Your RV stabilizer jacks should be cleaned and maintained regularly because they’re exposed to road dirt and debris as you travel. So, learning how to lubricate RV stabilizer jacks is essential to quality towable camper maintenance.
Your stabilizing jack system allows you to move around comfortably in your towable RV without it rocking back and forth. That added stability keeps your appliances in place. Plus, it can help you stay asleep when your camping partners use the bathroom at night.
In this how-to guide, we’ll cover the basics of manual RV stabilizer jack lubrication so you can keep your stabilizer jacks working correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Regular Cleaning & Lubrication: Clean RV stabilizer jacks before and after each trip to prevent dirt buildup. Lubricate them 2–4 times per season using a dry silicone-based spray to ensure smooth operation.
- Proper Lubrication Method: Partially extend jacks, clean the assembly, then apply dry lubricant to drive screws and pivot points. Extend and retract to distribute evenly—also include tongue jack maintenance.
- Avoiding Damage & Repairs: Never adjust the tongue jack after the stabilizers are deployed to prevent strain and potential damage. If maintenance is neglected, repair or replacement may be needed.
Should You Clean Your Jacks?
Regular cleaning is the best way to prevent dirt and grime from causing more significant problems for manual and electric stabilizer jacks. Avoiding these accumulations is an underrated RV jack maintenance task. It simply requires wiping your stabilizing jacks with a clean, dry rag and/or a brush before and after each trip. Of course, you may clean your jacks more regularly as needed, especially if you frequently travel on less-maintained roads and increase your jack’s exposure to dirt and mud.
Technician Tip: Some electric stabilizing jacks will come with a grease pre-coating on the drive screw. If cleaned and removed, this grease must be re-applied per the jack manufacturer’s recommendation. Some may also have grease zerks of a wet gearbox that must be kept at the recommended level of lubrication.
How Often Should You Lube Your RV Stabilizer Jack System?
RV stabilizer jacks should be properly lubricated 2-4 times per season or as recommended by the jack manufacturer. Many owners add stabilizer jack lubrication to their dewinterization checklist and set their lube cadence from there. If you take your RV out of winter storage in May, for example, you’ll want to lube the stabilizer jacks at that time. Then, repeat the process 2-4 times before winterizing your RV again.
What Is the Best Lubricant for RV Stabilizer Jacks?
A dry film silicone-based lubricant is the best lube for RV stabilizer jacks. This type of lube goes on wet to get in small crevices before drying clear, and it’s better than grease (wet) lubricants that can attract and trap dirt, causing a buildup in the drive screw’s threads. If not removed, those buildups can eventually bind the jack or cause other issues with the drive screw’s operation.
CRC Dry Film Silicone Spray and Roadmaster Heavy Duty RV Lubricant are two excellent products you’ll find in most Camping World retail stores. Thetford also offers several Protect All products, but to avoid confusion, you’ll specifically want to look for the Dry Lube Protectant.
Technician Tip: If you used a grease lubricant, use a degreaser and a power washer to remove the buildup before wiping the jacks clean and applying a dry lubricant.
How To Lubricate RV Stabilizer Jacks
Learning how to lubricate RV stabilizer jacks is pretty simple. Follow the steps below:
- Partially extend the jacks to expose the drive screw.
- Wipe the entire assembly clean with a dry rag.
- Apply a dry lubricant to the drive screw’s threaded rods in several positions. Extend and retract the jack to spread the lube evenly along the drive screw.
- Apply dry lubricant to the six pivot points on each side of the stabilizer jack.
- Repeat for all jacks with drive screws.
Technician Tip: The tongue jack or landing gear jacks are an often-neglected part of the stabilization system since they pre-level the RV before deploying the stabilizer jacks. They should be extended fully and wiped down, the inside metal tube sprayed with dry lube, and the gears just under the top cap greased.
Do You Need Jack Repair or Replacement?
One of the most common causes of RV stabilizer damage is adjusting the tongue jack or landing gear height AFTER extending the stabilizing jacks. This places significant weight and strain on the stabilizer jacks, often causing them to buckle under the pressure.
If improper use or infrequent stabilizer jack lubrication has led to a broken system, it’s time to repair or replace it. You can explore installing new scissor jacks on your own. Or you can find scissor jacks and have them professionally installed.
The same is true for electric stabilizer jacks. Still, you may also consult a certified RV technician to perform a complete diagnostic to determine whether RV stabilizer jack repair or replacement is the best option.
Use these additional resources to maintain, repair, or replace the leveling and stabilizing components on your RV:
- RV Stabilizer Jacks Not Working?
- Choosing the Best Trailer Jack
- How To Use Lippert Auto Leveling System
Do you have any questions about RV stabilizer jack maintenance? Let us know in the comments below.
