A couple of things to answer to some of the comments... Happijacs are a square tube, not a round tube. I can't put a pipe or sand into it as the screw is crimped inside.
The beauty of it is, the front of this rig takes the brunt of the lifting, and the two jacks on the back can share the load, or either one can lift by itself with the front ones. I lifted it off the truck with three jacks, and lowered it slowly only allowing the tiniest of pressure on the bent tube until it was close to the platform. Then I had to remove the bend jack, and used the three others to lower it to the dolly underneath it.
I'll take it apart and go see what people with a hydraulic press can do. It's a fairly tight fit into the other square tube, so it will be obvious if it slips in and out after straightening.
Mike and Carole
2007 Snowbird 9'6" Super Slide
2005 16.6 Double Eagle
2000 F350 7.3 SC 4X4
previously 8'10" Snowbird Camper
2006 Triple E Regency 27 foot SXL SOLD!
Artum Snowbird wrote: A couple of things to answer to some of the comments... Happijacs are a square tube, not a round tube.
Square is worse. There is no way to bend a square tube without distortion.
Artum Snowbird wrote:
The beauty of it is, the front of this rig takes the brunt of the lifting, and the two jacks on the back can share the load, or either one can lift by itself with the front ones.
Until you go to unload on a site that is unlevel or uneven. I wouldn't bother with it. I would always be concerned about a failure. It would always be in the back of my mind when unloading or loading. To me, that alone is not worth it.
....will a simple "cold bend" of a steel tube really weaken it ???
As far as I'm aware, cold bending steel (read: not a sharp bend) won't weaken it. Applying heat and bending it will significantly weaken the square or round steel tube.
One of the cold steel bending techniques requires one to fill the tube with water and super-freeze it, then bend in a split-vice, then melt the ice out....voila.
you can call all you want, HappiJac will not send you replacement legs. I tried when I had one bend. "It's a liability" is all they will tell you. Their fix - replace the whole jack.
Northern Limits wrote: Kidding me? Straighten it? Is there any kink to it? If there is, then it's a no brainer don't bother with it, replace it. Even if there isn't a kink...it;s a round tube that needs to be strong. Bending a tube puts a stretch into the outside of the bend in the metal. It's now longer in that area and is also thinner. Straightening it will stretch the other side to match. And it probably wont be perfectly straight without a lot of work. The tube needs to be straight to have it's strength.
X2
X3
Replace it............
Lynn Sr
K0LFM Call Sign Northern Lite 8-11 Q Classic SE
Pro-Craft 180 Bass boat 2003 GMC Sierra 2500, Torklifts & Fastguns, Ride-Rites w/dual Control, Helwig rear sway bar,QD Stable Loads, "E" rated 16" 10 ply Michelins, Heavy Duty Pads & Rotors
you can call all you want, HappiJac will not send you replacement legs. I tried when I had one bend. "It's a liability" is all they will tell you. Their fix - replace the whole jack.
So I did, with Rieco Titan's.
not to hijack the thread, but FYI i have the HappiCraps(manual) now and had the Reico Titan's previously.the HappiCraps are forever binding, the Reicos would never bind.GLTU.
Time to junk the scrappie jacks, and get some good solid round tubes like Reicos or Atwoods. If it was a round tube, it would be possible to straighten it so long as it hadn't kinked, but with a square walled tube once those corners kink, the vertical structural integrity is gone.
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