You may have a situation where there is nothing to mount the brackets to directly between the two landing jacks. ![]() This is to give the two bars some separation where they cross in the middle as they move up and down. One bracket should be 1 inch FORWARD of the center line, and the other bracket should be 1 inch BACKWARD from the center line. This will be the inside edge of the mounting bracket. Now, measure 1 inch from the center line forward or backward and make another mark. In other words, this mark should be on a center line between the two jacks. Raise the end of the bar with the bracket up to see about where it will touch the bottom, then at that point make a mark on the bottom at the measured distance. This could be the front edge below the storage doors, a cross member underneath, etc. ![]() Measure from the inside center of one jack to a reference point towards either the front or back of the 5er. You need to determine a center line between the two jacks. Then, place the remaining foot on the bar all the way up against the inside of the landing jack, and secure temporarily with cable ties, tape, etc. First, release the ratchet on the bar and slide it to it's shortest length. Next, you want to determine the correct position for the mounting brackets on the underside of the 5er. CAUTION.when you drill the hole through the sides for the bolt that goes through the bar, be SURE to measure from the SAME end of the bracket to mark the holes in the two sides! I learned this the hard way! Use a 1/4 inch hex head bolt with locking nut to secure the bracket to the end of the bar.Below are the finished brackets and the bracket attached to the bar. It should be at least 1 1/2 inches inside, as the bar is 1 inch in diameter. I made the brackets from a piece of U-shaped steel bracket. ![]() I didn't have the shop facilities to properly cut off the bars so I took the simple way and used two brackets. You can leave the bars full length and use two brackets, crossing the bars in the middle, or you can use one bracket and cut off the bars to fit your 5er. Next you make the brackets to secure the bars to the underside of the 5er. The holes in my jacks were 1 inch apart, but I don't know if that's a standard. Check the hole spacing on your landing jacks to determine the spacing of these holes in the foot. Now you will need to drill two 1/4 inch holes in the foot at the other end of the bar to mount it to the landing jack. I had to use a small drill press to drill the holes in the bar as a hand drill kept grabbing as the bit went through. ![]() One caution here, on one of my bars the rivet hole was too close to the end of the bar so I had to drill a new hole 90 degrees over. Drill out the hole where the rivet was to 1/4 inch. The first step is to use a wheel grinder to grind off the head of the rivet which is securing the foot on the large end opposite the ratchet. This is what the bars look like before modification When you're ready to pull out, you simply move the ratchet to the free-moving position, releasing the pressure, and raise the jacks! See what you think. Aside from the easy installation, the big advantage of these is the ability to use the ratchet to get the maximum pressure after the jacks are in place, thus making the 5er more stable. It is very easy to convert to RV stabilizers as you will see in the pics below. I believe I have discovered the ultimate home-made 5er stabilizers! I was at a Love's Travel Center and found the S-Line SL125-HT Ratcheting Cargo Bars at $19.95 each.
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