T@B 400 and Chevy Colorado tailgate

ecyfoto

Will I be able to drop my Colorado's tailgate while my 400 is still hooked up? If not is there a solution to do so?

Sharon_is_SAM

A former TaB 320 owner designed a removable jack specific to the 320 model.  I see that the TearDropShop is no longer carrying these (probably no longer made) and AllProAdventure does not carry these either.  The Jack E Up (https://jack-e-up.com/) may work on the 400, but I am not sure.

targ

Get one of these:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/the-ultimate-trailer-jack?cm_vc=-10005

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Ultimate-Jack/322-RDJ-2K.html

It is a drop-in* replacement for the jack on the 320 so it might work on the 400 as well.

While it should have been a dead stupid drop-in on ours, the jack holes in the top and bottom plates were not properly aligned at the factory (they weren't truly concentric) so a little file work was needed for me.  And because of a slight mismatch in size of the mount plate, I had to use a couple of washers under two of the bolts.  But it works great and even makes for faster jacking up since you can drop it nearly to the ground before jacking.  You can pull it up so the foot is nicely tucked inside the frame rails. Plus, it gets rid of that gawd-awful sidewider in favor of a top wind jack.

If you remove the plastic guide piece (visible in the etrailer link) and use a pin on your foot/wheel instead of a bolt, you can easily remove the whole tube just by pulling the pin.

Tabfortwo

I can with my Honda ridgeline 

PamandJohnUpNorth2

@ecyfoto If you find the tailgate does not clear another option to consider is found here:

https://jack-e-up.com/

and can be found locally at about any trailer shop.

vhollow

I tow a 400 with a Chevy Colorado, and the answer to your question is no, the tailgate will not clear the NuCamp-installed jack while hitched up. I switched to a Trailer Valet system (trailervalet.com), the Trailer Valet 5X, which, sadly has gotten more expensive.  It is, however, well made and heavy-duty compared to less expensive similar designs.  The trailer valet allows you to maneuver the trailer in and out of tight spaces (my garage, in my case) alone. It also is handy for simply wheeling the trailer forward or back onto the hitch ball, or moving the trailer around in a camp site, as long as it is paved; it doesn't do so well on gravel or dirt, as the valet wheels lose traction. The trailer has grab handles, but, being a lot bigger and heavier than the 320, is awkward for one person to shift easily. The Valet can be swiveled 90 degrees to travel, but I don't recommend this, as it could be pinched between the rear bumper and the trailer tongue in a tight turn, especially in reverse. However, one can remove the jack entirely from the mounting bracket with one pin, just like the hitch receiver on the truck, and stored in the truck bed while hooked up. It is out of the way and lets you stay hitched and just step across the trailer tongue behind the truck.

LSkrabut

Myself I went with a longer shank, 18" from E2

Equal-i-zer Weight Dist Shank - 18" Long - 7" Rise, 3" Drop - 600 to 1,400 lbs TW


Note: This is a very heavy shank but now my tailgate when dropped clears the jack. I wanted a solution for anything that I towed.

rhyno

vhollow said:

I tow a 400 with a Chevy Colorado, and the answer to your question is no, the tailgate will not clear the NuCamp-installed jack while hitched up. I switched to a Trailer Valet system (trailervalet.com), the Trailer Valet 5X, which, sadly has gotten more expensive.  It is, however, well made and heavy-duty compared to less expensive similar designs.  The trailer valet allows you to maneuver the trailer in and out of tight spaces (my garage, in my case) alone. It also is handy for simply wheeling the trailer forward or back onto the hitch ball, or moving the trailer around in a camp site, as long as it is paved; it doesn't do so well on gravel or dirt, as the valet wheels lose traction. The trailer has grab handles, but, being a lot bigger and heavier than the 320, is awkward for one person to shift easily. The Valet can be swiveled 90 degrees to travel, but I don't recommend this, as it could be pinched between the rear bumper and the trailer tongue in a tight turn, especially in reverse. However, one can remove the jack entirely from the mounting bracket with one pin, just like the hitch receiver on the truck, and stored in the truck bed while hooked up. It is out of the way and lets you stay hitched and just step across the trailer tongue behind the truck.

@vhollow - how do you like your Trailer Valet 5x long-term? Has it held up ok for your 400? I have not pulled the trigger yet. I am a little concerned with placing the bracket on the c channel of the tongue.

vhollow

The Trailer Valet 5X has been fine for me. It is well made and well painted. I like being able to drop the pick-up tail gate and I like the ease of crossing behind the truck while hitched to the trailer. The c-channel tongue is fine with it, unless one were to backup with the Valet on, at a sharp angle (I leave mine off) and jack-knife the bumper to the Valet and c-channel.