Better jack wheel?

lkc001
lkc001 Posts: 881
edited April 2019 in Trailer & Towing
Hello all--just wondering if anyone has replaced their jack wheel with something a bit wider or a different type of rubber that is more like a tire (still only 6" diameter) so that it rolls better?  I was not happy with the way the standard wheel rolled on my concrete driveway.  The jack wheel I had on my old little popup trailer was easier to get pointed in the right direction than this one.  I was expecting this trailer to turn easily as many people here have said it does, and I did not find that to be the case--I had to work to get the wheel going into the 90 degree pivot I was making in my driveway to get it into it's spot.    I checked Harbor Freight and they didn't have anything that was 6" diameter with the hole in the short post to run the pin through.

Also--is this a 2" diameter post?
2018 Tab 400
2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab

Comments

  • BogieMeister
    BogieMeister Posts: 120
    This may not be the answer you are looking for, but be advised that I purchased the dual wheel jack from harbor freight thinking that it would make maneuvering easier. It actually made it worse. 
    Gerri (Gary) Ewing
    Montgomery TX (Birthplace of the Texas Flag)
    2018 320 S - "No Agenda Hacienda"
    Tow Vehicle 2023 Honda Pilot AWD


  • Luckyj
    Luckyj Posts: 286
    I am curious, when you are manualy pushing and moving your trailer, is it level?  And what kind of tongue weight do you have on it?
    2017 T@G Max Outback "Le Refuge"
    TV 2005 jeep TJ unlimited
    and/or 2005 Nissan X-Trail 4wd
    Alaskan Malamuthe on board!

    Les Escoumins and Petite-Riviere-St-Francois QC
  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Posts: 10,035
    We use a heavy, nylon, dual caster wheel (?Amazon?) and it is easy to turn on our driveway.  We got it after trying to move the TaB in a sandy campsite with the single wheel.  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Posts: 4,645
    Here are some jack wheel mod threads:


    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
  • lkc001
    lkc001 Posts: 881
    @Luckyj I had the trailer a little nose high & have the spare, propane tank & battery in the front tub
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
  • Luckyj
    Luckyj Posts: 286
    lkc001 said:
    @Luckyj I had the trailer a little nose high & have the spare, propane tank & battery in the front tub
    Nose hight could make it a little harder to rotate, changing the angle a bit.  But could be marginal.  As for tongue weight, having all those could make it heavy, but it all comes down to how much does it weight.  This is all related to how your load is arange in your trailer.  Did you ever mesure your tongue weight?
    2017 T@G Max Outback "Le Refuge"
    TV 2005 jeep TJ unlimited
    and/or 2005 Nissan X-Trail 4wd
    Alaskan Malamuthe on board!

    Les Escoumins and Petite-Riviere-St-Francois QC
  • lkc001
    lkc001 Posts: 881
    edited April 2019
    Have not measured tongue weight because I've just started going thru my camping equipment, paring it down & finding places for things, so it isn't loaded yet.  The tongue weight would be whatever Propane tank is (35-40?) + spare (40?) + battery (50?)+  plus whatever is standard weight that the hitch/jockey wheel would be.

    I believe it's the crappy jockey wheel that's the problem.  I'm going to have to change it out to something else.

    Thanks to everyone for your ideas and thread links!
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
  • lkc001
    lkc001 Posts: 881
    @Sharon_is_SAM is it this one from Amazon by any chance?  https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Wheel-Trailer-2000LB-Capacity/dp/B07MWHZGGX/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=dual+caster+wheel&qid=1555081380&s=gateway&sr=8-10
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
  • ckjs
    ckjs Posts: 140
    I got this caster+brake (after forgetting to remove the original jack wheel and bending its mounting “pipe”):

        https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660371_200660371

    and attached it to this plate:

        https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QEJ6UQ

    The ball bearings are very smooth and allow us to easily move the T@b on our driveway. The stock wheel took considerably more  force than my weak joints can deliver.

