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Topic ClosedRear stabilizers on Rpod 178

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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Rear stabilizers on Rpod 178
    Posted: 27 Apr 2014 at 7:14am
More than likely the tack weld is liability based. If they were tack welded at the factory, the chance of them falling off & injuring/damaging something/someone is greatly diminished.
Darryl, Julie & Lindsey
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Apr 2014 at 8:02pm
The scissor jacks bolt on as well.  The weld appears to me as a tack to keep them in place while the assembler drills the holes in the frame.  It is hardly structural.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Apr 2014 at 12:48pm
I to have the old style of jacks, but I found that there was quite a bit of movement in the front from side to side, so I turned them like they do the scissor jacks. It makes the pod a lot more stable. I also find the old jacks don't hang down as far when cranked up.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Apr 2014 at 10:34am
I have the older style long arm jacks not the new scissor jacks. I tore one of them off a couple of years ago on a steap hill and damaged the fiberglass ont he back of the trailer. The nice thing of these jacks is that they are bolt on not welded.  

 

Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2014 at 7:38pm
Nice skid plates!   I did something similar on a Featherlite enclosed trailer I have, only I used 1/2 poly cutting board material-   figured it would slide well if it did touch down and if it got torn off it is cheaply replaced.
Like you they've never hit, but one day I'm sure they will.
The Featherlite is all aluminum, frame/floor/everything so a touchdown could be quite damaging.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 5:25pm
I put on skid plates almost 3 years ago, haven't scraped bottom since.



I used 1/2" aluminum.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 3:44pm
Regarding the jacks protecting the corners of the frame-   well, yes, sort of. 
Consider this though, if they aren't there one gains a few inches of clearance making the corner less likely to drag in the first place.
When I move my jacks I will add some sort of drag protection to the corners to avoid damage for when I do drag the corner. 
On my toy hauler (which I still have BTW) I fabricated brackets (welded on) and added some roughly 4" diameter and 2" wide very heavy duty steel wheels with, IIRC, a 1/2" axle, on the rear corners after one particularly bad "grounding", and it is way higher than the r-pod.
Now that they are there for quite few years I don't think they've ever touched down...but if they hadn't been it would have happened right away!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 12:31pm
I wouldn't say it is a common practice to remove them, if anything people add them if they are missing (like the 2009 and 2010 front stabilizers).
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 8:55am
Originally posted by Budward

I'd say removing or modifying the stabilizers could void the warranty on them only or possibly the frame if you did cutting and grinding to get them off.
For them to say it voids the warranty on the entire r-pod is ignorant and they'd lose that case in a second in litigation.  IOW they can't deny warranty on, say, your refrigerator because you moved the jacks.

I pick up my 179 today and I can say with certainty the rear stabilizers on mine will be removed or moved as years of RV'ing and trailer towing tell me  they will get damaged in short order the way FR has them.
I put the same stabilizers on my 20ft enclosed trailer but mounted them several feet from the very rear so they didn't get torn off.  They do the job perfectly there and are much less likely to ever drag and in fact it is pretty much impossible.  
Puzzled why FR didn't do that also...Wink
 
Thanks for the response.  To clarify, that's exactly what he said.  Modifying or removing the stabilzers could void the warranty on the frame and he recommended not to do it.  At least not while the warranty is in effect.
 
I'm puzzled why they tack welded the stabilizers if it seems common practice to remove them.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2014 at 8:23am
I agree that they can't invalidate your entire warranty based on a modification to the stabilizers.  This has been held up in court when people have modified their vehicle, or done their own oil changes.
 
One option is metal skids or skid wheels on the corners.  I've considered the later.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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