How to jack up an Airstream Trailer safely!

There are many ways to jack your Airstream , and this tip is just to give you enough information to keep from damaging the under belly, if you have to change a tire. The jack you will most likely will be using, is the scissor jack that comes with your tow vehicle. And hopefully it will be large (tall) enough, but if it is not, you may have to put some wood under the jack.

Also, having a good plan in place and doing some dry runs before you get on that cold dark road at night would be a good idea. That way you will have the tools needed, and will be able to do it safely.

You will want to put wood on top of the jack where it comes in contact with the under side of the trailer. Most jacks have a concave shape that will bend the under belly skin of your Airstream. This concave shape WAS PUT there to keep the jack from slipping, so be careful that kids are not playing in the general region so that if the unit does slip, there are no injuries. Also, if you are using the type of floor jack shown on this Tip page below, make sure that once you get it up in the air, put a jack stand in place so that it is more secure. If that hydraulic cylinder were to blow out, the trailer could fall causing injury.

Airstream has put a diamond shape or a triangle shape piece of metal where you are suppose to place the jack. Currently they use a sticker that points to where the riveted diamond piece of metal is. Here is the picture of the sticker.

 

That larger image is a good illustration as to why they use a sticker. The gas lines may crowd the area to the point that it may be hard to see.

Now lets just say your Airstream has a little age on it and there is NO little piece of metal down there to guide you. Where you want to put the jack is on the frame. The metal guide is put on the frame where the floor joist (cross member) meets the frame.

Here are some pictures of a floor jack under an Airstream. You can see the frame because the bumper is not on the unit. Most of the time you can tell where the frame is because there are rivets holding the metal skin to it.

 

One more foot note. The picture below is a picture of a Stabilizing Jack. It is not for Leveling the unit. It is just for making it stable.

Click here for this part in our on-line store.

 

 

 

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