Trailer Jack Rating

Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I forgot to flip up my trailer jack and as you can imagine some interesting things happened. Luckily what was left of it served its purpose for haul out. My boat is approximately 5500lbs. The boat has been moved forward on the trailer for more tongue weight and as a result the jack is 3-4' aft of the hitch. The trailer is pretty heavy duty so it's not light either. What rating would you recommend for this trailer this application?
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Someone here may have the answer for you. If it were me, I'd haul it to a trailer company, let them evaluate your setup, and recommend the right jack.
The jack that came with my trailer seemed too small for the tongue weight. Since it's too big to take to a shop. I just bought a heavy duty jack and moved the old one to the rear of the trailer. Just for insurance (assurance).
 
Dec 2, 2003
751
Hunter 260 winnipeg, Manitoba
Tongue weight should be 10-15% of total trailer weight - in your case approx 5500 + trailer - call it 1000lbs so tongue weight should be 650-975lbs. While a a 1000lb would likely do I would likely go a bit heavier - say in the 1200-1500 lb range - particularly if you are going to use a wheel style and thinking of moving it at all on the jack wheel. Heavier rating doesn’t hurt - just costs a bit more but could give you an extra comfort level.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
The boat is at the yard right now. I'm waiting to hear back from them about access so I can start working on it. A jack on the rear is a great idea! Maybe I can salvage what's left of mine and use it back there.

I've been eyeballing the 1500lbs jacks
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
The boat is at the yard right now. I'm waiting to hear back from them about access so I can start working on it. A jack on the rear is a great idea! Maybe I can salvage what's left of mine and use it back there.

I've been eyeballing the 1500lbs jacks
Yep, the Hunter isn't tippy like my old Mac26S but if it ever did tip back it could be expensive! Moving the old jack cost me nothing.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
The first time I unhitched this trailer it went flying up in the air with some force! The only thing that kept it from going all the way back was the safety chains. We tried with all our weight to get it down, chocked trailer wheels and drove forward, attempted to pull the tongue to the truck with ratchet straps, tied bricks to the tongue... We eventually used my spare tire jack on the back of the trailer. This is why I moved the bow support forward. I was going to move the axles back but then I got my Ugly Duckling - An old beat up green F250 Super Duty. Tongue weight was no longer an issue with a proper tow vehicle. The front of the trailer occasionally floats up when I climb on the swim ladder but it's slow enough that I can hop down. Moving the old jack is a great idea!
 
Dec 2, 2003
751
Hunter 260 winnipeg, Manitoba
if the tongue still floats up when you climb up the stern you likely still need to shift significantly more weight forward. Aim for 10-15% of towing weigh on tongue (as you normally provision the boat) On our boat having the potable water tank full makes for a much better tow but even empty the bow will not rise when I climb up the stern. (Tank is near the bow).
There are special scales available to determine your tongue weight or methods using a standard bath scale and a bit of physics.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
It tows alright with a bigger truck so it's low on the never ending list of boat projects. There's a lot to consider and rearrange if I were to move the axles back. I've towed enough overloaded trailers with underrated vehicles to know what the tell tail signs are
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
That will teach you NOT to stop at the beer store and load the back of the boat full! :)
A boat full of only beer?! Sir, I shall have you know that I'm a gentleman with a much more sofisticated pallet. There was cheap whiskey and women in there too! :biggrin::beer:
 
Last edited:

LloydB

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Jan 15, 2006
804
Macgregor 22 Silverton
Boats have been pulled on trailers since the 1920s or longer. Experience has brought us to the rule of thumb that 10% of total trailer weight including boat should be on the hitch when towed at road speed. Given a 5500lb boat that would be about 500 pounds at the hitch. So my recommendation would be a 1000 pound harbor freight trailer Jack that cost 20 bucks. That keeps the hitch off the dirt and if you want to roll it with a 2 wheel like Dave suggested that would work better than a one wheeled jack. fwiw specifically I'm thinking that if you were to buy a 5000 pound Jack and put it on the trailer and then left it down and tried to drive over a curb you would do more damage to the trailer but the Jack might survive
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Is there any validity in thinking that one (e.g. 1000lb) jack is stronger than another? While my old jack might have supported 1000lbs in the vertical, the side to side movement made me nervous so I replaced it and moved the old one to the rear. The old one has a wheel. The new one has a plate.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Side to side? Just depends on the amount of tension and the failure point, and other critical engineering data, none of which we would ever have access to, but we do get to see the end result. :)
1 IMG_0462 copy.JPG
 
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Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
Side to side? Just depends on the amount of tension and the failure point, and other critical engineering data, none of which we would ever have access to, but we do get to see the end result.
Field testing at its best!


I think I'll pick up a 1500lbs dual wheel jack from harbor freight for $30. I doubt the last one was rated for more than 1000lbs. It held up well until it hit a pothole
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Few, if any will survive a pothole. Mine went head to head with a concrete slab about the size of a curbstone. Its a jack, not a dolly - that task takes something more robust.
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Few, if any will survive a pothole. Mine went head to head with a concrete slab about the size of a curbstone. Its a jack, not a dolly - that task takes something more robust.
I agree. Why do trailers even have wheels. Unless you are only moving a few inches, better to use a dolly