Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2024-06-21 Origin: Site
Trailer Weight Capacity and Height
Trailer jacks vary in weight, length, and capacity. You should know the length of the jack when fully extended and retracted. But the jack also must not touch the ground when the trailer is in motion. Let's take a closer look.
Understanding the Jack's Height
If you want to determine if a jack will fit your trailer, you should know its retracted and extended lengths. For jacks, this is usually easy to find. These measurements are taken from the bottom of the jack, including the footrest and mounting points. However, the mounting points can vary depending on the style of jack. Pipe-mount jacks measure to the center of the mounting tube. Standard A-type jacks usually measure to the bottom of the mounting flange. Jacks with bolt-on brackets measure to the centerline.
Understanding Trailer Tongue Weight
Trailer tongue weight is the weight that the coupler applies to the trailer ball. Tongue weight (TW) is 10 to 15 percent of the gross trailer weight (GTW). As an example, a 5k trailer has a TW of 500 lbs on the tow ball. Choose a jack that is appropriate for your TW.
NOTE: In many cases, it is OK to use a jack that is larger than your TW! In fact, it may often be in a similar price range.
Knowing the height of your tow trailer is important
Inspecting your new jack? With the trailer parked level, use a tape measure to measure the height from the ground to the bottom of the trailer coupler. The jack should be 4 inches above the level of the coupler. You need to be able to raise it onto the ball to couple.