WHY
USE CHOCKS?
Wheel
chocks are an important part of achieving the stability
you desire in your tent trailer, travel trailer, or
fifth wheel trailer.
Unlike
motor homes, trailers do not have a built-in parking
brake. Therefore, trailers have no mechanism to control
front to rear rocking movement. Stabilizing jacks, when
extended, help put a damper on this movement, but most
people prefer to eliminate it altogether. This is where
wheel chocks come in to play.
WHY
USE BAL DESIGNED AND PATENTED TRAILER CHOCKS?
To
virtually eliminate the front to rear rocking movement
in trailers of all kinds, BAL has designed and patented
a line of wheels chocks to fit every trailer's needs.
Tent
trailer owners should use the single-tire locking chock.
One chock (model #: 28020),
secured around one tire on your trailer, used in combination
with BAL's tent trailer tire leveler (model #: 28050),
used on your low side tire, will give you a sense of
stability never before achievable. You should use a
wrench to apply extra pressure against your tire after
securing the wedges against your tire by hand. Make
sure your stabilizers are BAL tent trailer jacks (model
#'s: 23005, 23007, 23025,
or 23026) or this stability won't be achieved.
Travel
trailers and fifth wheel trailers should use either
of BAL's dual or triple axle locking chocks. Model number 28000 sits on the ground between the tires, and will fit between
most tandem trailer tires. Two metal wedges are extended
by a screw mechanism, which applies opposing forces
on the tires. A hand-operated wingnut is used to quickly
extend or retract the metal wedges. A wrench may be
used to apply extra force for added stability, or to
retract the wedges for removal.
BAL's
deluxe tire locking chock (model #: 28005)
goes between the tires, but requires at least 2 ½" of
clearance between the tires to fit. It is a mini scissors
jack, that when activated with a ratchet wrench (supplied),
applies opposing forces on the tires. Model number 28005 can apply more force against the tires than model number 28000.
Also, a piece of wood placed under BAL model 28000 may produce better results when used on soft surfaces
like grass, gravel, or dirt. One chock will eliminate
most of your front to rear movement, and two chocks
will add even more stability.
NOTE:
BAL's chocks are designed for locking trailer tires
when camping. They should be put in place after disconnecting
from your tow vehicle and after putting down your stabilizing
jacks. They should be removed prior to hooking up to
your tow vehicle. Failure to do so may damage your chocks.
To avoid undesired trailer movement when disconnecting
or hooking up to your tow vehicle, a tire "wedge" should
be firmly placed behind one, or preferably both rear
trailer tires.
WHY
USE A KING PIN JACK?
All
fifth wheel trailers have front landing gear which support
the front of the trailer. The landing gear is designed
to lower, raise, and support the front of the trailer.
Most landing gear has a certain amount of play between
its telescopic landing gear leg and its housing. The
amount of side to side sway will vary with different
manufacturers' landing gear.
To
eliminate the annoying side to side movement in the
front of your fifth wheel trailer, you need a fifth
wheel king pin jack.
There
are two types of these jacks:
1.
BAL's Two-Leg Jacking Design
2.
A Tripod Non-Jacking Design
WHY
USE A BAL KING PIN JACK?
There
are numerous advantages with BAL's patented two leg
king pin jack versus the various tripod models being
sold.
First,
BAL's jack design is much lighter than the tripod design.
This means easier handling and less weight to lift.
Second,
the BAL king pin is much more streamlined than the bulky
tripod design. This means that the BAL king pin jack
requires much less storage space than a tripod model.
Third,
the BAL king pin jack is easier to set up and use. For
the BAL king pin jack, you simply position the top of
both legs against the trailer's king pin, attach a chain
and then turn the jack screw for 10-20 seconds until
the trailer is stable. With the tripod design, it must
be opened up and positioned under the king pin. The
trailer's landing gear must then be lowered down onto
the tripod jack until the trailer is stable. If the
trailer is not level because lowering the front end
of the trailer will raise the rear end of the trailer,
you must re-level the trailer. This means adjusting
the tripod jack so that it will "stretch out" at a different
point, hopefully, the point at which the trailer is
level. This trial and error method is not required with
the BAL design.
In
summary, the BAL king pin jack is lighter, more streamlined
and easier to use than tripod models.