Toung Jack

[buckethat]

I bought the harbor frieght heavy duty trailer and put the 20 dollar toung jack on it and when i jack the trailer up on it it twist the frame and was wondering if anyone else had this problem and if there is an alternative to doing it with this jack so that is not a problem.
buckethat

[bobhenry]

That same problem is what has me worried about the overall strength of the HF tongue setup.

Here is my intended improvement thanks to " Nobody"

( Thanks Harvey)

[Nobody]

When I had the jack in that position it was absolutely stable with the tongue modification. I've since moved the jack as far forward as possible on the "A" frame member to accomodate my tongue box. Still very stable with no flex whatever in the frame. Can't say the same about the jack tho; the swivel mechanism has begun to 'wear' after 3yrs of use & allows the jack itself to 'wobble' a little , which makes me awfully glad I installed the 4 corner stabilizers

[bobhenry]

Damn Harv. you do nice work that is a beautiful tear

Bob

[Toytaco2]

buckethat, my HF frame is the heavier duty 1,740lb model and the tongue twists when using the jack just like yours does. I'm planning on doing the same modification that is shown in the pictures in the last post. It looks fairly simple and should be quick to do.

Mike

[Nobody]

Thanks BH, coming from the creator of the 'moon roof' that is indeed a compliment

[TimJones]

how much did that add to the tongue wieght. Looks like a lot did you offset with more in the back. Looks much better, I too hate the way HF tongue looks. Tim

[Nobody]

how much did that add to the tongue wieght. Looks like a lot did you offset with more in the back. Looks much better, I too hate the way HF tongue looks. Tim

I don't really know how much (if any?) the tongue mod added to the tongue weight. It probably added maybe 40lbs or so to the entire weight of the trailer (wt of 78" of 2X2X1/4" steel tubing plus 4' of 1 1/2X1 1/2" angle) & that is forward of the axle so it probably contributed a considerable amount to tongue wt. I did move the axle rearward almost 4" before beginning the TD build. My original tongue wt of the completed TD was 140lbs or so (the TD originally came in just over 1100lbs). I've since added the tongue box & now my tongue wt runs from 180-220 lbs or so depending upon just how much & what kind of 'junk' I have in the box & in the TD cabin . My battery (Group 27 deep cycle) is mounted in the galley behind the axle & I usually carry the 'First-Up' gazebo in the cabin directly over the axle so any other 'cargo' in the cabin or tongue box will contribute to tongue wt. I've yet to have the TD weighed (fully laden for a trip/campout) on certified scales. Gotta make that a priority soon. I may be surprised at total weight but I'm thinking it'll be under 1500lbs. On a recent trip to SE Oklahoma my Tacoma P/U avg'd a little more than 19MPG pulling the TD. It gets considerably less than that towing my boat (just as streamlined as the TD if not more so) that weighs in neighborhood of 1800lbs.

[Toytaco2]

Harvey, did you simply turn the original coupler mount on the HF trailer over and use it as a sort of "cradle" for the 2 inch tubing/extension? Was a new coupler required to fit the tubing or were you able to reuse the HF original?

Thanks,
Mike

[Nobody]

Harvey, did you simply turn the original coupler mount on the HF trailer over and use it as a sort of "cradle" for the 2 inch tubing/extension? Was a new coupler required to fit the tubing or were you able to reuse the HF original?

Thanks,
Mike

That's exactly what I did Mike. I did have to do a little judicious grinding on the inside ends of the 'A' frame members so the tube 'receptacle' would fit between them in order to insert the new tongue tube. I didn't use the 'factory' coupler as it was made to fit over the original 2 1/2"(?) P.O.S. mount. I bought a coupler (Wal Mart I think, or maybe Tractor Supply?? ) to fit the 2x2" tubing & just bolted it on. That also made for easy fastening of the safety chains. Wuz also able to use a plastic 'loom' & run the trailer connector wiring inside the tongue tube. I like that better'n trying to 'contain' it inside the 'C' channel frame (tho I had to do that from 2nd cross member on back to tail/signal/running lights).

[Toytaco2]

Harvey, could you indulge one more question: Could this whole project be done with a drill and bolts, or does it need to be welded up (I'm thinking now mainly about the angle iron attached to the tube)?

Thanks,
Mike

[Nobody]

Harvey, could you indulge one more question: Could this whole project be done with a drill and bolts, or does it need to be welded up (I'm thinking now mainly about the angle iron attached to the tube)?

Thanks,
Mike

Mine is all bolted. I bolted the angle iron to the underside of cross members #1 & 2 (after clamping everything in place & 'squaring' the coupler to the ends of the axle spindles). The new tongue is bolted (crosswise) to the angle iron (2 bolts) & vertically thru the old coupler & bottom brace. I used 1/2" grade 5 automotive strength bolts & am well pleased with the result . Oh yeah, I did use my old 1/2" commercial grade drill; I'm not sure I could've done it with the little 3/8" variable speed drill & reduced shank bits . The angle iron came from old bed rails & they were HAARRRD! I pre-drilled the holes in them on my drill press & then finished up using the 1/2" drill on the trailer frame & tongue once everything was aligned/clamped in place. Was actually easier to do than describe (for me anyway )

[TimJones]

Spent the day working on my tongue. Thanks to Nobody for the idea and bobhenry for getting me started. Sure looks better now, doesn't take long to do Just getting started is the hard part.


Thanks for thread buckethat

[Nobody]

Looks good Tim. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.

[bobhenry]

And I am gonna have to stare at your nice neat new tongue at Raccoon Lake as you are my neighbor. I gotta get off my butt and get mine reinforced.

Harvey you have started a trend