Another question for you regarding the jockey wheel and clamp: when you're ready to set off, you pull the jockey wheel up and tighten the clamp. Do you also need to tighten the clamp after lowering the jockey wheel when parking up for the night at a campsite or moving the caravan about?
Jockey wheel
- Thread starter JOCKSERB
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- Nov 11, 2009
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Yes because if you don’t you will find it sliding and the nose will could get lower upsetting your levelling and placing additional load on the steadies. It would also be a problem moving the caravan on its mover or manually.
Clamp and be damned.
Clamp and be damned.
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It always amazes me the large amount of vans I see pitched up on site with their jockey wheels raised off the ground leaving only the four corner steadies to support the van. Surely having the JW down would provide extra strength to support the front area of the van where people are sitting, or am I missing something? There's got to be a reason for it?
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- Mar 14, 2005
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The reason I asked was that I had tightened the jockey wheel while moving the caravan with the motor mover, and I thought the jockey wheel wasn’t turning when I made a manoeuvre with the remote.
Perhaps the JW ears hadn’t cleared the slots the ears sit in when retracted, that would stop it rotating in the shaft
- Sep 4, 2011
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If you wind the jockey wheel up there is more load on the front legs than the rear due tue the nosewight of the caravan. Perhaps people doing this is why some had bulkhead bracket screws shear off.
That's not an issue for the front legs - on site they may have to cope with eg 6 people sitting at the front and maybe a full water tank.
I always leave the jockey wheel down on site - no point in extra tasks to raise it and then lower it later.
- Sep 4, 2011
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As do in I as never seen any advantage whatsoever of raising it.
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- Nov 11, 2009
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If you don't use the clamp the jockey wheel offers no support whatsoever. For travelling wind it up as far as it goes ensuring the two "blades" that hold the wheel locate in the two notches in the lower part of the telescopic tube then loosen the clamp and retract it up as high as possible into the A-frame and retighten the clamp. Ensure the wheel isn't touching/fouling anything underneath (brake linkage or A-frame).
When arriving on site wind it down an inch or two then unclamp it, let it drop to the ground and re-clamp it before uncoupling from the car. I find that doing this ensures there's enough travel both and up and down to level the caravan forwards/backwards when on the pitch.
When on the pitch leave it wound down. The more points of contact you have with the ground, the more stable everything will be.
This relates to post that we're in the wrong thread before I moved them.
The nose weight isn't relevant when you have the steadies down. Loading on the steadies will vary as you walk around the caravan anyway.
The two posts from Birdman and one from me and JCloughie were in a different thread but the mods have moved them here, where they belong
when on site you have 2 (maybe 4) wheels, 4 steadies and a jockey wheel all supporting the van.
Whats not to like?
I don't see why this is even an issue
Whats not to like?
I don't see why this is even an issue
- Jun 16, 2020
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There isn’t, now. But strangely it was mixed with the thread about updating an Android phone earlier. Hence the drift.
Very odd.
John
You hit the nail on the head — the wheel was too low, that’s why the motor mover wasn’t working properly. I thought caravanning was supposed to be a relaxing hobby, but I’ve been stressed for a week now. Heading down to Fareham beginning tomorrow.
Should’ve just stuck with a tent — this is crazy! All the stuff you have to do when you own a caravan... £20,000! I must’ve been hit in the back of the head when I bought this. In hindsight, I should’ve started with a cheap caravan. Pretty sure this isn’t for me.
Should’ve just stuck with a tent — this is crazy! All the stuff you have to do when you own a caravan... £20,000! I must’ve been hit in the back of the head when I bought this. In hindsight, I should’ve started with a cheap caravan. Pretty sure this isn’t for me.
- Jan 20, 2023
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- Nov 11, 2009
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- Nov 11, 2009
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Even cheap caravans have a jockey wheel. I’m sure before too long any uncertainties will have passed and your stress levels will come down.
- Jun 16, 2020
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Simply answering you post and explaining why I thought it was thread drift. Trying to be polite.
John
From an engineering perspective the front and rear steadies aren't quite the same on my caravan (I don't know if there's much variation between different caravans). The rear steadies are fixed to the chassis thus the load is spread over the length of the chassis (between the axle and rear steadies). The front steadies are fixed to the wooden floor. With the jockey wheel raised the front steadies are supporting the wooden floor which is then supporting the front chassis / A frame / hitch. With the jockey wheel down the chassis is supported by the jockey wheel which then supports the floor (in addition to the steadies). I don't know how much difference this makes but I always leave the jockey wheel down when pitched as I can't see any advantage in going to the additional effort of raising it.
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