Fulton Swivel Jack Upgrade

Just curious if anyone has "upgraded" or replaced their swivel jack. Is there something out there that rolls a little better and has a better "gear ratio" for faster cranking? Seems to me this is a crucial piece of equipment, curious if there is a bolt-on upgrade available.

Thanks

 

Randy,

Did you find a replacement swivel jack? I'm considering replacing mine...

BTW, that's a good looking dog in your avatar picture. What's the breed?

 

Eric and Joan,

Because of the small size of our trailer frame, I had trouble finding a bolt-on that would work. I ended up buying the Fulton F2 Weld-on. I also got the optional Wheel Wedge Kit which allows you to lock the wheels.

There are a couple of mobile welding services in my area that I am going to be contacting about getting it attached, hoping that it will work. May have to put a couple of bolts through it using the existing holes in the frame also to ensure that it is secure. I will report back on how the installation goes.

Our dog Rika is Vizsla, she LOVES to go camping!

Randy

 

Randy,
I really like the looks of the Fulton F2 jacks, and am doing some research to see if I could possibly get one. The original steel jack on my trailer has it's paint badly chipped and is starting to rust in less than a year. I really like the wheel wedge lock and Aluminum construction.

However, I am a bit concerned about that jack. While it has good reviews on Amazon and eTrailer, the reviews on the Fulton site are all bad.

It has plastic wheels though it could possibly be replaced with more robust ones. It has only a 10" lift height where the original has 11", though the lift range can be optimized with the clever mounting height adjust-ability. It is also quite expensive compared to the steel ones, but could be worth it.

The weld-on mount is a pain, but can be dealt with, though the frame will have to be painted in the area of the welds, as well as the new plate, and the trailer information plate which is a DMV requirement is right there and will have to be protected from welding and paint. I think a better mounting alternative would be to get the version of the jack with U-bolts that is designed for a 3" square tube. I would get a short length of 3" square tubing, about 6-inches long and nestle it in the bend of the trailer tongue L-channel. The jack U-bolts would hold it in place nicely, but if you are concerned, a couple of bolts could be added, through two of the original jack's mounting holes.

The F2 jack comes either with two 7" wheels or one wide 8", it is not clear to me which would be better; any thoughts?

 

When buying our trailer, we were hoping to find a better option for the wheel jack so it would roll easier in grass, gravel, etc. when manually positioning the camper. We thought this Trailer Valet was really cool and would add the function of a handbrake that our camper didn't have.....check out the video........

http://www.trailervalet.com/5x

http://www.trailervalet.com/shop/trailer-valet-trailer-dolly/

But it is really pricey & seems HUGE for the front of our little CampInns. When we showed Cary, he seemed to really like the idea but had some reservations about mounting it (I believe) and mostly I remember him wondering if the 500 lb. tongue weight capacity could be a problem with 2 adults and 2 bigger kids (our situation) sleeping in the camper . I remember him saying something about we might be rudely awakened by the bang of the pneumatic tires blowing out with everyone sleeping in the front cabin area adding to the tongue weight. LOL So, needless to say, we still have our original little wheel jack, but would love to find something that rolls better!

Casandra

 

The TrailerValet looks nice. As for the tongue weight when in use--maybe using some other standalone prop, extremely sturdy of course, to level the trailer, and not use the trailervalet at all when parked?

I currently use a trailer dolly for maneuvering the TD around. The above looks like a nice, and portable! , option. A little pricey of course; but might be worth it. If it can be mounted, and if an alternative support when parked can be figured out (wouldn't be hard, just need to find something sturdy enough to do that job). Likely even just some of those lego blocks for leveling--well, a LOT of them--would work.

 

It is highly unlikely that you will exceed the 500 pounds tongue weight. Most of the weight in the cabin will be borne by the wheels with only a fraction going to the the tongue. Any weight in the galley, as well as the fresh and waste water tanks actually subtracts from the tongue weight.

 

I really like your idea of the bolt-on using the three inch piece of tubing as I have been getting cold feet about welding. Going to exchange it for the one you suggested and give it a try. Just need to find a piece of three inch tubing and have it cut to size. Will probably have it powder coated. I think the dual wheels should provide a little more manuvearabilty as the turn independently. Any idea where to go for the three inch tubing?

Thanks a lot for the idea!,

Randy

 

In Silicon Valley, the local hackers and makers know to go to Alan Steel & Supply in Redwood City. However, tinkerers around the country rely on McMaster-Carr. They sell a one foot length of 1/8" thickness hot-rolled steel here for about $20 plus shipping. You will have a great time perusing their offerings.

I have decided to go for the single wide wheel model. I think it will fare better in the sandy camp sites we sometimes visit.

 

Found a place on line that offers steel tubing cut to length. A 6 inch piece is only ~$7! Speedy Metals

It comes in four different thicknesses ranging from ,120 to .375. Which would you suggest? Don't want it so thick that I can't drill through it should I decide to bolt it through the existing holes in the frame.

