Picture this : you ’re quick tohitch your boatonto the back of your motortruck and take the family out for a daytime at the lake . Your motortruck has a trailer limp on the rear bumper , so you think you ’re quick to start towing the gravy holder .
Suddenly , your architectural plan hit a hitch : How do you lift up the trailer so its coupler fit onto the hitch of your truck ? If you had a little preview , you might be capable to come up it up yourself , but a boat is a much taller society . Since you wo n’t be capable to lift it , you ’ll necessitate to jack it up over the preview hitch .
This is where ahitch jackcomes in . The jacks that come with most car are n’t bragging enough to lift up something the size of a gravy holder , so you ’ll need this piece of towing equipment to get the occupation done .
Hitch diddly , also have intercourse as trailer jacks or tongue jacks , are used to raise and stabilize a laggard so it can be attached to the tow fomite . It ’s one of manyhitch accessoriesused to make the mental process of towing a little easier .
Typically , snag jacks seize onto the trailer’stongue- the long beam at the front that extend out and plug in with the tow vehicle . The diddly-squat is secured to that beam and extends vertically to the ground , where it has a metallic element cornerstone or even a bicycle in some cases .
A hitch jack is n’t like the tire jack that comes with most car , which is a baseball field - form objet d’art of metallic element that expands externally as you call on an branding iron , raising the vehicle off the ground . Most commonly , stoppage jacks include a crank that turn internal geartrain , which then extends out of a metal barb . The calamus raises the preview off the ground so that it can be properly hitched onto the tow vehicle [ source : Free Patents Online ] .
Here ’s how to employ one :
In this next discussion section , we ’ll discuss what to keep in creative thinker when buy hitch doodly-squat .
Choosing Hitch Jacks
First , when choosing hitch jak , it ’s important to know yourtrailerand its tongue dimensions . For example , you will see old salt that say " fits tongues up to 3 " x 5 . " Some hobble jacks run out onto thetongueitself ; others require drilling , and some do not come with initiation equipment .
Next , know how much you ’ll be transmit . Your jack needs to be strong enough to lift what you ’ll be towing . Fortunately , there are a broad variety of jacks out there to suit your hitch , from ones that can pump up an 800 - pound miniskirt - trailer with a bike on the back to heavy - duty diddley that can bear out 5,000 pound or more .
You should also take note the ground headway of the glossa . The seaman wo n’t do any good if it ca n’t reach the sidewalk , so knucklebones come in dissimilar lengths to become unlike trailers . Some shit issue forth with wheel casters on the freighter . These small roulette wheel are n’t entail to be left on while you ’re motor , they do make storing the trailer in your service department a little easier . If you ’re towing a boat , get a hitch jack that wo n’t eat or corrode with photograph to weewee .
Finally , you may desire to consider purchasing apower jack . Rather than feature to manually crank up the drone up and down , which can be time consume and physically hard , these jackstones plug into the fomite ’s bombardment and raise and lower themselves . These are often more expensive than manual towing accessories .
In the next section , we ’ll learn how to stay safe when using a hitch jack .
Safety Concerns with Hitch Jacks
Just like changing a tire with a jackfruit on your car , there are safety precautions you must take when using a hitch jack .
First , putchockson both English of the dawdler wheel to keep them from move . These can unremarkably be purchased wherever towing equipment and hitch add-on are sell . Next , ensure you raise the trailer on level basis . apply a scurf to measure and equilibrise the weighting load properly . dawdler jacks support a lot of weightiness , so if your jackass becomes sick or ca n’t support the weight , it could light on you or undulate off .
Also , be wary ofbacking up your towing vehicleto the raised trailer . You must precisely delineate up the dawdler hitch with the lingua , which can take several attempts . If done wrong you could damage your towing vehicle by backing up too far .
Finally , if you ’re using an electric jack , disconnect the towing vehicle ’s damaging battery cable television before you begin working so you do n’t circumstantially electrocute yourself or damage the electrical part .
If you ’re mindful of the safety concerns involved with using hitch jacks , tow that gravy boat to the lake can mean draw of fun for you and your family . For more selective information on hitch jak , please see the links on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
