MacGregorSailors.com

Do you remove the small trailer jack wheel when towing your boat? Commentary and explanations are welcome! Pictures too!

OPTION 4: I have plenty of clearance but remove the wheel anyway just in case I need more.

I have a sharp turn coming out of the basement that runs the nose wheel over grass. Had to fab a steerable nose wheel to make the turn and grass transit easy.



Needless to say, towing with that rig is probably not a good idea.

I don't need to remove the wheel for normal towing with the OEM landing gear (original steel trailer), and neither should anyone even if their hitch is low, as the ball should be at 18-19" anyway, with the ball brought up (or down) to that elevation with the correct ball mount - trailer rails parallel to the ground. But I do have to take it off for launch/haul, especially at my marina's ramp, as it's really steep with a sharp break, and that caster wheel will ride it hard if it's there.

So I just leave it off unless there's an actual reason to have it on. Which rarely is the case.

I've put tongue jacks/wheels on all my trailers that swing up so never a clearance issue. They aren't that expensive and can even be bolted on without any welding required if that helps one. Once the tongue is on the ball just raise the wheel off the ground a little, pull the pin and rotate the jack and wheel up alongside the tongue and away you go.

I also added a receiver for the white leg in the picture on the bottom of the tongue. The leg slides in the receiver and can take a locking pin on the far side. With it I can take the tongue weight off the jack wheel and if it is locked serves as a theft deterrent. Once the weight is off of it you pull the pin on the far side and pull it out and rotate it 90 degrees and put it back in and pin it. Then lower the tongue on the ball and you are done.

I've had trailers where the wheel hangs down and sooner or later you catch it on something and things get bent up. No more once you have one of these....


http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-ca ... 69780.html

Sumner

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1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

We have the same wheel jack as Sumner so it is parallel with trailer frame when it is up.

Plus one for the same jockey wheel as Sumner, dont know why anyone would have anything else, just so easy

Mike says

dont know why anyone would have anything else, just so easy

Cause the original is FREE and just about as easy. You pull a pin to rotate the wheel, I pull a pin to remove the wheel. Not a lot of difference.

I leave mine on all the time... have lots of clearance.

I take it off. Easy to do and why press luck.

Probably don't need to. But why not?

I never use my trailer wheel, just a few wooden blocks. My custom dual axle trailer is heavy and with the boat on I can't move it anyways.

Take a few seconds and pull the wheel up or off..... whichever style You have.....why tempt fate Jimmy T.... a basement in southern Alabama ??? Cool. Ron. Dauntless.

Ron,
As my daddy always said, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box. Bought the cheapest lot in the neighborhood- no real builders wanted the challenge. Got a nice shop/garage out of it, but had to get a commercial site guy to help me get out of the ground. Did quit a bit of waterproofing and draining to keep it dry.

Like mentioned earlier by Phil M, I had a hard time moving and steering my rig with the small wheel. Since my boat has to come out of the basement to go sailing, including a bit of maneuvering, I had to have something that rolls and steers easy. But, it has to come off for towing - I leave it home. Trailer stays hooked to the truck while the boats in the water, so I don't need the nose wheel away from home.

I do have to take it off for launch/haul, especially at my marina's ramp, as it's really steep with a sharp break, and that caster wheel will ride it hard if it's there.

That is my experience, too. I have an adjustable hitch that can be lowered and raised with a socket wrench. I can lower the trailer when it is in the water, making it easier to load the boat at the ramp, but I crank it up to clear that sharp break/hump where the ramp slope meets the level parking area. So, having that wheel off is absolutely necessary for that evolution.

I have what Sumner has, but since it came from the dealer that way, I was not aware that other trailers were different. I have the original steel trailer from 2005.

Ray