Tongue jack thoughts- help

[RogHodge]

Okay here’s the deal- I tried the HF swing back trailer jack- found it to be overly cumbersome and awkward and the off center Rube Goldberg contraption look had to go.
Next I bought an “A-Frameâ€

[Woodbutcher]

Is it the kind that you could pull the wheel off after raising it? That would be the easiest way. Just run a pin through the shaft and the wheel and hold it with a clevis pin.

[RogHodge]

The A-frame jack, I presume your question is directed at, has a removable foot. It adds a minimal amount of bulk under the jack. A wheel would be almost to the ground in the retracted position. So no go on the simple remove-the-wheel-during-transport fix- thanks for the input though.

[teardrop_focus]

A scissors jack is a great idea if you can find one that folds closed thin enough for the ground clearance you need and for a clean look. You can also use a rechargeable drill motor to drive the mechanism if you don't want to have to use the crankrod all the time.

[asianflava]

What kind of tongue weight are you running? I've got an HF tongue jack and it's been fine for 5 years now. Granted, it's not the greatest, but it works fine for me.

If you have a welder, I'm sure you can fab up some kind of scissor jack from an old car jack. One thing to keep in mind though, they aren't as strong when loaded fron the side.

[RogHodge]

Thank you Thank you- That is the type of confirmation that I like to have- I was leaning that way as you can tell. I bought a scissor jack from HF (4 minutes away) today for close inspection.

Tongue weight- I was thinking about this while driving today- The small folding jack from HF reports to be 1000lbs capacity- Which of us has a tongue weight even half of that? I dare guess, None. Made me think that this is an area that we could cut weight- but not at the expense of safety- right? As far as side loading- once the wheels are chocked there should be no appreciable side loading. Wouldn’t you agree? Of course you would.

Asianflava- I checked your album but didn’t see a scissor jack- did see the swing-back jack. Did I miss anything?

Could it be that I am embarking into new territory?

[Alphacarina]

[quote="RogHodge"]I only have around 12â€

[Larry C]

The A-frame jack, I presume your question is directed at, has a removable foot. It adds a minimal amount of bulk under the jack. A wheel would be almost to the ground in the retracted position. So no go on the simple remove-the-wheel-during-transport fix- thanks for the input though.

Would it be possible to rework (shorten the jack) I am looking for the same cure for the "too long jack" that I haven't bought yet.

[Sonoma ZR2]

I've had great results from the Bulldog tongue jack with the weld on bung and either pivot it out of the way or put in the TV. We use them on all the trailers that we build for farm use and they hold up great many in use for 20 years plus.

[doug hodder]

There are several light duty swing away jacks with an attached dolly wheel. I've used a 600# Fulton ( at least that's who I think made it), it has a short travel to it. It has a universal bolt up creation..but I stripped it off, trimmed down the mounting plate with a torch, cleaned it up and welded it up on the A member. The real thing is to make things fit up close.

If mounting on an A member, try to keep it as close to the coupler as possible, yet still make it swing up and away. Also...crank it down when moving the trailer across rough ground. Leverage is your enemy on a jack raised high. This one on the Rocketear folds back with the handle just short of the coupler. To figure out a location point, place it in the folded position first so that the crank is where you want it...then mark the welding/bolting point, Just a suggestion. Doug

[kirkman]

I agree with Sonoma ZR2. The bulldog jack is the way to Go if you are looking for a clean look and strength.
jack link

[Larwyn]

I changed mine to the Bull Dog rack and gear operated jack. It lifts high enough that I can leave the wheel on mine. They cost a bit more but retract completely with only the wheel below the mounting point. They also require grease and the greasy rack is not enclosed but you can buy plastic covers for them (I think I saw them at Bass Pro Shop) I just try to avoid contact with it myself. When I had the regular telescoping style Bull Dog jack it was necessary to remove the wheel for travel. I never considered a swing away jack, just didn't look like something I wanted to use.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/trailer-jacks/bulldog-rack-gear-jack-0116348

[dh]

I went with this type of bull dog jack, just remove the entire jack while in tow.