Why ? trailer jacks so tall ?

[wanderingbob]

Many complain that they can not open the tailgate on their pickup while hitched to their trailer . Me too ! My jack is ten or eleven inches taller than needs to be ! Probably the same for most of you .

[hussbuss]

You can take the hitch bar to a machine shop and have a new hole drilled in the bar if you only need an inch. Also most rv shops will have an assortment of used hitch bars you might be able to trade for yours. we did that for my daughters TT. Dealer said, find one that works and leave yours. Even trade.

[JJnLilly]

Having a similar tailgate issue since moving back to a trailer from the fifth wheel. No problem if I left the open fifth wheel tailgate on but don't want to do that since I am having to carry more things in the bed.

Only need about an inch to clear the switches on the jack so maybe a longer hitch bar is the answer. But they are pretty pricey just to gain a couple of inches.

[Grit_dog]

I’ve only been towing trailers since I was old enough to drive in 1988, but I’m not sure I’ve ever had a trailer that the top of the jack wasn’t at least as tall as the tailgate of the truck, when the tailgate was folded down. And that seems like a pretty consistent dimension across the years and brands of trucks.
Even my current rig which has a 6” lift and 37s and generally a 8-10” drop ? hitch, the jacks on the few trailers Ive pulled are still taller than the tailgate when it’s folded down and the trailer is hooked up reasonably level.

Seems like one of those petty first world problems to me.

[GrandpaKip]

Have you tried turning it 90 degrees?
I did that and it worked fine.

[deltabravo]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
They do make tailgates with a dip in the middle that you can purchase if you want.

Those are designed for 5th wheel haulers, and most I've seen are vented.
Useless if you have a canopy on the truck.

Longer drawbar (stinger) solves the problem.

[CavemanCharlie]

wanderingbob wrote:
Many complain that they can not open the tailgate on their pickup while hitched to their trailer . Me too ! My jack is ten or eleven inches taller than needs to be ! Probably the same for most of you .

For you it seems that you don't have to crank the jack that far. But, for some of us we need the extra screw that is that taller jack. I agree that it is a pain opening the tailgate with that jack in the way. Plus, the cushion part of the handle fell off of my jack and now I have a scratch on the tailgate where it hits the jack . They do make tailgates with a dip in the middle that you can purchase if you want.

[deltabravo]

NamMedevac 70 wrote:
I was thinking he may have a newer trailer with a short tongue or the placement of the jack on the frame made a difference

Nope.

Jacks have been in the same place on the coupler since pretty much the invention of trailer jacks. All trailers I've seen, the coupler is where the jack attaches, which means trailer tongue length is an irrelevant factor in the equation.

The reason a tailgate hits a jack is because tailgates (and overall bed height) are taller on some trucks. The receiver hitch might be tucked further under the bumper and some trucks, reducing the distance between jack and the back of the truck.

[NamMedevac_70]

wing_zealot wrote:

NamMedevac 70 wrote:
I never had this problem with a standard electric jack and Equalizer WDH on an 2003 R-Vision Trail Cruiser TT by Monaco Coach. No modifications or extensions were used and the jack was NOT low profile. Maybe I can find the photo. The new

How does that help the OP? His hits.

Again NN you must be really bored or jea. I was thinking he may have a newer trailer with a short tongue or the placement of the jack on the frame made a difference and I am looking for photo of my setup for his comparison. I am also curious about his predicament since I have not encountered it. You are really s You need to go fishing or get a life OM. This is not your first time to

[wing_zealot]

NamMedevac 70 wrote:
I never had this problem with a standard electric jack and Equalizer WDH on an 2003 R-Vision Trail Cruiser TT by Monaco Coach. No modifications or extensions were used and the jack was NOT low profile. Maybe I can find the photo. The new

How does that help the OP? His hits.

[TurnThePage]

It seems like they could mount the tongue jack more rearward. Between the batteries and the propane maybe, leaving lots of room up front.

I used a longer shank that gave me an extra 6" of clearance for the tailgate. Worked perfect for my application, but I can feel the difference when towing. Still well controlled, just not quite as perfect. My truck is a half ton and my trailer is 24' long and weighs 6300 - 6500 lbs.

[NamMedevac_70]

I never had this problem with a standard electric jack and Equalizer WDH on an 2003 R-Vision Trail Cruiser TT by Monaco Coach. No modifications or extensions were used and the jack was NOT low profile. Maybe I can find the photo. The new

[wing_zealot]

Get a longer hitch drawbar.

[Gdetrailer]

wanderingbob wrote:
Many complain that they can not open the tailgate on their pickup while hitched to their trailer . Me too ! My jack is ten or eleven inches taller than needs to be ! Probably the same for most of you .

Simple, replace the standard jack with a "low profile" jack.

The big downside with low profile jacks is the range of height that they are able to lift, I have seen low profile jacks with as little as 14" lift.

If you have a Tractor Supply store handy, go and see what they have available that might not be as tall. Just be aware that the low profiles will often need extra blocking or a removable foot in order to get enough lift range.

[JRscooby]

Story is when Abe Lincoln was asked how long a man's legs should be "Long enough to reach the ground".
Look at your rig, side on. The tongue jack must extend far enough to reach the ground, plus enough to lift TV back up to the ride height when MT. Then it still needs to go down another 4 inches or so, to get the coupler clear of ball. Now unless you can get some help from Hermione, that shaft needs to go somewhere when you lift the foot off the ground.