How To Replace Swivel Jack On Utility Trailer - Also Can Loaded Trailer Be Lifted With Jack?
Updated 07/03/2025 | Published 06/28/2025
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Question:
hello, i have this trailer jack, its actually my friendsfoot and he has asked me to weld it on for him, but my welding skills arent very good so Im trying to find a way to bolt it on but I do need it to swivel, but for the life of me I cant figure out how that could be done. If I put bolts thru the weld on part the jack will no longer swivel? So Im thinking it has to be welded on? Another question is the old jack failed and I took it apart and there was no lubricant on the threaded rod, do these jacks come with the threaded rod inside lubricated, or should I take mine apart and lubricate the threaded rod / nut? and final question, this is say a 5 x 8 utility trailer, my friend usually has firewood in it or maybe a lawnmower is it ok to lift the trailer off the ball with say a lawnmower in the trailer? I ask because another friend said you should never raise or lower a loaded trailer, you unload it and then raise the trailer off the ball, but I notice the jack states lift 2000 lbs, static 3000 lbs, so to me it seems like it would be ok to leave lawnmower in the trailer and use the jack to raise it off the ball? Im sorry for all the questions but my only knowledge was mounting his old jack to his trailer but it was a bolt on swivel jack. Thank you
asked by: James S
Expert Reply:
Hey James, lot to unpack here.
Let's start with the lifting question. You can absolutely lift a loaded trailer off the ball by using the jack, this is what it's designed for. Just make sure you aren't exceeding the weight rating and you'll be fine. With 2000lbs of lift capacity, you won't have to worry about a single lawmower on the trailer, which still would have some weight transferred to the trailer's axle and wheels and not all on the jack.
As far as lubrication goes, normally all jacks are lubed or greased from the factory on that adjustment rod internally. There's not really a way to go in and do maintenance without taking it all apart but you can try. I'm not sure which jack you have though so I would need to know that info. Normally if they get bound up and stop working, I just say to replace the whole jack.
There are 2 types of swivel jacks - bracket mount like Bulldog Round, Snap-Ring Swivel Jack - Sidewind # BD151101 and pipe mount like Bulldog Round, Pipe-Mount Swivel Jack - Sidewind # BD178203. If you have the bracket mount, just weld or bolt the bracket to the trailer and the jack will swivel just fine. If you have pipe mount, you can't just weld it to the trailer, you need to have the inner sleeve pipe that gets WELDED to the trailer, then the jack can slide over and install the pin to lock it in place. If you have pipe mount and don't have the inner pipe sleeve, just use Weld-On 2" Diameter Pipe Mount Tube for Pipe Mounted Trailer Jacks # DL22670 and weld it to the trailer then your pipe mount jack can fit over it.
Let me know what your setup is and I can help narrow down even more if need be. :)
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Product Page this Question was Asked From
Bulldog Round, Snap-Ring Swivel Jack - Sidewind - 10" Lift - 2,000 lbs
- Trailer Jack
- Enclosed Trailer
- Utility Trailer
- Side-Mount Jacks
- Swivel Jacks
- Standard Grade
- 1001 - 2000 lbs
- Manual Jack
- 10 Inch Lift
- Weld-On
- With Rectangle Foot
- Bulldog
more information >
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James S.
7/3/2025
thanks i got it figured out I was able to take the bolt on hardware from the old jack and remove the weld on bracket from the new jack and then attach the old hardware. Toughest part was removing the large snap ring, which I went to my auto mechanic and he did it. It takes large snap ring pliers. so I got that swapped over. The old hardware though had 3/8" locking pin and new jack has 1/2" so I turned the pin down on the end to 3/8" I tried to dis-assemble to check the internal threaded rod but the pin holding the top gear to the handle would not budge, I actually broke my punch trying. I told my friend if it starts getting stiff take the cap off the top and fill the top with oil and maybe some will run down on the shaft. And as for lifting, my other buddy kind of took it back. I got to thinking my dad had about a 32 foot fishing boat and I believe total weight of that with trailer was 17000 pounds and it had a jack similar to this and he raised and lowered that 2 or 3 times a week, my friend changed his statement to "if at all possible don't raise or lower if trailer has a load, the boat was probably balanced" So I returned the jack to my friend ready to be bolted on so I saved him about a $100 welding charge, so he was pretty happy. the bulldog jack seems much better built than the old towking. Thanks