A question for those more knowledgeable than me. I am looking for advice on the safest way to jack up my coach. I've looked at generic Class A related information but wanted to check here to see if there are any Barth specific tips.

For numerous reasons I'd like to get the coach ~1' off the ground but want to make sure I do this safely and don't damage anything on the chassis.

How are you all lifting your coaches for maintenance?

I use jacks and jack stands under the frame in the front and back. That takes quite a bit of time, and one has to be careful.

I also made solid wooden ramps from 4X6's and 2X6's double stacked. I use these most of the time. Only made two, so they either go in the front, rear or on one side at a time. Was not happy with the safety of steel ramps from the auto store. Initially used a 45-degree angle as a ramp but sometimes it slipped on concrete, so I made the ramp area less steep. This only gives me 6 inches of lift but I found that to be adequate for most of the under-carriage work.

I tried to lift under the axles, otherwise you had to raise the body until the springs were unloaded before the tires would move up. Back end was easy I just put hydraulic jacks under the spring under the axle. Some jackstands or big stumps for safety blocks.

Front end was more tricky since there was no good spot on the A arms under the coil springs. I jacked the frame up but the wheels ended up hanging down. If your coach has leveling jacks you can lower them to help support.

Be careful. You can never have too many safety blocks!

Remember to always use wheel chocks. Don't need to be fancy. Split firewood logs work well when in need. Drift onto, then set the parking brake.

Remember that your parking brake needs the rear tires contacting the ground to be effective. Raise a rear tire and you have no parking brake function.

With my experiences I could have written the don't "Ask Me How I Know" country song.

I use heavy duty aluminum ramps. I got 9" lift and can safely and comfortably work under the coach. Those that I have are designed for semi trucks front axle lift. I purchased a set of four during last year's black Friday, paid $1539.77, worth every penny IMO. Here's the link:

https://www.discountramps.com/...eel-risers/p/311433/

Got it out of the storage yesterday. Here are the pictures of what I use.

Rear wheels are about the width of the ramp.

quote:

Originally posted by P&J:
Rear wheels are about the width of the ramp.

Those are really nice; think I might get them too, seem to be much better than my wood ramps!

Well maybe not, $900 for a pair guess I will keep my wood set!

NICE RAMPS. Wide, sturdy and not too steep. Very safe.

Finally took a picture of my wood ramps in use.

Do you drive it up the ramps? I'm thinking of my white knuckle ride along the roads at the edge of the cliffs near Mesa Verde!

Matt

yes I drive it on the ramps! I do open the doghouse and look at the front tire as I creep up the ramp! What's life without a bit of drama!!

I do like the ramp idea, Duane I have no idea how you are able to see the front tire via the dog house, don't you have an engine in there? Lol.

The challenge for me with ramps is my Barth sits backed up into my parking spot which is off of a public alley. I build my fence around the back end of the coach, so rolling 2-3' forward onto ramps would hang my front out into the alley. I think folks could still get by just fine, but I don't like to create problems for my neighbors.

Ramps do seem like the safest option though. As for jacking under the frame, are you guys using regular car jacks for this? My jack is a 3 ton model which should be fine for one corner at a time. Or are you using bottle jacks?