Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Michael W's method with the tongue jack and two Atwood type stabilizers worked very well for me on a tent camper I used to own. What I liked about it was that there was enough length on the stabilizers that you put the tripod arrangement on some pretty unlevel ground and it would feel solid.


BTW...Dean...glad to hear your getting after it...I bought Comet plans yesterday...I guess I'll go searching to see if I can get some 5 x 12 aluminum here in Juneau and so I can get the width to 5 ft. Have fun welding!

I've got the Atwoods on my tear. I put them on as I have them on my coleman pop-up...They're not bullet proof but have worked for me...I sure hope that I don't have a problem with them though as they are only coming off with a "blue tip wrench"...I found that a large drift punch works a lot better for jacking them up than the small tool that came with the Coleman....Doug Hodder

Dear Dean,

Dear Dean,

The BAL Leveler is seeming to take the Pop Up world by storm. I have not seen a post about it here yet.

The BAL is an interesting leveler. But, although it levels the trailer. it doesn't stabilize it from movement like jacks under the frame. I want mine steady all around when parked...either 3 or 4 point stabilizer jecks.

Levelling and stabilizing are two different activities.

I was speaking about levelling.

Dean would still have to put stabilizers under his tear in the appropriate place for stabilizers, which is not always the best and EASIEST place for levelling. And on Dean's Copperwood his best places for stabilizers are certainly not his best and easiest place for levelling.

A Leveler would give him a quick and simple 3 point level which could then be easily stabilized, without the complications and difficult access of trying to stabilize and level at the same time.

Okay guys, call me a dummy! How are leveling and stabilizing two different subjects?

Easy Chris,

1.Even if you are on perfectly level ground and you stand on the galley side or any edge you could chance tipping the tear, because the disproportionate distribution of the weight will make the tear unstable.

2. Even if you are uneven ground or at any angle you can place your stabilizers down so that you cannot tip the tear.

You always want to be stabilized, you do not always have to be level.

Okay, I knew that...............but won't leveling jacks act as stabilizers?

I love it, you have now rephrased the question.
Are you another lawyer?
If you read the posts on the previous page you will see that sometimes "stabilizing" jacks are not "levelling" jacks.
The answer to your new question is: "Depends on how many you have and where you place them?

Chris C wrote:Okay, I knew that...............but won't leveling jacks act as stabilizers?

Yes they will if installed in the correct places. But, just leveling the trailer, which you can do by driving one tire up on blocks until it is level. The Bal leveler does the same thing by raising the tire on one side, leveling the trailer, but doesn't stabilize it. If you are using stabilizing devices (jacks or whatever like the Atwoods for example) under the rear corners and use the tongue jack as a 3rd stabilizer, or stabilizers at all 4 corners, then yes, you can stabilize and level at the same time.

A LAWYER!!! Absolutely not! I'm a Wood Artisan by trade. Anyway, back to the sugject...............If I buy two Bal jacks won't they and the tongue jack be able to level as well as stabilize the tear?

Dear Chris,

As I said the answer is \"Depends on how many you have and where you place them?" Where do you plan to put your two BAL Levelling jacks and on what teardrop design?

It looks like you would achieve more space in both. Also more weight. But, with it up, how do you get into the cabin? Do you have to bring it back down to get in to sleep? Just curious.

My assumption is that to make a proper tripod arrangement, the two Bal jacks would go at the two back corners of the trailer and the tongue jack would be the third leg. I've used many a tripod in my day and they both level and stabilize. I plan on building a cub/modernistic.