Best Trailer Tongue Jack

[jEt_jAk]

Had to cut off the bolt. Got it all straightened out and on. This thing is solid! So much better than that janky stock one!

 

[ZGhost]

Had to cut off the bolt. Got it all straightened out and on. This thing is solid! So much better than that janky stock one!

Looks great, just don’t forget the handle on or you might end up loosing it on the highway ....

 

[Yamahaul]

I have noticed on some of these installs the top set of bolts seem to be resting on top of the trailer, and some are not. I just did my install on the 750 and and they are not flush with the top there is a gap between the trailer and the bolts. it is as tight as i can get it. The bottom ones are definately flush with the bottom of the trailer. Is this OK to leave like this? or do i need to flip the bracket around on the other side of the mount? seems like i did that and they did not line up properly. maybe it was me not lined up properly?

 

[HangOutdoors]

I initially had mine in the back of the winch post as in the picture. I had the top bolts flush and never had an issue. But when I slid the boat back a bit to adjust tongue weight, I had plenty of room to put the Ark in front of the winch post and when I did that I flushed the bottom bolts. In my mind, if the tongue is flush with the bottom it is more secure. But TBH I am not sure in either case which is better. I am sure it will be fine.

 

[Daren and Heather]

I have noticed on some of these installs the top set of bolts seem to be resting on top of the trailer, and some are not. I just did my install on the 750 and and they are not flush with the top there is a gap between the trailer and the bolts. it is as tight as i can get it. The bottom ones are definately flush with the bottom of the trailer. Is this OK to leave like this? or do i need to flip the bracket around on the other side of the mount? seems like i did that and they did not line up properly. maybe it was me not lined up properly?

Yes it should be okay as long as it’s tight. I did the same thing as you with the bottom bolts flush. Figured it’s just additional bonus support, and it will never slip down that way either.

 

[ZGhost]

@Yamahaul, As the tongue puts weight down (force down) the jack (and thus bracket s and bolts) put the opposite force up so the toungue needs to rest on the bottom bolts. Make sure everything is tight and you should be fine.

 

[Daren and Heather]

I initially had mine in the back of the winch post as in the picture. I had the top bolts flush and never had an issue. But when I slid the boat back a bit to adjust tongue weight, I had plenty of room to put the Ark in front of the winch post and when I did that I flushed the bottom bolts. In my mind, if the tongue is flush with the bottom it is more secure. But TBH I am not sure in either case which is better. I am sure it will be fine.

@HangOutdoors, I noticed that you said you moved your boat back to adjust the tongue weight... I've always been a bit nervous to attempt this, but I feel like mine might be overly heavy in the front - it took both me and my sales guy to lift the trailer tongue once when I bought it, he works out and the 2 of us could barely lift it. So as we have the same boat/trailer, thought I'd ask you a couple questions...

1. What was the tongue weight before/after you moved the bow stop? And how did you measure the weight?
2. How did you know what the correct weight was supposed to be?
3. Did you have to move the bunks too, or only the bow stop stand?
4. Any improvement in towing, or the rear suspension of your towing vehicle afterwards?
5. Any change in loading/launching the boat? (I've found I currently have to have the bunks almost completely submerged to launch my boat, and that's with my wife also standing in the water pushing the bow as I gun it in reverse!)

 

[HangOutdoors]

Ok here are my answers.

1) Well over 500lbs before. Low to mid 300's now. I purchased

Amazon.com: Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Home Improvement

Buy Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

2) Weight about 8%. For me. This is a religious battle with some so I am not going to get into it.
3) Bunks were not moved.
4) It tows much better and the back of my expedition is level. Definitely not as bouncy and jerky.
5) Unloading - I read your explanation of how you do it above and I cannot relate. Not sure why. Basically I launch boat every time without engines. Actually I have never used the engines unloading (although I have the blower motor on - Important ) I take off the Boat Buckles in the staging area. Then when I line up for the ramp, since I don't know which side I am going on, I back up till the transom is over the water. I hope out, the Admiral has two lines in here hand. One goes on the the front cleat and the other on the mid cleat or the tower, depending what the dock looks like. I remove strap and safety. The Admiral will take both lines and run then along the boat and around the back of the Guide Post, so they won't get hung up. I then back the boat into the water and when the back end starts to float a bit i tap the break good and the boat starts floating backward. Soon as it moves a couple of feet, I then start pulling out and the admiral just pulls it close to the dock. Now if there is a good wind, when I pull up I will hop out real quick and help her. She is 5' 11" and 140 lbs, and has no problem.
Loading - I get the trailer while the boat is tied to the dock or the Admiral holding it. I back the trailer up into the water a couple feet and make sure it is strait. Then I go switch with the her and I untie the boat and back out slowly with the engines. She will then start backing up straight till I hold up my hand and tell her to stop. I only sink the front trailer fenders an inch or so under water and have no issue loading the boat. I do not pay attention to where the bunks are. I do only drive the boat up till it stops on the bunks which makes the bow about 2' from the Winch. Basically get the boat moving slowly toward the trailer and once the bow passes the guides I kill the engines and let the forward momentum glide on nice and smooth., and it self centers. Then I hook it up and winch it on the rest of the way, effortless really. Then when we start coming up the ramp she does the 5mph hard stop and the boat snugs up a couple of inches very nice. I crank about a half turn till tight and it is perfect every time. I do use the 60" C.E. Smith Trailer Guides on the trailer as well. I have 1.5 inch clearance from guide posts to boat on both sides. To date I have not miss loaded all summer, circa 25 outings or so and have not had an issue........ Well it got tricky in fast moving river launch that I have never done before. 7-9 mph current. Not fun but got her on, on the second try.

