Jacking up a boat trailer on the side of the road

L

Larry Eckart

Well-known member
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Guys (and Dani),
My 16' Lund came with a great trailer by the Bear company in Missouri. The trailer is larger than needed for my boat but I love the 14" tires and heavy frame. It provides a smooth ride down the road. It is a heavy well-made beast of a trailer.

The frame of the trailer is higher than most boat trailers I have used (sorry, I don't have that measurement). When I jacked up the trailer in my driveway to put new tires on, I had to use two layers of 2x10's under my floor jack to raise the trailer.

My question regards jacking up a boat trailer on the road: what do you use/recommend?

I prefer not to carry a floor jack in my truck all the time but recognized the stability/safety issues of other jacks.

I include a link below to a jack I am considering to keep in my truck. Your thoughts about it? Other recommendations?

Larry

https://www.etrailer.com/p-ALL620471.html
 
I keep a bottle jack similar to that and some blocks of wood in my truck in the event I need to change a trailer tire. Have only used it in my driveway a few times for maintenance but it works well. Good to do a dry run to see exactly what size and how many blocks you might need to throw in the backseat just in case.
 
I carry a hi-lift at all times along with the things you need to make it useful. The big benefits of the Hi-Lift is the range of lifting it can do and its ability to do more than just lifting. A hi-lift seems like a monstrous thing to deal with, but they pack down into nearly a smaller package than what you have linked if you take it apart (which takes just a minute to do and seconds to put back together). The bar without the accessories can fit anywhere 4 or 5' long and flat and the other parts can fit in a bucket with space to spare. I have my bar under the rear seat of the truck along with the parts.
 
I use a bottlejack in addition I have some small 2 x4 blocks.
I dont think you could go wrong with the e trailer jack
 
Ed L. said:
Hi Larry. I carry a small floor jack in a case and a piece of 2x10 the length of the jack in my truck. There's nothing worse than having a bottle jack sink into the mud and slip off the axle when you have to change a tire on a muddy ramp road in the rain.

Pro-Lift F-2315PE Grey Hydraulic Trolley Jack Car Lift with Blow Molded Case (3000 lbs Capacity) - Walmart.com - Walmart.com
Click to expand...

For my single axle trailer, this is what I carry as well. A little easier to position than a bottle jack and more stable a base due to the broader surface area. I also carry two wheel chocks for the off-side tire. On long road trips, a second spare is a nice addition as well for security.
 
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Good morning, Larry~


Looks like you are getting great advice from others. Just a few more thoughts....


1. My duckboats and trailers are small, so a bottle jack is what I bring along. I also have one of those cross-shaped lug wrenches. The trailer lugs are not necessarily the same size as those on my tow vehicles.


2. Although I have had mechanics advise me otherwise, I put anti-sieze on my lug nuts - and I loosen and tighten them before each season. It is too easy - especially around saltwater - for the lugs to rust/freeze. Because trailers can be so light, it can be tough to loosen them without a pneumatic wrench - and too easy to lift the whole rig off the ground without freeing the nut.


3. I drove a 1983 Ford Ranger for many years. It came with the standard scissor jack. IThe jack could raise the truck high enough to remove a flat tire - but not high enough to install a tire full of air. So, a length of 2x6 needed to be in the toolbox.....


4. In my shop, I keep a GI foam sleeping roll right near the door. Whenever I have to get down on the ground to work on a vehicle, it goes on the ground to keep me clean and dry.



All the best,


SJS





 
Like the GI matt recommendation- have determined most tire issues occur on a muddy, gravel road. And usually during a cold rain.
 
That recomended high lift jack is good advice. Very versatile piece of equip. Of course you still need a square of what I prefer 3/4" plywood to place under it for firming up base. About 16" x 16" piece.
 
For small boat trailers I carry a scissor jack with a chunk of 2x10 to place under it if the ground is soft. For my bigger boat trailer or my cargo trailer I carry a small 2 ton floor jack.

While on this topic, I don't know what everyone has for a truck or if you go off road at all. This fall I got a flat on my 4x4 way back in the river bottoms. My truck has a small bottle jack looking jack that uses a long rod to crank it up. If you get a flat tire off road, you better have a board to put under that little jack.
 
I found something interesting on Facebook that looked like a great idea on trailers that are hauling a lighter load. No extra jacks to bring and just some minor modifications to the trailer itself.
https://www.facebook.com/ron.dart1/videos/10216104192032357/
 
In my truck I keep a scissor style jack, as well as a battery operated impact gun. I keep a socket handy that fits the scissor jack. I use the impact gun to jack up the trailer then change the tire then use the impact gun to put the jack back down. Changed a tire on the side of the garden state parkway in about 4 minutes a couple days ago. I could see a few pre cut sections or lumber underneath would bother take up the needed space as well as provide a stable work area if you must change a tire on soft ground. For at home tire changes and other maintenance I have a floor jack
 
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Kris Schaumburg said:
I can't get the facebook video to play, can someone summarize?
Click to expand...

See if this video will work.
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealrhettbutler/video/6920730156340497670?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v2&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6924322308702930438

Basically they take a trailer jackstand, modify the stand by adding to it the tube from a ball hitch, then adding receiver hitch tube to tongue so that the stand is removable, and also adding receiver hitch tubes to both sides of the trailer near tires or between dual tires.
While towing, if you get a flat tire(s) you can move the jack stand from the tongue mount, to either side of the trailer by the tires to jack it up to change tires.
 
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