4x8 into 2 foot lengths and stack them in a square under the trailer log cabin style. That kind of base wont go ANYWHERE and it's cheap to (not to mention 4x4 blocks always come in handy).

Hey, that's a good idea, Dianne. Thanks for the tip!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

And just in case you forgot I would use Jack Stands
That's what they are for.

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

If you are REALLY worried about stability get the local lumber yard to cut a couple of 4x4x8 into 2 foot lengths and stack them in a square under the trailer log cabin style. That kind of base wont go ANYWHERE and it's cheap to (not to mention 4x4 blocks always come in handy).

cabin logs work great! only supporting the boat at the moment but same concept.

 

[Blarney413]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

I use a stump that I used to use for chopping wood and jack stands. I'm not sure the condition of your tires or if it even matters but I would jack up the side you are taking the leaf springs off and put the stump under it. Once I did that I would also support the wheel on that side with a jack stand. I would do this because you are taking off the leaf spring and I'm not sure if the weight of the wheel would damage anything if not supported for a few days. I have changed front leaf springs on my jeep before and had to do this. I am assuming it might be similar. And then I would jack up the other side and put it on jack stands (only if you are worried about the tire). I would actually do it anyway. Yup, thats exactly how I would do it. the side you are taking the spring from I would do stump and jackstand and on the other I would do jack stand.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

for safety, I'd jack up the boat and remove the trailer to work on it. Also a lot easier to work on the trailer that way. There are lots of posts on how to do this, many involve jack stands, too!

 

[mike64]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

Thanks guys. I jacked up the side I wanted to take the first spring off, and it holds up fine with the jack stand. I put the stump under the frame just in case, too. When i got the u-bolts off the spring, the axle hit the ground and the wheel on the other side tilted because, as it turned out the shackle holes and therefore the bolts on my old trailer were a smaller diameter than the spring eyes, causing "wiggle" in the springs. So i did have to jack up the other side too, like Blarney said. And now I have to drill out my shackle bolt holes to pu tin proper shackle bolts

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Best way to keep a boat and trailer jacked up without a wheel for several days?

likely you need bushings in the springs.... I highly doubt that drilling the shackles is the right way to fix this