Trailer Jack Encyclopedia
Jacks for Trailers
Trailer jack, in a broad sense, includes all the jacks which could be used on trailers, such as tongue jack, stabilizer jack, corner jacks, fifth-wheel landing gear, etc. But, gradually, for absolutely the highest frequency of use, it is a trend that the name “trailer jack” was used for “trailer tongue jack” and “A Frame Jack”. And in daily communication, the “trailer jack” that people talking about is practically the “trailer tongue jack” or “A frame trailer jack”.
several dimensions and levels this article are based on
Ⅰ. Main function
Now, according to the main function, we set up two classifications: front jack and auxiliary jack.
- A. Trailer Front Jack
People call there two jack all “trailer jack”, but based on their similar installation location(in front of the trailer) and their similar roles they play, we categorized them into a new group called trailer front jack.
Including tongue jack and A frame jack, front Jack is the most popular trailer jack we always talking about. The installation location of this trailer jack is close to the coupler, at the front of the entire trailer, usually installed on the trailer tongue or the front of the A-frame. The main function is supporting the trailer and holding balance after it being separated from the towing vehicle. It is without a doubt that coupler/front jack is the most important and essential jack on trailers, because it is the significant procedure to hold the balance of trailer and the foundation of all the following stabilizing and leveling. Originally, trailer was designed with a towing vehicle, and when it is asked to be used independently trailer need the tongue jack to be its “crutch”.
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- i. Trailer Tongue Jack
As its name implies, it is mounted on the trailer tongue, the only connection point between trailer and tractor -- a single beam that extends from trailer body to the coupler.
Trailer tongue Jack on straight-bar trailer
On straight-bar trailer, the whole long bar is its obvious tongue.
A frame trailer tongue jack
A frame jack, not tongue jack
On A frame trailer, different from straight-bar trailer, only the part that from the connection point of two inclined beams to coupler is its tongue. It is worth noting that the jack was installed on the inclined beams of A frame is not trailer tongue jack, but A frame jack.
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ii. A Frame Trailer Jack
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Actually, A Frame is a structure on trailer which with a “A” shape of drawbar. And the A Frame Trailer Jack is just precisely designed to amount at the triangle area of this “A” shape.
But what a pity is that the “A” Frame drawbar on trailer is not a standard part – the degree measure of the vertex angle of the isosceles triangle. Which means although we divide into a specific category of trailer jack called A Frame Trailer Jack, they are not applicable to all A frame trailers. Additionally, the length, shape, and dimensions of the inclined beam of a frame trailer are also the influencing factors.
An A-frame is formed by the convergence of two beams. If you see three beams, it's either not an A-frame structure at all.
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B. Trailer Auxiliary Jack
Ⅱ. Installation methods
A. Clamp-on
The trailer and the jack are indirectly connected by a device called clamp.
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i. Hand-Crank Clamp
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Goodin K5 Clamp
This is what it looks like after the pipe clamp and jack are connected.
The trailer jack is secured by a clamping device that installed on the trailer tongue, which, once engaged, relies on friction to hold it in place. When your trailer is running, the clamping force is transmitted through the contact surfaces between the clamp's inner arc and the trailer tongue. That’s why it is a different way compared with bolt-on though they all need to fix with bolt.
(Pictures form: alibaba.com)
About the clamp, the installation could be flexible. For there were not holes be reserved on trailer tongue under normal circumstances, one method to amount the clamp is drilling by yourself and installing it on the trailer tongue directly.
U-Bolt Clamp-on Trailer Jack (pictures from: parts.gkennedyagrisales.com)
A-Frame Clamp-on Trailer Jack (Picture from westbrooktrailerparts.com)
A-Frame Clamp-on Trailer Jack (Picture from: lowes.com)
To reduce the professionalism, non-drilling installation way are becoming a choice for the common people and prosperous. We can find so many kinds of programs are used to avoid drilling.
Trailer Tongue Jack: Manual or Electric? A No-Nonsense Buyer’s Guide That Leaves No Question Unanswered
