I have a Trail mate jack which I use to level the van from side to side if we are on unlevel site but never for the need to replaces my jockey wheel with it , It is a very good jack but I can't see why I would have to use it in place of the jockey wheel am i missing something
If you fit the flat base plate instead of the wheel then you can eliminate your problem of not being able to fit the jocky wheel when on uneven ground.
Also the leg of the jack has mulible attaching positions into the clamp where as the standard jocky only has two, thus alowing the base plate to fit just under the chassis. Same in a reverse situation, if the chassis is very high then you just use a high mounting position.
These units also have a longer lift compared to the standard. The only thing I would complain about is the length of the jack handle, its short. replace this with a longer one & the effort required is minimal, the girls can now raise/lower as required when hitching up/off.
Try it, you will never look back.
JC.
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Cupie that has just rang a bell , When I first got the caravan I went to a park that you went down a grade then up onto the site and when I got there could not connect the jockey wheel and some one asks if I had a trail mate and I did and it did get me out of trouble but have not come across that problem again but worth kepting in mind .
I see lots of vans using the Trailer-a-mates instead of the jockey wheel.
Easier to raise & lower the a frame?
In my case I thought that it might solve my problem of not being able to fit the Jockey wheel because the A frame is often too close to the ground in non level sites.
I have a Trail mate jack which I use to level the van from side to side if we are on unlevel site but never for the need to replaces my jockey wheel with it , It is a very good jack but I can't see why I would have to use it in place of the jockey wheel am i missing something
The older Jaycos didn't provide jacks eg my 1999 Westport, but I notice that the newer ones do.
I use the mechanical bottle jack from the Patrol. Works well with the addition of a ply base plate & a large block of oregon pine.
Would love a "trailer-a-mate" one especially to replace the jockey wheel. In a large % of instances I have to dig a hole to allow me to attach the jockey wheel. An alternative of course is the metal plate replacing than the jockey wheel.
After 13 yrs of use/misuse the original jockey wheel broke (bearing flange at the top broke away). I purchaced a smaller wheel cheapie & got what I paid for. Had to weld a ring round the tube to stop it slipping past the lousy pressed protrusion on the tube.
With a 21'6" Tandem, Bottle Jack and Trolley Jack.
Peter
-- Edited by PeterInSa on Wednesday 6th of February 2013 12:22:53 PM
With a trailer-a-mate system you do not have to climb under the van to place a jack, they connect to a bracket welded to the chassis just behind the rear wheel & can lift a tandem axle van in one movement, (two wheels at a time), all this from a standing position.
Eliminates all the probs of getting small jacks under axles with flat tyres. Also use as a jocky wheel, a flat plate can be attached in place of the wheel & gives a larger surface area on the ground, good for soft areas. Would not use anything else.
JC.
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
We had a trailer-a-mate jack supplied with the van, would think it would be standard equipment for any new van. If you don't get one I'd make a fuss with the dealer.
We also use a trail-a-mate which we have never had any problems with It is much better than a jockey wheel as it will allow a much lower connection to the van which is regularly needed on sites with dish drains that line up exactly with rear wheels on tug when placing a 21 foot van on site, they are also fantastic as a jack for the van, we no longer carry a standard jockey wheel and although a bit expensive the Trail-a-mate is an essential piece of equipment when caravanning.
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We use a Trail a Mate. Hydraulic Jockey wheel and Jack in one. A tad expensive , but worth it's weight in gold.
Agree with whole hartly Grahame, but as they tend to seep (maybe only with heavy vans) we also carry an axel stand to place under the front of the A frame.
