Tongue Jacks - show me what you're running

[TXST8tj]

I am interested in seeing the tongue jack setups you folks are running. My tongue is 2.5" tube.

So I had set up what I thought was going to be a solid tongue jack solution. About a second into getting the mount tacked in place and a quick test of the jack, my dreams were crushed. I started with a Bulldog brand tube mount hitch and caster wheel. I like the tube mount style because I think it is a generally clean look, without an oversized bolt-on bracket hanging about.

With it in place, there is some serious lean to the jack. There is just too much slop in this style where a wide, flat base is not being used (now I know why they don't seem to offer them this way).
It just looks like a failure waiting to happen. Besides that, the wheel does not spin freely, so it just slides across the ground rather than turn. I understand that there is no weight up there, but regardless, it should still spin freely.

Looking for ideas!

 

[plh]

I'll be watching this thread

 

[RagnarD]

Having done several and learning from each one, these are the parts that I use.

I prefer to buy the jack without a mount so I can fine tune the balance point (prefer the jack to naturally want to pivot foot/wheel side down) and height/extension for ease of deployment (few cranks) and max extension.

http://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=BD195354

http://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=BDPG9810-00

http://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=BD015279

The pipe mount takes a 5/8” pin and the drop leg takes a 9/16” pin. I drill out the drop leg holes to 5/8".

I make my own caster brackets that are a snug fit with a 5” steel swivel caster.

When mounting the jack off center (on drivers side), I leave a gap on the top of the trailer side of the mount. There is a little bit of trial and error but the jack will be very close to vertical/minimal wobble with weight on it. Same for the front and back (top and bottom pin hole).

By the time I deploy the 3 jacks and lock the brakes, the trailer is pretty stable.

The most stable would be a center mounted square jack welded directly to the frame with a drop leg. Problem is that you would need a long drop leg and need to weld the jack near the very bottom to maintain ground clearance. Main issue with this is that the top of the jack would stick up pretty high and would be a more involved repair if the jack ever gets damaged.

I still prefer the pipe mounts for the sleek look, fast deployment, range of extension, and ability to remove for theft deterrence/other uses.

ETA: The first time I mounted a jack, it looked like yours, cant seem to find a pic of it though....must not have happened

 

[Jeepinaaron]

Fulton XP15L. I don't have a picture at the moment of it mounted, and the trailer is at the fabricators shop right now getting some other things done. I don't like a top mount crank because it will hit things if you have a tongue box, propane tank, etc etc. This one cranks nice, and the wheel is big enough you can roll it around in gravel and such.

http://www.amazon.com/Fulton-XP15L-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

 

[RagnarD]

I agree on the side crank preference but I dont like that type of jack. The caster is not a true swivel and not a fan of the plastic wheel. The swivel lock up is good with minimal wobble but there is not adjustment for forward/backwards rake. Its just aesthetics, but that type of mount just looks like an afterthought to me. I actually threw one of them into a scrap bin. Wish I had sold it now that I see what they cost.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

Shortly after welding the Jack mount to the tongue of my CDN M101 I installed a tongue box making it unusable. Finally got around to welding on a second that was further up the tongue and was usable. The original mount is used to stow the Jack and the new one is for when the Jack is s in use. With chocks on the wheels the Jack is stable and it's nice to be able to level the trailer with trying to do it with the drop leg of the trailer.

 

[MountainD]

I'm not running it yet, but it is on my wish list: http://www.arkportablepower.com/pages/xo-trailer-jack

ArkPak XO Trailer Jack.

 

[Semi-Hex]

I'm not running it yet, but it is on my wish list ]

Pretty much on everyone's wish list. I've resized the holes on my pipe mount jacks and the are less pricey for three than one of these new ones.

 

[MountainD]

True, there are cheaper methods than the XO. And my current one is a franken-jack for just those reasons. But I sure wouldn't put my jack in the same catagory and, quite frankly, money isn't the same to all people. I don't have a lot of it, so it means something to me, but if I was flush, I would get the XO just to avoid any of the hassles that a mediocre jack can cause...

 

[jeffjeeptj]

Originally, the trailer had the usual vertical jack in the v section of the tongue. That jack was in the way of my TJ tailgate when i swung it open, so that jack went away. I went with two jacks to aid in leveling the trailer in conjunction with rear jacks. Since these swivel, the Jeep tailgate opened as far as I needed it to.
These were not expensive jacks.

 

[wagex]

i have the same exact one as the original post i like having the pin, you can take the whole thing off and leave it off if you need to, and can also store it wherever. i never take mine off but i like that its an option.

 

[PCO6]

Mine's still under construction. Hope it works! It's a 1,500 marine jack with a 8" dia. with 4" wide solid plastic wheel.

 

[WeeJeep2]

I'm running a Bulldog jack like yours. No problems with it moving to the side.

Make sure you have the proper size hub and pin to go with your jack. The jacks and hubs come in different sizes. I had a spare hub mounted to a receiver insert so I could mount the jack on the rear of the trailer.

The new hub had a smaller pin hole that I had to drill out and it was a little shorter too. With the proper hub it should work fine.

On the wheel side of things I went to Northern Tool and picked up a wheel with bearings at the top and a grease fitting in the axle.

It swivels easily and my tongue weight can be pretty high. The board in the photos above is a wheel chock I made that spreads the load of the wheel when parked on soft surfaces.

BTW, I've got an extra Lock N Roll hitch in the garage, (first generation) if you are looking for something like that for your trailer.

 

[1Louder]

I'm not running it yet, but it is on my wish list: http://www.arkportablepower.com/pages/xo-trailer-jack

ArkPak XO Trailer Jack.View attachment 340165

I own one. I was sick and tired of crappy jack stands. I have a big DIY Trailer so having something that makes it easy to move around was very important for me. Especially when hooking up the trailer solo which I do often. Mine was "on sale" at $199.00. I haven't tested it in dirt yet but hopefully that will happen this weekend.

http://www.arkportablepower.com/products/xo-trailer-jack

Some current pictures including the jack installed are here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Trailer-Build-Takeover?p=2072115#post2072115

 

[yzingerr]

anyone build their own?
I was thinking of taking 1.5" (1.25" ID) square tubing and mating it with 1.25"(OD) square.
The local metal yard has mild steel in this size for +-$1.50/foot.
I plan on drilling at 2" or so increments for a pin to lock it in place.
My M101-A1 is about 30" tall when level and on level ground.
Seems way cheaper to DIY in this case.