Thanks again for the great suggestion!

Randy

 

Great find on that supplier. I think the .188 size would be about right.

 

I have my parts, a Fulton single wide wheel F2 jack and a chunk of 3" tubing. After some messing around, it is not going to be as easy as I imagined. The problem is the Fulton U-bolts fit quite snugly around a 3" tube so clamping it in the corner of the Camp-Inn hitch frame is too tight. Also, the back side of the hitch frame has some welds so it is not flat, and the tongue cross members to support the propane tank are welded under the frame. I am considering a few options:

1: Milling a couple of slots in the 3" tube for clearance of the U-bolts. This also requires a bunch of careful cutting and fitting to get it to nestle in the frame.

2: Getting a piece of 2-1/2" tubing. 2-3/4" would be ideal but it is not a standard size, steel or aluminum. Still requires fiddling to get it to be snug in the frame.

3: Getting the Fulton weld-on plate kit (as Randy originally suggested). However, I think I can bolt it up to the frame; the jack bracket has a recessed area under it so some bolt heads wouldn't be a problem if placed carefully. Possibly another plate can be made to match up with the Camp-Inn factory holes and the two plates welded together.

The jack itself is really nice. Strong, aluminum construction (no rust or paint issues), overkill load capacity, and a wheel that will handle sandy sites, and a wheel lock.

 

Sounds like a typically project - theory and reality have a few gaps between them.

Good luck.

Bob

 

I have my solution, essentially #2 above. I found a piece of 2-1/2" tubing in my junk pile, just barely long enough. I used a piece of 1/4" X 2" flat stock to make a parallelogram shaped shim that fits against the bottom inside of the tongue angle, trimmed to fit between the propane tank supports. The U-bolts fit nicely over these three pieces, tongue angle, shim, and large tubing, all clamped together firmly. Now I have to blow it apart again for paint. I'll post some pictures and dimensions then.

 

Ugh! I just ordered my 3 inch tube today! Yes, please post details when you can and thanks!

Randy

 

Please excuse the rotated pictures, it is not clear to me how to make them come out the other way.

I have my new jack installed so I thought I would put up a few pictures showing the jack and some details. The jack is a Fulton F2 series with bolt-on bracket. I got the one with one large wide wheel, but if I had to do it over again I would probably get the one with two smaller wheel because the minimum height would be lower.

The first three pictures show the jack in place. The fourth picture shows the mounting from below. The fifth pictures shows the pieces I made to do the installation and the next shows the dimensions of the parts I made.

The parallelogram piece fits under the top of the tongue angle iron to make the sizes come out right and fit between the propane tank mounting. I made it out of a piece from my junk pile; it is 1/4" thick. If I was starting with new pieces I would get a length of 1/4" X 2" flat stock and cut to size, the slightly narrower width will be fine. Ignore the notch in one end, it was a hole in the piece I started with.















The other piece is a length of 2-1/2" X 2-1/2" .188 wall tubing. The piece I had is 4-3/4" long and is just barely long enough. 5-1/4" would be ideal.

After making these pieces the installation is straightforward. I put the hitch on a jack stand (you could connect it to your TV) and I removed the old jack, retaining the hardware. I adjusted the new jack bracket position to it's lowest position; you have to do this before mounting. I placed the parallelogram under the bottom of the frame between the propane tank supports, then the piece of tubing. Slip the two U-bolts from the jack kit over the top of the tongue frame and the other parts. Install the jack on the U-bolts. I didn't use the nuts and lock washers that came in the kit (I hate lock washers), instead I put a 3/8" stainless flat washer on each bolt, then put the nuts from the old jack on, they just happen to be the right size. Tighten the bolts evenly.

The last picture is the jack I took off my 560 showing how bad it looks after only one season.

This is a really nice jack, overkill in load capacity, and no paint to chip.

 

Randy - I just checked and Speedy Metals has 1/4" X 2" flat stock as well as 2-1/2" .188 wall tubing. Their shipping charges seem out of line to me though.

 

Nice, I have been thinking about swapping out mine with the Fulton. I like the larger wheel. How low is your min. height? How much did you lose by not going with the 2 wheel setup?

 

For my setup, the lowest is 10" to the tip of the hitch. I am guessing the dual wheel version is about an inch lower; the wheels are an inch smaller and the lower assembly looks like it could be that low.

For a SUV height trailer I think the minimum height will be OK, for a standard height I think it would be too high (mine is a middling height between the standard and SUV).

It is possible that another 1/2" could be gained with some careful modification of the bottom plastic piece but probably not worth the effort.

 

T he issue I have with the stock jack is that it does not swivel easy. I push my 560 back into my garage. Does the Fulton swivel and roll better than the stock jack?