EQ Round Singles

Frequent Buyer

I'm on my third set on the front jacks, the second front set having been provided under warranty when I provided pics of pad failure (tearing) due partly to weathering in a driveway salt environment at our northeastern US home prior to going full time. However, I've gained a lot more knowledge about their use since becoming a full time traveler. First of all, I wouldn't be without the SnapPads - they protect the steel pads front and rear from the same harsh weather fate. Secondly, the front pads take more of a beating than the rear if you have a tag axle, due to "crowhopping" during retraction, which is due to the dual rear axle geometry. That phenomenon puts shear force (tearing force) on the front pads as the jacks are retracted. Incremental lowering of the front and rear jacks alternately before hitting the "all retract" button will lessen the effect, but it still occurs, and since tag-axle coaches tend to be heavier, there is even more stress on the pad than with a lighter, single rear axle coaches the pads of which don't experience any lateral shear force due to "crow-hopping". Thirdly, there is no material that lasts forever, particularly pads that are each repeatedly subject to 8,500 lbs of compression and shear force and sit in all kinds of weather, not to mention hours of road splatter at 65 mph. The way I look at it is this - I replace the front pads every year, and the rear pads once every three years to protect the steel pads on the jack ends, and to avoid hazardous placement and retrieval of wooden blocks to protect the concrete or asphalt site pad (and my steel pads) from damage. By the way, before I bought my very first set of Snap Pads and wasn't aware of any of this, I converted to a larger diameter steel jack foot up front, and was shocked to see the damage I had done to the original naked steel pads. I'd rather pay for SnapPad relacement on a somewhat infrequent basis, that have to change out the steel pads at all.

Caring for Snap Pads during Normal Camping Use and During Winterization

Even though Snap Pads obviate the need for wood blocks to keep the steel OEM jack pads out of a water environment during normal camping season, they shoud be used during winters in your driveway since the harsh salt environment will damage just about anything. Also, during the camping season when retracting the feet, try to avoid "crow hopping" by not performing an "ALL RETRACT" of the feet, but bringing up the front and rear feet alternately in short retractions. Even though the Snap Pads are made of tough stuff, they can tear under the shear force generated by the weight of a coach "crow-hopping forward (skidding motion). Needless to say, now that we are full timers, we will be skipping winterization.