Can I drill small holes in my frame?

[TimL]

I have a 13QBB Livinlite trailer and would like to replace my stabilizing legs with scissor jacks, but the scissor jacks will stick out the side of the trailer pretty far if I mount them in the same spot as the legs. So, I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's ok to mount them directly onto the underside of the aluminum frame by drilling starter holes and then attaching them with self-tapping screws. I know aluminum can be weakened by holes, so I want to do the right thing. It would be four scissor jacks, four small holes each, drilled into the bottom of the frame, in the four corners of the trailer. Any thoughts?

[DavidM]

I think it will be ok.

The fore aft longitudinal frame members that I suspect you are going to drill into, have much less load on them at the end. Near the wheel mounts is where the big load is and if you were going to drill there I would be hesitant to recommend it. But near the ends, ok.

David

[TimL]

Thanks David

[Merlin]

David's right on with assessment of the frame/hole question. BUT, I wonder about the wisdom of attaching those jacks with just 4 small self-tapping screws. The jacks on my 16TBS are each attached with 7 fasteners. 4 small self-tapping screws and 3 large 5/16th bolts all the way through a heavy duty 1/4" plate of extra aluminum/gusset welded between frame members. They are clearly meant to support significant weight with significant side forces, which I could see happening in a storm. When extended, there will be quite a bit of leverage on the mounting if pushed sideways for any reason. There have been 2 times in the last 5 years when I was very glad to have the jacks well-fastened; once in a wild storm in North Dakota camped in a Corps of Engineers campground and once in a super strong wind off Lake Huron when camped on the shore in a state park. Both times the camper was rocking and rolling with sideways force, despite having stabilizers and tongue jacks all down tight. Just saying........

[TimL]

Thanks Merlin, I really appreciate your input. I ordered the jacks from E-trailer, and in their review/installation videos they recommended using self tapping screws, which is why I planned on that. And I'm just using them for stabilizing, not leveling. Check out these videos if you get a minute, and I'd love to hear what you think.  Thanks, Tim

at 2:40 in this video:   https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jacks/etrailer/TJSCHD-24-4.html

at 6:10 in this video:   https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jacks/Ultra-Fab-Products/UF48-979002.html

[DavidM]

Let me tell you a story about wind forces. Many, many years ago we were camped along Lake Travis in Texas. As sometimes happens, a huge thunderstorm came on us about dark. I rushed out and tied the bumper of my TV to the frame of the pop up to give it more stability and keep it from rolling down the hill into the lake if it really got bad. The thunderstorm raged for about 15 minutes and then passed.

We weathered the storm and went to bed early. Then next morning we looked across the creek about 7:30 and a couple were diving on their sunk trailer, rescuing stuff from inside it. And our pop up had pulled the rope to my TV tight and it was the only thing keeping us from the same fate.

David

[Merlin]

Thanks Merlin, I really appreciate your input. I ordered the jacks from E-trailer, and in their review/installation videos they recommended using self tapping screws, which is why I planned on that. And I'm just using them for stabilizing, not leveling. Check out these videos if you get a minute, and I'd love to hear what you think.  Thanks, Tim

at 2:40 in this video:   https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jacks/etrailer/TJSCHD-24-4.html

at 6:10 in this video:   https://www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jacks/Ultra-Fab-Products/UF48-979002.html

Yup, for sure not to level. You can make small adjustments for leveling, but not major corrections. I looked at the etrailer video and respectfully disagree that 4 small screws are enough to hold against the side forces once the leverage of an extended jack is applied in a storm. If you go that route, I suggest checking all 16 screws before and during each trip to head off trouble.

[Pinstriper]

I wouldn't worry so much about a few holes, as much as context. How many other holes are already there, and what size. The more material removed and the closer the holes are concentrated, the more of a problem you are creating.

What you might consider is getting a larger/longer piece of...say 1/4" or 3/8" aluminum plate, 12"x12". Attach with heavy duty fasteners to the frame, spreading the load over a wider area. Then drill and attach your jacks to that plate. You might even want to do that in reverse order since you might not be able to access the plate to get the bolts through after mounting it.

[Scout]

Tim L,

i have a 13 RDB and added jacks to the orig box tube mounting spots. I ended up buying jacks from princess auto where i could flip the mounting brackets around to nest directly over the top and drilled new holes on the centre line. 5 years so far and no issues. The 13's are a pretty light trailer so I found I didn't need the extra width for mounting. I also ended up using stainless bolts vs screws fwiw. If I remember correctly I had teflon washers to stop corrosion from the factory. This mounting method also lets me easily switch them out if they get damaged or too rusty.

KC

[tilldawn]

So to be clear, you removed one of the mounting brackets and flipped the other one around so it went over the top of the jack, right? I'm looking at replacing the original fold down stabilizer jacks with scissor jacks.

[Merlin]

So to be clear, you removed one of the mounting brackets and flipped the other one around so it went over the top of the jack, right? I'm looking at replacing the original fold down stabilizer jacks with scissor jacks.

This is a year and half old thread. You might try sending a private message to see if the poster is still active?

[Scout]

So to be clear, you removed one of the mounting brackets and flipped the other one around so it went over the top of the jack, right? I'm looking at replacing the original fold down stabilizer jacks with scissor jacks.

Sorry for the delay, I've been away from the forum for a while.

Yes I just reversed the outward facing 90 degree brackets and drilled holes through both to line up over top of the jack frame. (you would have 2 L shaped 90 brackets nested creating a u shape attachment to bolt onto the aluminum frame mounts). I then reused teflon washers and stainless hardware with nylox nuts and locktite. I have to tighten every up few years but they have really held up well. This type of  set-up allows me to use the screw jacks on uneven ground and the trailer doesn't move around even on ice and snow. It also gives good support in storage and takes the load off of the torflex axles (not a big deal though).