Over the years, I’d come to dislike having to park, dis-embark the RV and check that the landing pads would be OK when I tried to level the RV. I’d made a set of wooden landing pads that were 10″ square to compensate for the small round 8″ Jack pads (also known as Jack feet) that came with the HWH Jack system. The larger size made it easier to align the Jack pad and the landing pad and I used them quite a bit. But it was a chore to pulling them out of the basement compartments, setting them under the Jack pads, and reversing the process when it was time to leave whatever RV park I was at.
So when I found an ad for SnapPads, I thought that that would be the way to make that chore easier or disappear all together. The pads are made with recycled rubber products, and are designed to snap onto the bottom of the jack pad and stay there permanently. They have a wider 10″ footprint and should give a better landing profile for the jacks then the original 8″ pads that came with the jacks. The reviews were glowing too. But when I went to order them, there wasn’t a design to fit my 8″ Jack pads. So I contacted the company and asked about it. They came back to tell me they were still engineering one for the 8″ pads but would I like to be contacted as soon as they had some made? Well, sure I would. And over a year later they contacted me and I accepted their offer for a set of four for $49. Other RV’ers and myself were to be their beta testers. And I would need to write a review after I had installed them for that special price.
And here’s how they look before install. They are 10″ or so. The hole in the middle is for water to drain out. The open edges are for some models of HWH landing pads that have a horizontal bar. Mine don’t but some do. A note about installing. Many Jacks drop the ram and landing pad at an angle to the ground. So what you are suppose to do when installing these SnapPads is to put piece of wood under one side to lift it up so it will end up being level with the jack pad as you push the jack pad into it. That helps install it. You’re also suppose to liberally apply dish washing liquid to the pad’s edge to act as a lubricant. Once the jack is pushed into the SnapPad to the correct position it makes a ‘snap’ sound. Not always though.
I was on my way to San Felipe Baja Mexico at the time I received them so I didn’t install until I got down there. And then I didn’t move from that spot on the beach for a couple months afterwards. Since it was sandy soil where I was staying I still used my wooden landing pads underneath the SnapPads to prevent sinking into the sand. The SnapPads may have prevented that problem, I didn’t know that at the time and I wanted to wait on that sort of testing. But after I left San Felipe and headed north, I was able to use them the first travel night in a new place on a gravel covered RV space and they worked great. I was a bit leery of them staying on the systems pads while I was driving and every little bump made me nervous. They are heavy enough that if they dropped off the could seriously damage a following vehicle. But I checked several times during the trip and soon after arriving at the RV park and they still were attached. So I doubted that will be an issue as I’d driven over 330 miles that first day over several types of roadway including some serious bumps and they were all just as solid as when attached. And over the two years I’ve owned the SnapPads that’s turned out to be a non-issue. None of the 4 have slipped or dropped off or remained on the ground when I retracted the jacks. It’s important that the jack pads are in good condition before installing the SnapPads so they hold tight, and mine were.
After a couple months of use, I did write my review and submitted it to the company so my obligation to them has been fulfilled. I don’t see it there now, but it was submitted two years ago. If you’re interested in the pads note that at the time of this writing, the pads I ordered are called the HiWay 8 4-pack. And they are $105 plus shipping for a set of four at this time in late 2019. There’s a guide to select the right one for your RV at their web site.
And here’s how the pads look installed after two years of use, still looks good and no evidence that it’s grip on the Jack pad is weakening:
What I said in that review was how much I liked the pads. They make long trips tolerable because after driving for 6 hours I pull into a RV space, drop my jacks, level, and I’m done. No messing around with placing my homemade pads down. It’s rare having to do that with SnapPads, though sometimes conditions demand it. I’ve gotten aware enough that I know when those times are, and they are few.
After 2 years of use I have learned some things:
- It is sometimes necessary to use my wooden landing pads too. To account for different ground conditions, especially uneven ground;
- I’ve had the pad punch a hole in nice looking blacktop in hot weather. Took two people an hour to get it out of the hole, after some digging starting the engine did the trick as that caused vibrations to get it to move, the springs did the rest;
- SnapPad was nice enough to send me a free replacement for the pad that got bent when the Jack pad and SnapPad pushed through blacktop;
- The bent and distorted SnapPad returned to it’s former shape after removing it from the hole in the blacktop and it doesn’t appear to be the worse for wear, probably still usable;
- The SnapPads are weatherproof and still look good after two years of use.
One of the main reasons I still have to pull out the homemade landing pads occasionally is because sometimes the RV parking spot I’ve been assigned or chosen isn’t level enough and to prevent extending the jack rams too far, I’ll add the homemade pads. Often though, I don’t even know that until after I’ve parked and attempted to level because I’ve gotten use to not needed to.
Overall, I’m very happy with the SnapPads and whenever or if I ever get another RV, that’s one of the first things I’ll buy for it.