Can truck trailer jacks raise and lower a hi lo trailer
 

If your motorized lift quit working and you didn't have the manual lift option, Could you use a pair of truck camper stands and jacks and get it raised or lowered.I don't at all know about how hydraulic systems work but i am guessing you could raise it this way if you were away camping and the motorized lift failed. But maybe not lower it because the hydraulic fluid would still be holding it up. If you drove home with it up it would ruin the camper. and maybe couldnt afford to have even the moterized hydrolic system fixed .I am trying to see if there is SOME way to raise and lower the camper if the motorized system fails. As I do not want to take the risk of buying any hi lo with out the manual option if that is the only way to do it. But am bummed , because I would like to get the trailer.

You could raise the top with 4 "farm jacks". They can be purchased at Harbor Freight. Lowering the top should not be a problem, even if you can't raise it electrically. I would think there would be a "bleed valve" to remove hydraulic pressure if that were necessary.

I don't really see the lifting system failing as long as you have a charged battery and the cables don't break. You can "jump" the motor with the battery from your tow vehicle if the trailer battery is discharged. And, a farm jack is pretty much the only solution if a cable breaks.

DO NOT DRIVE THE TRAILER ANYWHERE WITH THE TOP UP! (Not even a short distance.)

- Jack

The lift pumps don't go bad very often, many times the battery is bad. You need a good well charged battery. The solenoids and the circuit breakers go bad once in a while. Good maintenance of the lift and cable systems is a must. If you search here you will see many posts that pertain to the lift system.

I had an issue this summer where the hydraulic cylinder seals went bad and would not raise the unit. What was surprising was how little warning of the problem we had. Had been working fine and on our day of camping we begain to get ready to head home and the unit would not raise after creeping down on the safety bar. I did get it released and it came back down. Perhaps there actually was a warning because I did have the creaping down on safety bar but unit always raised back up without difficulty. When I got home I attempted to raise it and it would only go up about half way and then drift back down....the next time it would not go up at all. After some help from forum and J & R determined it to be the cylinder. Just from using the forum this does not seem to be common problem with the hydraulic system.

Long story short I did use farm jacks to get it up and had the cylinder rebuilt. Solved problem. I only had two jacks and it worked but four is really what you need.

If you mean this type of camper jackstands I am sure it would work in a pinch. I lifted a '71 11ft slide in truck camper with them and it lifted it easily once I found the center of balance. IMHO I would use them instead of a highlift farm jacks since the top is designed to fit under a flat surface.

Mine don't have the LONG flat surface like yours . But there basically a lot more like them then the farm jack pictures i saw. They would work.

Interesting,

It would seem that even you HAD the manual system, if the seals went bad on the hydraulic pump you still wouldn't be any better off. You might be better off just carrying around a second motor that you jury rig---though I don't know how.

Rick

You wouldn't have to worry about lowering the camper because there would not be anything holding the camper up except the jacks. NOT A GOOD IDEA without 2x4s at the corners after lifting. If the pump doesn't pump the ram won't move tightening the cables which lift the camper. In other words the cables would be slack with no pressure on them when lifting with jacks.

Good point Gary. Slack cables could prove disastrous. I have crushed stuff just using it as designed. I could see myself lopping of my foot messing around with it.