Determining Needed Capacity for A-Frame Jack on 7,000 Pound Trailer

Published 08/19/2018

Question:

How do you measure the tube to ensure this jack would fit my trailer?

asked by: Eddie

Helpful Expert Reply:

When choosing an A-frame jack, you will just need to make sure that it has the capacity to lift the trailer's tongue weight. The tongue weight should be around 10 to 15 percent of its total weight. Using the 7,000 pound loaded weight that you mentioned in your question, you are looking at a loaded tongue weight of around 700 to 1,050 pounds. With this in mind, a 3,500 pound jack like the etrailer.com Electric Jack w/ Footplate # EJ-3520-BBX that you were looking at will work perfectly and has more than enough capacity.

Using a jack like this that has more capacity than what is actually needed allows for quicker and easier operation, which in turns leads to a longer lifespan. This particular electric jack features a drop leg for increased lift, an LED light for easy visibility, and an emergency crank that lets you manually operate the jack if needed. It has a 2-1/4 inch outer tube diameter and will provide you with a total lift of 25-1/8 inches.

I have attached a short video demonstration on this jack that you can also check out.

expert reply by: Chris R

Eddie

8/19/2018

How do you measure the tube to ensure this jack would fit my trailer?

Chris R.

8/19/2018

The etrailer.com Electric Jack w/ Footplate # EJ-3520-BBX features an outer tube diameter of 2-1/4 inches. You will just want to measure the diameter of the jack mounting hole on your A-frame to ensure that it matches this dimension. The 2-1/4 inch diameter on this jack is pretty standard.