Hopefully my answers help you. This is how I do it, and it works for me and us.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Daren and Heather I wanted to also say that I wouldn't feel totally comfortable unloading with engines in reverse. With my luck sooner or later I would suck something up at the dock / ramp. I am very cautious running the engines, especially in reverse around the ramps. When I have had to run there in reverse it is at very low idle barely moving speed and low rpm's. When I back out when we are loading, I make sure I had the boats transom as far back as I can when tied up or holding the boat. I see all sorts of shit in the water. Bottles, rocks, ropes, flip flops, diaper, etc.

 

[drewkaree]

2. How did you know what the correct weight was supposed to be?

3. Did you have to move the bunks too, or only the bow stop stand?

4. Any improvement in towing, or the rear suspension of your towing vehicle afterwards?

5. Any change in loading/launching the boat? (I've found I currently have to have the bunks almost completely submerged to launch my boat, and that's with my wife also standing in the water pushing the bow as I gun it in reverse!)

Look around here and choose your religion, as @HangOutdoors says, about tongue weight. Find/buy a tongue scale, or find the thread on how to weigh it with a household scale, and adjust accordingly. Your bunks should only wiggle on their mounts. The only way you should be able to "move" them is to get longer bunks, and there should be no need to remove/remount your bunk mounts. The difference in trailering will depend on how you feel your boat trailers right now. If it's very jerky and just "feels" heavy on the car, it could be a combination of things - tow vehicle, weight distribution of things in the boat, position of the boat on the trailer, etc. I tow a 2019 version of your boat with a Lexus GX470, and after I adjusted the tongue weight, my neighbor commented to me that "you don't even really feel it back there!"

Your launch will be what determines how deep you need to put your boat. For myself, I don't bother one bit with how deep the bunks are, I base it entirely on the fender, since you can see the fenders in your mirrors. WHICH bunks are you referring to when you state "the bunks almost completely submerged"? There are 4. To my interpretation of your description, you aren't backing in far enough. In your defense, however, my launch is quite shallow (it seems to me, anyway), and I cannot slide off my trailer without using reverse, EVER, and that is with the rear tires of my vehicle right at the water line. Every once in a while, I will fill the intake with weeds upon launch, but since it's darn near a "personal" launch, I often walk in and clear the weeds for a good distance.

I have no idea if spraying your bunks with silicone (or whatever the bunk slide spray stuff is) would help, but I do know that if your tongue weight is good, you'll have more weight on the ass end of your boat, which should help get you floating sooner, and slide off your trailer easier. The spray isn't something I'd try until you have everything else dialed in on your trailer and boat.

 

[Daren and Heather]

Ok here are my answers.

1) Well over 500lbs before. Low to mid 300's now. I purchased

Amazon.com: Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Home Improvement

Buy Sherline LM 2000 - Trailer Tongue Weight Scale 2000lb: Automotive - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

2) Weight about 8%. For me. This is a religious battle with some so I am not going to get into it.
3) Bunks were not moved.
4) It tows much better and the back of my expedition is level. Definitely not as bouncy and jerky.
5) Unloading - I read your explanation of how you do it above and I cannot relate. Not sure why. Basically I launch boat every time without engines. Actually I have never used the engines unloading (although I have the blower motor on - Important ) I take off the Boat Buckles in the staging area. Then when I line up for the ramp, since I don't know which side I am going on, I back up till the transom is over the water. I hope out, the Admiral has two lines in here hand. One goes on the the front cleat and the other on the mid cleat or the tower, depending what the dock looks like. I remove strap and safety. The Admiral will take both lines and run then along the boat and around the back of the Guide Post, so they won't get hung up. I then back the boat into the water and when the back end starts to float a bit i tap the break good and the boat starts floating backward. Soon as it moves a couple of feet, I then start pulling out and the admiral just pulls it close to the dock. Now if there is a good wind, when I pull up I will hop out real quick and help her. She is 5' 11" and 140 lbs, and has no problem.
Loading - I get the trailer while the boat is tied to the dock or the Admiral holding it. I back the trailer up into the water a couple feet and make sure it is strait. Then I go switch with the her and I untie the boat and back out slowly with the engines. She will then start backing up straight till I hold up my hand and tell her to stop. I only sink the front trailer fenders an inch or so under water and have no issue loading the boat. I do not pay attention to where the bunks are. I do only drive the boat up till it stops on the bunks which makes the bow about 2' from the Winch. Basically get the boat moving slowly toward the trailer and once the bow passes the guides I kill the engines and let the forward momentum glide on nice and smooth., and it self centers. Then I hook it up and winch it on the rest of the way, effortless really. Then when we start coming up the ramp she does the 5mph hard stop and the boat snugs up a couple of inches very nice. I crank about a half turn till tight and it is perfect every time. I do use the 60" C.E. Smith Trailer Guides on the trailer as well. I have 1.5 inch clearance from guide posts to boat on both sides. To date I have not miss loaded all summer, circa 25 outings or so and have not had an issue........ Well it got tricky in fast moving river launch that I have never done before. 7-9 mph current. Not fun but got her on, on the second try.

