Getting a 'Lift' for my Delicate Sprinter RV

Travelling in a Sprinter RV ...in a land that's not blessed with a MB Shop within a hundred miles...certainly has it's challenges.

The basic need to temporarily hoist your rig during your trip...is one of them.
If you're not fortunate enough to end up in a 'Sprinter-Wise' Shop...best be aware!

The "I've done this before"...and the ...'any lifting spot will do' attitude... is alive and well out there. (you can see them not listening while they look at your rear diff and their floor jack...agh!)

Which leaves me wondering...are the Ford and Chevy chassis' just as just as delicate?

I was never a fan of the Unibody design. Cheaper to manufacture but more expensive to repair and not as stout.

I would say if they can't agree upfront to lift vehicle according to the manufacture's recommended lifting points, I would say, Goodbye!

Ford vans (e series) are frame on body, so they have a frame to jack from.

Domestic unibody vans are just as prone to damage if jacked in bad spots (particularly when loaded). With sprinters, they are not as common, and when confronted with an unknown, many mechanics on the floor apply half-assed bluster instead of actually thinking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect


Mercedes jack points are not very typical, and can be difficult to access on RVs. I have heard of plenty of damage to other heavy unibody vehicles though.

The big issue with RVs is the weight. This requires correctly designed lift gear to clear the body skirts/tanks and handle the weight. Many shops just don't invest the time/money in the proper adapters, or the jockey on the shop floor is in a hurry (flat rate crap) and doesn't take the time to asses the situation.



Unibody has substantial benefits for the light to medium vehicle market. Unibodies can be stiffer (total body warp) and have better curb weight to payload ratios. The unibody design also allows for a lower deck height, as the structural members are not isolated from the body like other designs.

They are generally not as durable as dedicated frame designs. Of course durable in this context means "tolerant of stupid abuse".

Thank you 'drifter! At last! We have a name for this widespread phenomenon described by Dunning & Kruger. It just scratches the surface and needs more validation and confirmation by astute social scientists. Emperically, we know it is true. We see in action every day and we are not trained observers.

I hope Dunning and Kruger expand their studies to include the social magnitisim effect, the "birds of a feather flock together" reality so commonly seen. Also called.the Zombie Upshot.

Remember always..."they walk among us......"

Other posters here have suggested that one paint the proper lifting areas.

One could use (a) neon bright paint in green for the proper jacking points for a lift and (b) another color (yellow?) for the emergency Sprinter tire jack locations.

That leaves in the air the proper jacking points if one does not have a proper lift and the proper jackstand points for safety jackstands.

OldWest said:

Other posters here have suggested that one paint the proper lifting areas.

One could use (a) neon bright paint in green for the proper jacking points for a lift and (b) another color (yellow?) for the emergency Sprinter tire jack locations.

That leaves in the air the proper jacking points if one does not have a proper lift and the proper jackstand points for safety jackstands.

Click to expand...

This I have done for all four lifting areas. painted it yellow.




However one lifting area is obscured with the black tank(2010 Roadtrek Agile)..wonder what they were thinking



Had no choice but used part of the rear axle in order to lift!



cheers...