Will Wiring 4K Bulldog A-Frame Jack to Trailer Battery be Better Than Drawing Off of Vehicle 7-Way

Updated 03/04/2019 | Published 03/01/2019

Question:

I have a 32 ft 14,000 triple a letter competition/vending trailer. It currently has the Bulldog 4,000 lb jack. While it does lift it it really strains and Im afraid it wont last long under the strain. What electric jack do you recommend? Currently we are just running off the 12 volt power from our truck but I believe adding a battery will help and Jack we use perform better. Thoughts?

asked by: Brad

Expert Reply:

If your 4K Bulldog A-Frame jack like part # BD500199 or # BD500200 is struggling under the tongue weight of a 14,000 lb trailer then I would have to agree that it likely isn't getting the power it needs from the 7-Way on your truck and using a battery directly for the jack should help it perform better.

Another thing to check is the trailer frame where the jack is installed. Since it grounds through the mounting hardware any rust or corrosion (or sometimes paint) can cause power issues. Be sure that it is installed on a clean mounting surface for the best ground connection.

One other thing that you will want to note is that the tongue weight of a trailer should be between 10-15% of the weight of the loaded trailer. If you have heavier stuff towards the front of your trailer then you could be overloading the tongue which would, in turn, overload the jack and cause it to struggle.

expert reply by: Jon G