neilp Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 I already replaced the front shocks but I can't find a good way to jack up the rear. I have a decent floor jack and jack stands. I tried to jack in front of the rear wheel and use the stand on the first flat chassis rail area in the front the of the axel, just in front of the spring hanger. That did not work as the whole side of the camper was suspended, and I need to get both sides in the air at the back. How best to do this? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 Maybe I should add that behind the axel there is wiring attached and little room before the frame extension - and I know that I shouldn't jack it up on those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 CAREFULLY place the jack under the pumpkin and jack up the rear. Place a jackstand on each side in front the spring mount. Slowly let down the jack. The tires may rest on the ground if you didn't get the rear high enough, this is not a problem. The shocks should be extended a bit. What brand shock are you installing?? IF its KYB or Bilstein they should have a plastic tiecable DON'T cut this untill the shock is installed. Use the jack to raise the axle to match the shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 Thanks WME - I was just coming to the conclusion that was the best way. A lot of head scratching was going on there for a few minutes! I have the KYBs. I was very surprised (I'd say shocked but ; -) that the new fronts had so much more compression resistance than the old ones. The old set still worked ok and did not leak at all but I could squeeze them shut myself - I can hardly budge the new ones. Straps are still on as I was guessing they are there to help the install. Onwards! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 Got the job done. I had to do one side at a time and use the jack on axle housing outside of the the pumpkin. I know this is not recommended so only took some of the weight of the wheel so there was less tension on the shock. Aligning the shock to get it on the stud was challenging as well. On one side I ended up cutting the strap and using a ratchet strap to get the length I needed to get it on. The rear shocks had been changed in the past and were some huge Gabriels. A lot larger diameter than the new KYBs. Test drive says I still have some vibration which is disappointing. It is a bit better though. I did manage to nick some wires with the jack so tomorrow's task is to fix that issue. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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