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Post Info TOPIC: Pneumatic Jack instead of jockey wheel
BOKO56


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Pneumatic Jack instead of jockey wheel
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hi folks

I've seen quite a few people of my vintage using jacks (like a trail a mate) instead of jockey wheels to lift their rig off their car. i'm interested in getting one. Have any of you got experience with them and would recommend any certain brand ?

 

thanks folks



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KJB


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BOKO56 wrote:

hi folks

I've seen quite a few people of my vintage using jacks (like a trail a mate) instead of jockey wheels to lift their rig off their car. i'm interested in getting one. Have any of you got experience with them and would recommend any certain brand ?

 

thanks folks

 Are you sure it is Pneumatic ....not Hydraulic..?  KB



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KB
Whenarewethere


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Pneumatic would be dangerous, it would be hydraulic.



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Mike Harding


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I'm not really a fan of jockey wheels and considered replacing mine with a bottle jack and, perhaps, a plate welded to the jack's base for stability but then I recalled that sometimes when unhitching and there is stress between the towball and the receptor on the caravan the van will "jump" an inch or so when the van/car connection is broken and I don't think a fixed support such as a jack would cope well with that. Comments anyone?



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KJB


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Mike Harding wrote:

I'm not really a fan of jockey wheels and considered replacing mine with a bottle jack and, perhaps, a plate welded to the jack's base for stability but then I recalled that sometimes when unhitching and there is stress between the towball and the receptor on the caravan the van will "jump" an inch or so when the van/car connection is broken and I don't think a fixed support such as a jack would cope well with that. Comments anyone?

 An "unfixed support" such as a separate Jack  is more dangerous - the van tow bar can slide off the Jack (or tip it over ) and ( providing that there are no feet or toes under it ) end up on the ground...... KB



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Bicyclecamper


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Pity you cannot buy the original Trail a Mate jockey wheel. that I had on my caravan. It had a side winder, and was really easy to wind up or down. It also came with the jack attachments and the bars to weld on the side of your van near your wheels for jacking purposes. The new owner of my van, is amazed at how easy it is to wind up the A frame. It is so easy that his wife does it now.



-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Thursday 26th of May 2022 12:33:51 PM

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BOKO56


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Yep meant hydraulic biggrin



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KJB


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Bicyclecamper wrote:

Pity you cannot buy the original Trail a Mate jockey wheel. that I had on my caravan. It had a side winder, and was really easy to wind up or down. It also came with the jack attachments and the bars to weld on the side of your van near your wheels for jacking purposes. The new owner of my van, is amazed at how easy it is to wind up the A frame. It is so easy that his wife does it now.



-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Thursday 26th of May 2022 12:33:51 PM

 Maybe have a look at ARK EXO Extreme .....side winder , seems to have plenty of "features"....( I have not owned or used one )    KB 



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patrol03


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Bos make a very good jack also and you have the option of leaving it on while travelling. Operation is by using a battery operated drill .

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FMC


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I have an Electric 12 volt jack that connects to my Anderson plug (caravan battery), our van is 23ft long and TBW is fairly high this lifts the van off easily.
It would require a larger mounting bracket it also depends on your "A" frame layout gas etc. as the bracket I welded had to placed on the opposite side to the current jockey wheel.



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Darian Leckie
DMaxer


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I have a Trail a Mate for the van but use the jockey wheel. I now have one with the three rings and have it placed on side of A frame. I dont trust jockey wheels so also have an axle stand which I use once disconnected.

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BOKO56


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I've made the assumption that these fit into the same alko bracket with rings that holds the jockey wheel in position to the A frame?

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oldbloke


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Mike Harding wrote:

I'm not really a fan of jockey wheels and considered replacing mine with a bottle jack and, perhaps, a plate welded to the jack's base for stability but then I recalled that sometimes when unhitching and there is stress between the towball and the receptor on the caravan the van will "jump" an inch or so when the van/car connection is broken and I don't think a fixed support such as a jack would cope well with that. Comments anyone?

 Yep  that's one issue.

 

I guess you could weld "pipe" (body of a normal jockey wheel) to the jack & would t G en be clamped in place like a normal jockey. 

 

But

 

I had a look at this and most hydraulic jacks seem to have about 5 or 6 inch lift. Most jockey's have more like 8 inch.

 

Resized_tempFileForShare_20220526-191830_327412847400438.jpeg



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littledick


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I have used a Trail a mate for several years, no problem to date.

Sometimes the wheel, sometimes the plate. I use the wheel mostly as mentioned, movement can occur when un hitching.

Dick.



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