Need landing leg ideas

[bmonday]

So I was out a few weeks ago for the first time with my fully-loaded trailer, and made a discovery: The landing leg is going to get me killed one day.

Here's a pic so you can see what I'm talking about (ignore for the moment that it's bent forward in this picture, I've since fixed that):

The leg is a swing-up/down design with a relatively fixed length (you can adjust the length my screwing the inside of the leg in or out, but not while it's under load). While it levels the trailer fine when it's detached from the Jeep, in order to attach the trailer to the Jeep I need to unlock and swing it up out of the way so I can lower the tongue onto the hitch. While I'm holding the front of the trailer in the air with my other arm.

Not only is this dangerous, but with a fully loaded trailer I found it impossible for me alone to support the tongue with 2 arms, never mind trying with one arm trying to fold up the landing leg. And I expedition alone 90% of the time.

Is anyone doing anything cool with landing legs? I know I can bolt a cheesy screw-up model to the tongue, but I was looking for something a little more in-line with the military theme of the trailer.

Thanks in advance
BMonday

 

[opie]

Unrelated.....

How do you like that medical chest? Im toying with the idea of picking up 1 or 2 of them.

 

[spunky2268]

Jackage

bmonday,

Nice setup! I don't have an expo trailer yet, but have used a lot of trailers with my horses and through my emergency management related jobs. I've got a couple of idears. I like dual purpose solutions, too, as they save weight and expand your capabilities.

1) Looks like you might benefit from some blocking/cribbing under that jack. You might try the Off Road Base from Hi Lift. Nice dual purpose accessory there.

2) Hi Lifts were used long ago for trailer tongue jacks on farm equipment. I'm sure you have one, so you could use that, or better yet, buy another primarily for your trailer and secondarily as a backup. A Google search will probably show you some examples as to how to connect it to your trailer.

3) I loved the motorized trailer jacks we had on all of our trailers at my emergency management job. The were expensive, but for heavy trailers, worth every penny. And, if the electrics went out, there was a hand crank option.

4) I've never liked a simple foot on any trailer. Too difficult to muscle the trailer over the ball should the need arise. Any farm store can hook you up with an adjustable wheeled trailer jack; they will even swing up, parallel to your trailer tounge for travel to improve your clearance. I've hooked up many a trailer by myself this way.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Spunky

 

[Antichrist]

I know I can bolt a cheesy screw-up model to the tongue, but I was looking for something a little more in-line with the military theme of the trailer.

Not sure I'd use a cheesy one, but maybe something like this:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200155274_200155274

All the military style landing legs I've seen pretty much require the same gymnastics you have to perform now.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Unrelated.....

How do you like that medical chest? Im toying with the idea of picking up 1 or 2 of them.

If you can find them buy them. I love mine and wish I had a couple more. Gotta love a 100% air/dust tight box that weighs less than a plastic bin the same size.

OT:
Northern Tool has two pages of them. HERE a couple look pretty industrial.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Not sure I'd use a cheesy one, but maybe something like this:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200155274_200155274

All the military style landing legs I've seen pretty much require the same gymnastics you have to perform now.

Ooops didn't see the link to NT.

 

[bmonday]

Yeah, I really like the medical chest. It gives me a nice flat surface to cook on or whatever while I am at camp. I think it looks better than the traditional tongue box.

All those latches get annoying, but you don't have to use them all.

Thanks
BMonday

 

[elcoyote]

Look like you have a potentially dangerous situation on your hands there. Although this may not be along the "Military lines" , the attached pictures of how we put jacks on our trailers may provide some inspiration.

BTW, very nice trailer tongue upgrade you have done!

 

[pawprint]

Bulldog jack

I would install a "Bulldog" brand side or top wind removable jack with 15" travel. This set up would allow to stabilize as well as level the load and can be completely removed for off road travel.

 

[JIMBO]

:REExeSquatsHL1: Another very safety oriented item is, no matter what kind of tongue jack you use, you should faithfully use

------WHEEL CHOCKS-------------

They're a little bothersome, but will prevent CATASTROPHES !!!

ROFSheriffHL: JIMBO

 

[IH8RDS]

You have the space so I would go with one of these. I have one on my RV.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/bal-tongue-jack/1551

 

[ntsqd]

On the Cheep Utility Trailer project I built a landing foot rather than a jack. Trailers that get borrowed, and we fully expected that this trailer would be borrowed frequently, tend to eventually come back with bent tongue jacks. I didn't want to deal with that whole issue so I designed a landing foot instead.

The landing foot I built is designed so that by picking up on the tongue and pulling forward the foot falls out of it's keys and trails along. Once sitting on the tow ball, the foot can then be put into it's retracted position.

A friend borrowed it to go to San Felipe one year. On return he informed me that the trailer was stable up to 80 mph. The next year he wanted to borrow it again, but wanted to install a jack as he had trouble using the foot the previous year. I requested that it not be welded on so as to make replacement easier. I think he figured that I was paranoid. The jack's design does allow it be rotated up out of the way, but the handle is now bent. I foresee a time in the near future when the whole thing will need to be replaced.

The irony is that neither the foot or the jack are used all that much. It normally sits with the bottom of the tongue on the ground.

 

[bmonday]

The landing foot I built is designed so that by picking up on the tongue and pulling forward the foot falls out of it's keys and trails along. Once sitting on the tow ball, the foot can then be put into it's retracted position.

Yeah, that's what I was doing with my landing leg too. And that is fine when the trailer is empty, but when it's full, the weight is too much for me to handle alone while I try to maneuver the lunette onto the pintle hook (it's not a straight drop like it would be on a ball, because of the locking portion of the pintle hook, as well as the tire rack on my Jeep).

it looks like I'm going to be stuck with one of the traditional designs. I guess I'll just have to paint it OD to make it military

 

[opie]

If you can find them buy them. I love mine and wish I had a couple more. Gotta love a 100% air/dust tight box that weighs less than a plastic bin the same size.

Colemans has them for $79 + $22 shipping for either of the three sizes. They also have "pot luck" ones for $49 + $22 shipping.

I do think Im going to pull the plug. Thanks.

 

[TheGillz]

Colemans has them for $79 + $22 shipping for either of the three sizes. They also have "pot luck" ones for $49 + $22 shipping.

I do think Im going to pull the plug. Thanks.

Would it be arogant of me to ask if you meant "the trigger"?