Trailer jacks do exactly what their name suggests: help a trailer to incline and decline depending on the tasks. They also help in attaching a tow truck to your trailer. So, you can say that a trailer jack plays an integral part in your trailer maintenance and other tasks.
However, there are different types of trailer jacks with different capabilities. It might be confusing for someone to decide which one they need if they have no idea what they should be looking out for.
In this article, we will mention different types of utility trailer jacks and their functions.
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What Are Trailer Jacks?
Trailer jacks, also known as hitch jacks or tongue jacks, help you to stabilize your trailer. By giving stability to the trailer, it helps to bind a tow truck with the trailer safely.
Types of Trailer Jacks
There are mainly five types of trailer jacks. They are Rigid Mountain Trailer Jack, Swivel tongue Trailer Jack, Electric Trailer Jack, Drop Leg Trailer Jack, and Landing Gear.
Different trailer jacks have different attaching, mounting, and stabilizing styles. Which type you will use depends on what kind of trailer you have and the trailer jack you will need.
1. Rigid Mountain Trailer Jack
Rigid mounted trailer jacks with their footplate are one of the most simple and cost-effective trailer jacks. These are very useful and valuable as a jack. Almost everyone has one of these trailer jacks at their home.
Function: Rigid mounted trailer jacks have two types of mounts. They are A-frame mounts and side mounts. These trailers also have two types of cranks: side cranks and top cranks.
A-frame-mounted jacks are in the middle of the trailer's central point. The position of this jack gives the trailer a superior piling condition.
Side-mounted trailer jacks provide the trailer with a torsion mechanism. And the further the side mount is from the central point, the more the torsion mechanism will be.
Capability: A rigid mounted trailer jack can lift a vehicle that weighs up to 2000 pounds. It can raise the trailer between 14 to 18 inches.
Cost: You can buy a rigid mounted trailer jack from both online and offline stores. You will have to spend $30 to $60 to get one of these jacks.
2. Swivel Tongue Trailer Jack
Swivel tongue jacks are another important trailer jacks. Read below and find out if this is the trailer jack for you.
Funtion: A swivel tongue trailer jack has the ability to remove itself from the trailer when it remains unused. The swiveling mechanism lets the jack rotate, and the locking pin of this jack keeps it in place.
When the swivel jack is planted horizontally, extra space is created between the ground and the trailer.
This works as an advantage when vehicles are towed over bumps, slopes, and curbs, reducing damaging contact with the ground.
Capability: A swivel tongue trailer jack can lift up to 2000 pounds of a vehicle. This jack raises the vehicle from 15 to 18 inches with this capacity.
Cost: They are quite expensive compared with the rigid mounted trailer jacks. A swivel tongue jack trailer will cost you somewhere between $110 to $120.
3. Electric Trailer Jack
Given below is a breakdown of the function, capability, and cost of an electric trailer jack.
Funtion: The electric trailer jacks expand and withdraw their legs using motor power. You can reduce the time of physical labor required for a typical trailer jack by using electric trailer jacks.
Electric trailer jacks get activated by hitting the electrical network of the trailer, which turns on the motor.
Many electric trailer jacks have a manual override system for any power outage. So, you do not have to worry about the immobilization of this jack.
Capability: An electric trailer jack has more lifting capacity than other jacks. They have the ability to lift 2000 pounds to 4000 pounds. It will raise the vehicle from 14 to 18 inches.
Cost: This trailer jack is a bit more expensive than the rigid jack and swivel jack. An electric trailer jack price ranges between $180 to $200, sometimes more than $200.
4. Drop Leg Trailer Jack
Read down below and find out if the drop leg trailer jack is the one you need -
Funtion: Using a drop leg trailer jack, you will be able to accelerate the jacking procedure by rapidly sticking the foot in a lower spot.
Drop leg trailer jack is activated via dropping of the telescope tube and a pin.
This trailer jack fills up the space between the ground and the trailer quicker.
It works as an advantage as this rapid drop lowers the cranking amount to raise the trailer tongue. Many drop-leg jacks contain a foot with spring. So, if you pull the pin, the leg will be withdrawn.
Capability: Drop leg trailer jacks have a similar lifting capacity to rigidly mounted trailer jack and swivel tongue jack at 2000 pounds. It can lift a vehicle from 14 to 16 inches.
Cost: It is a bit pricier than the rigid mounted trailer jack as the price ranges between $100 to $120.
5. Landing Gear
The landing gear is a bit different than other trailer jacks. But maybe, this is the most suitable for your trailer.
Funtion: The landing gear trailer jack uses a connector to link two trailer jacks together to raise and lower both jacks at the same time.
This ability of the landing gear trailer jack increases the stability of the trailers fully and without any risk.
Landing gear contains drop legs with a spring and crank system with two types of speed. When the trailer has a lesser amount of load, it uses the low speed and high speed for a higher amount of cargo.
Capability: A landing gear trailer jack has a lifting capacity from 2000 pounds to 10000 pounds. Also, it can raise the vehicle from 35 to 40 inches.
Cost: Due to its higher capabilities, a landing gear trailer jack is more expensive than any other trailer jack. You will have to spend $600 to $800 for one of these jacks.
Final Words
Now you know about all the types of trailer jacks there is. So, if you think you need one, decide which one is the best for you and go to your nearest store. Or an online shop. The choice is yours.
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