Jockey wheel up or down

[HomerMarge]

When the jockey wheel is not being used to manauvre the van should it be put up or can it be left dowm when on site and in storage or does it not really matter either way? Just curious?

 

[GrahamF.]

I would say always down....... just for pure safety sake.

Graham

 

[Pam_5040185]

We always have our jockey wheel down when on site, as we use it to level the van from front to back.

Likewise, we've always left our jockey wheel down when in storage, although I can't see why it would be a problem to leave it up if you wanted to.

Pam

 

[Pete4]

I always wind mine up in storage and when on site. I don't think there's any real techincal reason but in my mind it leaves the winding mechanism slighty more exposed to the weather and, as my wheel is pneumatic, could cause it to deflate.

Like I say, no reason, I'm just a bit daft.

Pete

 

[Alistair_5042155]

Always down when the van is in use. The weight should be on the axles and jockey wheel, not the corner steadies which are only there to steady the van, not take the weight of say several people sitting at the front of the van.

 

[jacky3]

when you think about it,if the steadies are solidly on the floor,then theres very little weight if any at all on the jockey wheel so it doesn't really matter whether its up or down,its a matter of choice

 

[Alistair_5042155]

when you think about it,if the steadies are solidly on the floor,then theres very little weight if any at all on the jockey wheel so it doesn't really matter whether its up or down,its a matter of choice

Actually the reverse is true. The weight of the van is taken on the wheels including the jockey wheel. That is how caravan chasis are designed. Quote from Alko "Corner steadies are designed solely for the purpose of steadying the caravan corners on-site." They should be wound down enough to "steady" the van with the weight remaining on the wheels.

 

[jacky3]

Actually the reverse is true. The weight of the van is taken on the wheels including the jockey wheel. That is how caravan chasis are designed. Quote from Alko "Corner steadies are designed solely for the purpose of steadying the caravan corners on-site." They should be wound down enough to "steady" the van with the weight remaining on the wheels.

sorry alistair but i must disagree,the steadies MUST NOT BE USED TO LIFT THE CARAVAN SIDE TO SIDE AS THIS MAY TWIST THE STEADIES,but when putting down the corners on site you always make sure they are solid with no movement felt when moving inside the van.lets face it,if all the weight is on the jockey wheel the front corner steadies are not doing there job, ie, steadian the van. try this at home with van and i bet u the weight of the van on j wheel is different.put jockey wheel on scales,then put down steadies solidly and the weight differenc will show lighter. not the same, or heavier.im sure your caravan must move around when in use????

 

[MickC1]

Always down when the van is in use. The weight should be on the axles and jockey wheel, not the corner steadies which are only there to steady the van, not take the weight of say several people sitting at the front of the van.

If that was the case, what happens in caravans with rear dining areas, or continental 'vans which have the reverse layout to ours? Or fixed rear bed 'vans where people would spend a lot of time rear of the axle.

 

[Matthew_5040954]

Hi

This topic has been mention before on this forum, at which time I checked the manual for my caravan, it clearly states the the jocky wheel must alway be used for leveling the caravan and should be kept down as the stabliser are only there for stability and not support. This may not be true for all caravans but it is for my Bailey Discovery.

 

[Matthew_5040954]

sorry alistair but i must disagree,the steadies MUST NOT BE USED TO LIFT THE CARAVAN SIDE TO SIDE AS THIS MAY TWIST THE STEADIES,but when putting down the corners on site you always make sure they are solid with no movement felt when moving inside the van.lets face it,if all the weight is on the jockey wheel the front corner steadies are not doing there job, ie, steadian the van. try this at home with van and i bet u the weight of the van on j wheel is different.put jockey wheel on scales,then put down steadies solidly and the weight differenc will show lighter. not the same, or heavier.im sure your caravan must move around when in use????

You've obviously missread what Alistair said. At no point has he said use the steadies to lift the caravan, you use the jocky wheell to level the van front to back and if needs be use blocks first for level left to right. Once the van is level, the steadies (NOTE there called steadies not supports or Jacks) are then lowered for stability, these are the clear instructions from the manufacturers.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

This comes up on various forums and the opinion is divided 50 50 by and large.My opinion is that it doesn't matter as with a nose weight gauge you are looking at 100 kg max on the towbar/jockey wheel as most of the weight is on the wheels.

I noticed at the weekend what people did and on this site near to Chester it was about 50 50 up or down.I always have mine up with the satellite dish mounted on it and have never had any chassis problems nor have I ever read of anyone having such problems on any website.The flexing of a pneumatic jockey wheel would work against any perceived stability I would have thought.