On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:37:42 -0500, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:
On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:22:43 -0500, mm
wrote:
Do I want a trailer jack for my little trailer?
I'm buying a small trailer, only 4' x 8' bed, the one that folds in
half sold by Harbor Freight and NorthernTools (I'm not saying they're
the same, but similar). Buying it new, with new tires.
I just put mine on the road a couple months ago. [It took me
*several* hours to put it all together- so I hope you have a long
weekend planned with your brother.]
I was going to stay 5 days or more, and work an hour or two every day
on the trailer. At one point, I thought I would buy one in Fort
Worth, assemble it in the parking lot, and tow it home. That was
before I downloaded the instructions that HF kindly provides and
counted the number of parts, 300+!
I picked my jack up at garage
sale for $5, but it is like the $20 HF one-
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=41004
Aside from keeping me from looking for a block every time I take the
trailer off the car-- it always holds the tongue up-- and makes a fine
handle to grab on to drag my (now 3 wheeled) trailer to the car.
Then it adjusts up and down over the ball saving my back when it has a
load. [not that the tongue is heavy-- but my back is old and has
suffered a great deal of abuse over the years]
I forgot about that. I have had back problems too. When I was 34 I
hurt my back jogging with cheap shoes (They had the treads up the heel
so I thought they were good! But then I saw how thick the soles of
good shoes were!) Finally I went to an orthopedist and when the xrays
didn't show anything, he seemed to lose interest. I asked if my desk
chair might be the problem? No. My bed? No. My car seat? No. But
a couple years later I bought another car, and I don't know if that is
what made my back better, or just the passage of 4 years.
This time I tried kicking a piece of sidewalk, a triangle about 8x8x4
inches thick, into place. I figured no danger since I was sitting
down and kicking sideways. I was wrong. It hurt for months, and 2+
years later, it doesnt' give twinges anymore but still isn't quite
right. Losing weight from 240 to 180 helped. And I expect a full
recovery in another 2 years. But I should probably get the jack for
that reason alone. I guess I will. I ordered the trailer, but I'm not
going to Dallas for at least 8 weeks, and I'll be lots of places that
sell this thing.
....
BTW- what kind of car is towing this-- and are you buying a hitch?
'95 Chryself LeBAron. I already have the hitch installed, same one I
put on the 84 and 88 Lebaron. I only have to drill two holes to
install it. For the middle. The ends use U-bolts to clamp around the
bumper struts. It's class 4 iirc, the worst kind, with the lowest
capacity, and doesn't even have a square draw bar. Rather it's a flat
drawbar. I've used it to carry bicycles with a rack that screws into
the drawbar, built a ladder rack to hold one end of the ladder while
the windshield and thick rubber held the other end, and also had a
separately purchased draw bar welded to the middle 2x2" square tube
that is part of the cargo carrier. I've used that to carry sod, and
file cabinets, and expect to use it more with the new, lighter cargo
carrier.
What part of the world do you live in that doesn't have small trailers
for rent? [at either end of the trip?]
Not very small, not one way. I don't think any place does. But mine
would have to go from Dallas to Baltimore.
Jim