Hopefully my answers help you. This is how I do it, and it works for me and us.

Super helpful, thank you!!

 

[Daren and Heather]

Look around here and choose your religion, as @HangOutdoors says, about tongue weight. Find/buy a tongue scale, or find the thread on how to weigh it with a household scale, and adjust accordingly. Your bunks should only wiggle on their mounts. The only way you should be able to "move" them is to get longer bunks, and there should be no need to remove/remount your bunk mounts. The difference in trailering will depend on how you feel your boat trailers right now. If it's very jerky and just "feels" heavy on the car, it could be a combination of things - tow vehicle, weight distribution of things in the boat, position of the boat on the trailer, etc. I tow a 2019 version of your boat with a Lexus GX470, and after I adjusted the tongue weight, my neighbor commented to me that "you don't even really feel it back there!"

Your launch will be what determines how deep you need to put your boat. For myself, I don't bother one bit with how deep the bunks are, I base it entirely on the fender, since you can see the fenders in your mirrors. WHICH bunks are you referring to when you state "the bunks almost completely submerged"? There are 4. To my interpretation of your description, you aren't backing in far enough. In your defense, however, my launch is quite shallow (it seems to me, anyway), and I cannot slide off my trailer without using reverse, EVER, and that is with the rear tires of my vehicle right at the water line. Every once in a while, I will fill the intake with weeds upon launch, but since it's darn near a "personal" launch, I often walk in and clear the weeds for a good distance.

I have no idea if spraying your bunks with silicone (or whatever the bunk slide spray stuff is) would help, but I do know that if your tongue weight is good, you'll have more weight on the ass end of your boat, which should help get you floating sooner, and slide off your trailer easier. The spray isn't something I'd try until you have everything else dialed in on your trailer and boat.

Thanks! Yes, I always seem to have to completely submerge all 4 bunks, and the tops of both sets of fenders, in order for the boat to slide off, no matter which ramp I'm at. I've read other people talk about only needing to submerging 3/4 of the bunks when launching, and the Shorelandr manual stated something similarly. That's never been the case for me. But like you said, moving the bow stand back will also likely make it so I don't have to go quite as deep to launch it.

 

[drewkaree]

I found these for you

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

 

[InmyElement]

Santa just dropped of my Christmas present...project for the spring.
Thanks everyone for your insight..
Merry Christmas!

 

[Yamahaul]

You’ll love it.

 

[AZMark]

I bought it at Tractor Supply $59 #2000 24" lift. I was able to mount it where the factory jack mounted. Bolted right up. I did need to drill the Holes out for the Lock pin to 1/2"
Much easier to crank!


View attachment 116528View attachment 116529

Do the double wheels hit the trailer when the jack is horizontal for towing? I’d like to do something using the stock mount like this but my trailer is painted instead of galvanized & I don’t want it getting beat up.

 

[HangOutdoors]

There is a pin in the XO jack when you raise up the wheels locks the wheels in place so they don't swing around. Not sure about the other jacks. The XO is awesome but a bit pricey.
Also please note this was where I installed it first. Since then it is in front of the winch stand.

 

[motomandan]

Do the double wheels hit the trailer when the jack is horizontal for towing? I’d like to do something using the stock mount like this but my trailer is painted instead of galvanized & I don’t want it getting beat up.

no just make sure the long end of the wheel bolt faces outboard.

 

[AZMark]

There is a pin in the XO jack when you raise up the wheels locks the wheels in place so they don't swing around. Not sure about the other jacks. The XO is awesome but a bit pricey.
Also please note this was where I installed it first. Since then it is in front of the winch stand.

View attachment 141980

Thanks. That’s a great feature but that one is a little too pricey for me.
I’m still trying to explain to my wife why we “had to” get the cobra jet fins that showed up this week.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Just order it. The rule is, if you can get it on the boat or trailer and dispose of the box and all evidence, you are fine. Admiral still doesn't know it didn't come on the trailer stock from dealer