I have the HF 20 T air/hydraulic jack , does a great job . Your 3/8 pads should be up for the job as well , thicker than the one I use on Bama dirt/ gravel . I went with 4X6 treated pine from HD for cribbing .
Good luck and be safe !!
Chris
Thanks for all the advice! There is a place called Metal SuperMarket near me so I went down yesterday and ordered 1/4” plate with a 1 inch hole drilled in it... cost about $75 for a 2x2 section ...
Reviving this thread - I was talking to Newell about the correct jack stand placement and they recommended to place them under the drive axle (I have two 22-ton jack stands). To get under the coach wouldn’t I want the stands to be supporting the body/frame of the coach? If so where is the best place to put them? There are two flat places that make sense but the forward position one has much thinner metal than the one in front/part of the trailing arm/torsion bar (or whatever that suspension piece is)
Definitely NOT the drive axle, that does nothing to prevent the coach coming down on you.
The pad in the picture you posted is NOT correct. Look to the right of the picture at the beefier square pad below where the radius arms from the suspension attach. That is the pad I use.
Reviving this jacked up thread :-). Where should we position the jack stands in the front of the coach?
Timely manner as I too, ordered a pair of air/hydraulic jacks and OTC stands a while back. Once the coach comes home, I want to do a few under the bus things. This is where I don’t mind throwing myself under the bus as they say!
Also, I completely agree that I would not put undue stress on the rear axle tube and it also does nothing to prevent the vehicle from airing the body back down on you on an inadvertent air loss. Blocking or jacking the axle for maintenance work after the body is supported is the way I would go.
But yes, inquiring minds are curious as to jack and cribbing locations.
I will post pics later of what I made for cribbing using a leftover support beam that I liquid nailed two sections together and lag bolted them for more mass support.
Bumping this thread…
Does anyone have pictures of where you place your 20 ton jack to lift and your 22 ton jack stands to support and 20 ton the rear of the coach? I am looking to drain air tanks and install external drain lines as Richard did on his coach.
Thanks,
Paul
I was just under mine the other day and wished I had shot a pic. I have been using a frame cross member that runs just in front of the drive axle. On 653 there is just enough room when fully aired up to slide a 4x4 block between my stands an frame cross member. I like using the block to disperse weight a bit as you can see dimples from prior stands alone.
I chock wheels, air up, block, lower onto blocks, get under coach. To me it just feels better to have coach actually sitting firmly on stands than a coach hovering just over them. I'm also a newbie, so let's have a few others chime in before you go off and do what I do. I'm also reminded every time I crawl under there to push away from the dinner table a little sooner.
I hadn't received an answer either when I was asking a month into my new to me coach. Since then I just put in a pit. Answered my own question! Wouldn't help if I needed to pull a wheel though.
We bought two 20 ton jack stands and two 20 ton bottle jacks with us, I guess I'm a little gun shy. All came from Harbor Freight.