Trailer Jack - Install

We trailer our boats constantly on Northeast Angling. One of the most important things we need to make sure is in  full working order is the trailer jack. When we picked up the boat from the shipyard we noticed   that one in four trailers had a broken jack. The reason for this is that the original jack that most  trailers come fitted are not built to last, and once that breaks most boaters walk into their local  marine store and buy the most inexpensive jack they can find.

The jack we used is manufactured by Dutton-Lainson, this jack is rated for up to 1000lbs but once we pulled it out of the box we saw that this wasn’t an ordinary jack. The jack has a much larger profile than ones of the same rating that we have used in the past. The quality was far better than anything we had used, the hardware was second to none and their attention to detail is top notch, and even the welds were perfect.

To select the proper jack for your boat is to calculate how much tongue weight your trailer should have which is 10% of the weight of the rig. The boat we were using weighs 6000lbs which is including the trailer, motor, fuel and miscellaneous gear. We will be filming another video demonstrating the proper way to measure how much weight is on the tongue and how to adjust it according to your rig.

When positioning the jack you should mount it as close to the tongue and as far from the post as possible. That way if you need to move the post forward to accommodate a larger boat, you will have no interference.

Visit the Dutton-Lainson Company to see all of their products.

Click here to see all of our Trailering Tips.