Drop down legs (1 Viewer)

Aug 27, 2014
1,910
3,876
Shropshire
Funster No
33,077
MH
McLouis Tandy 640+
Exp
Since 2014
With 2 adults & 3 kids in our van, drop down legs to stop it moving about really help, not mention stopping the sea sickness feeling in a storm! The legs that came with the van as standard were rubbish - a pain to deploy (they were under the van and meant groveling around on your knees on the ground, not great on a wet campsite field), but also because the didn't wind down in any way you couldn't put any pre-load on them - so as the van moved around they'd push the jack pads into the ground if it was soft.

They'd also creep up and retract a bit in high winds as the van moved, so by the morning they were 1/2" off the ground and doing very little. To finish it off they were mounted onto the aluminium garage floor, not a great place to put stress on the van.

For anyone wanting to fit legs, although this involved some effort it's worked out really well. I managed to get some Al-Ko Steady Legs from German Ebay for a good price - Ebay.de is well worth a look for motorhome bits, I've had all sorts off there. These steady legs bolt straight onto an Al-Ko chassis but my van has the standard Fiat Maxi chassis.

However, with a couple of bits of L shaped steel and a plate welded on the end, you can make brackets to very securely fit the legs to the rear spring hangers, through holes that are already there - a very strong part of the chassis. This then puts the legs near the outside of the van and just behind the rear wheels - mudflaps stop them catching the worst of the road crud. They work a treat, very quick & easy to use, you can wind them down hard enough to put some pre-load on them, and no groveling on the ground!

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Apr 13, 2012
5,536
18,749
Funster No
20,541
MH
Mobilvetta Euroyacht
Exp
1996, then break 'til 2011
Sh*t.............. is your van really that clean underneath !!


(y)(y)
 
OP
OP
Feltwell
Aug 27, 2014
1,910
3,876
Shropshire
Funster No
33,077
MH
McLouis Tandy 640+
Exp
Since 2014
:) Not for long - I'd had it rustproofed only a couple of months before that picture was taken, so it was still black & shiny! And the spare tyre was new.

I can hardly be bothered to clean the bits of the van that you can see, let alone underneath!

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ChristineandJohn

Free Member
Jun 21, 2012
50
20
Berkshire
Funster No
21,560
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
since 2012, now on our third MH.
Have to agree. We now have them on our Bailey, it's a very quick job as the Alko chassis is predrilled.
 

GJH

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 20, 2007
29,450
38,827
Acklam, Teesside, originally Glossop
Funster No
127
MH
None, now sold
Exp
2006 to 2022
There are similar legs on our van. I cut a old (sturdy) plastic chopping board in two and drilled holes for "handles" made from some old electrical flex. I put those under the legs on anything other than flat hard standing. The "handles" make them easy to retrieve.
 

Techno

LIFE MEMBER
Deceased RIP
Jul 28, 2010
15,475
20,756
Leeds the one up North
Funster No
12,905
MH
Rapido 7090F 3 litre 160
Exp
May 2010
Have you got a link to them for anyone else?

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Oct 30, 2010
4,256
20,707
Suffolk or France or ........
Funster No
14,290
MH
A Class Carthago Chic
Exp
Since 2008
Got a pair of Alko steadies + winding handle in my garage which will be for sale.
Now had E&P levelling system fitted so not now needed. Used less than half a dozen times I should think.
Can't sell them at the mo as we are in France but if anyone wants to make an offer for them and wait a month they could be yours. (y)

Richard.
 
Aug 10, 2012
838
891
cambridge
Funster No
22,344
MH
Globecar
Exp
since2001
Got a pair of Alko steadies + winding handle in my garage which will be for sale.
Now had E&P levelling system fitted so not now needed. Used less than half a dozen times I should think.
Can't sell them at the mo as we are in France but if anyone wants to make an offer for them and wait a month they could be yours. (y)

Richard.
I would be interested
you have a pm
 
Apr 10, 2010
552
544
Bedfordshire
Funster No
10,998
MH
Carthago
Exp
Since Sept 2003
I've just taken the steady legs off my Alko chassis (also because I've fitted hydraulic levellers). They'll be for sale when I've cleaned them up a bit, in case anyone's interested.

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Petest

Free Member
Jan 23, 2016
199
185
Uk
Funster No
41,435
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
New convert
How about these ones as alternatives
 

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OP
OP
Feltwell
Aug 27, 2014
1,910
3,876
Shropshire
Funster No
33,077
MH
McLouis Tandy 640+
Exp
Since 2014
They're not dissimilar to the ones I took off. Apart from the need to grovel on your knees under the van to deploy them, the main problem was not being to put any pre-load on them to push down on the ground. If you always stay on hard standing it might not be so bad.

I however found them to be better than nothing, but not much! Previous owners of my van clearly agreed, as they were seized in the up position when I bought it, didn't look like they'd been used for a very long time.
 
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OP
OP
Feltwell
Aug 27, 2014
1,910
3,876
Shropshire
Funster No
33,077
MH
McLouis Tandy 640+
Exp
Since 2014
£375 + fitting :eek:

For the legs? I paid less than half that, including shipping from Germany, and they were new. Admittedly I suspect I hit lucky, I think they were a cancelled order from a dealer. Keep an eye on German and UK Ebay, more may come up, secondhand or new. If you've got an Al-Ko chassis with the pre-drilled holes then fitting them should be extremely simple, literally a 5 minute job that anyone who can lay on the ground and do up 4 nuts with a spanner could tackle!

The complicated bit in my case was not having an Al-Ko chassis, so needing to fabricate heavy duty brackets to attach them to the Fiat chassis.

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Feb 13, 2017
127
9
Newcastle
Funster No
47,304
MH
2007 N-B Arto 69 EGB
Exp
I'm a newbie
I've just taken the steady legs off my Alko chassis (also because I've fitted hydraulic levellers). They'll be for sale when I've cleaned them up a bit, in case anyone's interested.
Just wondered if these are still available?!

Long shot...
 
OP
OP
Feltwell
Aug 27, 2014
1,910
3,876
Shropshire
Funster No
33,077
MH
McLouis Tandy 640+
Exp
Since 2014
Yes, as soctjimland says, just steadies, for the most part.

However, the original drop down legs on this van were pretty useless as you couldn't put any load on them when they were first put down - so as the van moved about a bit they just ended up floating half an inch or so off the ground in a fairly short space of time. The wind-down Alko ones I bought to replace them with can be cranked down quite hard so stay in contact with the ground and you can choose to wind down one side a bit harder than t'other to level the van a little bit - the effect is minimal though, ramps are still the way to go, or hydraulic jacks if you have the wealth!
 

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