There have been discussions on how to reduce the wobble in a PUP. I am going to install 2 sets of BAL Lock Arm Stabilizing Bars on my Niagara. My first thought was to install a set on opposing corners, with each stabilizer having an arm pointing fore/aft, and one pointing left/right. After thinking about it a little more, I though it might be better to install the four arms on each of the four stabilizers- the front right stabilizer having the arm point across the trailer (side to side), the left front arm pointing back to the rear, the left rear arm pointing sided to side, and the right rear arm pointing forward. Both methods would have 2 arms addressing side to side movement, and two arms addressing front to back movement, but in a slightly different way. The instructions don't really address it, and show pictures of a 5th wheel installation with four arms on the front stabilizers. I am wondering if there is an advantage to one way or the other?
Really, any movement at all is seems to be transferred. Not so much sleeping, but walking about, entering/exiting, etc. I've got a BAL chock and the BAL Leveler, I keep my tongue jack short (Lynx + 4x4), and the stabilizers short (Lynx), but the wobble remains. The stabilizers are going to get installed, I only want to do it once. FWIW, I emailed BAL, the email was returned as un-deliverable because I wasn't on their "list".
The biggest improvement for wobble on ours was to step up a load range tire and put it right at 65psi. But that beat the hell out of the trailer while towing. Not sure what I'll do with this new to us Niagara for tires as I don't want to rattle it to death in transit.
When i had my pup i didnt have wobble when walking, when sleeping i could feel if the people on the other side moved a lot. Or if i did. I didn't ise bal chcks or levelers. I put wood under one tire, used 4 chocks , 2 per wheel. And had a stand for the front wheel so it didnt move. I used wood under the stabs, snugged them down then then tightened them another turn. Also made sure tires had full pressure. Not sure about your pup. It did move when i steped quickly on the stepper door. But im also about 225 lbs.
I installed two sets of the Lock-Arm Stabilizing Bar Total time from tool gathering to clean up was about 1.5 hours. The first one took about 35 minutes, the next one about 20, and the last two about 10 each. I mounted one bar on each corner, the front right stabilizer having the arm point across the trailer (side to side), the left front arm pointing back to the rear, the left rear arm pointing sided to side, and the right rear arm pointing forward. These arms have taken 80-90% of the wobble out of the trailer, I am really happy with how this product works. The wobble comes from the "slop" in the stabilizers themselves. These are the OEM crank down stabilizers, and there is a considerable amount of play in the stabs, at any distance. The lone drawback is that I will need to carry a dedicated 3/4 wrench to tighten/loosen the lock arms, the toolkit I carry does not have a combo wrench that large. I'll store it with the crank for the stabs.
Wonder if you could weld a larger wing nut to the top do the 3/4" bolt. I have a set of those in my Amazon cart. Maybe it's time I pulled the trigger. Could you tell me how much wobble reduction there is when you only tighten the rear lock arms? I was hoping to get away with only buying one set, but if locking the fronts in addition to the rears makes a big improvement, so be it.
Looks like the locking bolt digs into the slide portion, or is there an insert between the bolt end and the slide? The slide portion is hollow so is probably easy to deform with the lock bolt. Just wondering, with extended use, how easy the slides will work.
Tire type and pressure shouldn't make a difference. Your stabilizers should be down hard enough that you are not bouncing on your rear suspension. Adding a few additional jacks under the camper would be much easier and cheaper to eliminate wobble.
I crank my stabs down pretty tight. The wobble is actually from the "slop" in the stabs themselves. This solution works very well.
That is exactly how it works. You don't need to really tighten the bolt much to get it to "lock". The inner tube is fairly stout, but I too would assume some deformation of the inner tube, only time will tell if it hinders the performance.
One more question. Is the end of the bolt flat, cone, or cup point? Cones do the most damage (point contact), then cup points (circle/ring contact). Flat ends will do the least damage (line contact). Some lock bolts will have a hole drilled in the end with a nylon insert in it. This prevents metal to metal contact.
You can't see inside it, and it appears that they've done something to the thread so it doesn't back out on it's own. It doesn't "easily" unscrew much past just barely open. It seems about a 1/4 turn from open to locked. I'll take a closer look tonight
I loosened the front arms, laid down on the front bunk and had DW come in, walk around and go out. Just having one set deployed reduces the wobble considerably. Maybe 70% Adding the second takes it to 90%. I would say if you want to greatly reduce the wobble, one set would do it. If you want to nearly eliminate it, two. The bolts look flat, based on a contact mark made on the inner tube of the front left arm.
Neat system. Won't work on mine though. I have the old hinged swing down ratchet stabs, so the arm could not be permanently installed. However, I don't seem to have much wobble on mine anyway. Once I snug down the stabs after leveling and using a BAL leveler on one wheel and the BAL chock on the other, it seems pretty solid unless you flop on something. Roof movement though, that is another issue!
I can’t put the lock arms on the rear. I only have 16” from the stab to where the frame ends at the rear of the tire. Unless I could mount it more inboard, at an angle.