    Charles & Judy, Santa Cruz, CA
    2018 T@B 320 CS-S; Alde 3020; 4 cyl 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx XT

  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Posts: 10,035
    @lkc001, could be.  We can’t remember where we got it, but that looks the same.  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
  • lkc001
    lkc001 Posts: 881
    @ckjs. Does that foot have holes to mount the caster or did you have to drill?
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
  • Tabbieannecamper
    Tabbieannecamper Posts: 33


    Ikc001

    Read your post about front jack wheels. Last your I went to Farm and Fleet in northern Illinois(southern Wisconsin) and purchased two softer 6in wheels and a long bolt. I put one on each side of the hard plastic wheel. Our camper moves a lot easier, even on grass. The wheels are out there, most farm supply stores will have them. Good luck.

    Gary/ 2015 T@b MaxS 2016 Toyota 4-Runner

  • GibW
    GibW Posts: 95
    We use this. Very light.  No need to remove when traveling. Easy to move the tongue around on a variety of surfaces.
    https://www.amazon.com/Curt-Manufacturing-28272-CURT-Jack/dp/B004QEJ6UQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2Y3WAVUZQ9V7U&keywords=jack+foot+plate&qid=1555116066&s=gateway&sprefix=Jack+foot&sr=8-3
    2017 T@B Max-S, silver & silver, towed by a Titanium Silver 2018 Kia Sorento AWD V-6, Twin Cities MN
  • ckjs
    ckjs Posts: 140
    @lkc001 : That foot plate (the same one mentioned by @GibW) does not have any holes. The swivel caster’s plate did.

    Charles & Judy, Santa Cruz, CA
    2018 T@B 320 CS-S; Alde 3020; 4 cyl 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx XT

  • ScottG
    ScottG Posts: 5,688
    ckjs said:
    @lkc001 : That foot plate (the same one mentioned by @GibW) does not have any holes. The swivel caster’s plate did.
    @ckjs, What holes are you referring to? The one in @GibW's link shows holes for securing the foot to the pipe with the pin.
    I'm interested in getting this item. Can someone who has it confirm that the holes in the foot line up with the holes on the jack pipe? I can drill if I have to, but I'd rather not...
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
  • dsfdogs
    dsfdogs Posts: 641
    edited April 2019
    @ScottG you are interested in getting the footplate posted in @GibW's link? I I think I have this brand, or a Bal brand foot plate. I just looked at mine and no brand listed and looks identical to this one and yes, holes line up. I  bought it last year as I found most of the time in camp, I couldn't get the wheel on. I am not able to move it around like a wheel though. Maybe a minor budge is about it for me.
    Debbie in Oregon
    Sold 2023 Tab 400
    Sold 2018 T@B 320S

  • ScottG
    ScottG Posts: 5,688
    Thank, @dfsdogs. I don't particularly care which brand I get, as they all work the same. Now I just use a block of wood, but this seems a bit more elegant. I also sometime have trouble getting the wheel on in uneven camp sites.
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
  • lkc001
    lkc001 Posts: 881
    @ckjs  I would also be interested if anyone has found one of the flat footplates with holes in it that match up with that caster?  I'm talking about holes in the bottom of the footplate, not on the post part where the pin goes through.  What kind of a drill bit did you have to use to drill holes in the fooltplate?
    2018 Tab 400
    2016 Nissan Frontier SV 4x4 Crew Cab
  • ckjs
    ckjs Posts: 140
    @lck001
    I drilled the bottom of the footplate with a 1/4” twist bit (nothing fancy) for bolts hefty enough to match the caster. I didn’t look for a plate with pre-drilled holes in its foot. 

    As @dfsdogs said, the footplate tube fit right into the jack tube, pin and all. 

    Charles & Judy, Santa Cruz, CA
    2018 T@B 320 CS-S; Alde 3020; 4 cyl 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx XT

  • ScottG
    ScottG Posts: 5,688
    Ahhh, looking back, now I get it, you want to use the foot as an connector between a caster wheel and the jack tube.
    @lkc001, since this is an improvised use of the foot plate, I suspect you will be hard pressed to find one with pre-drilled holes right where you want them.
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
  • DenisP
    DenisP Posts: 542
    I have used two different feet for my 400 in place of the wheel and both had matching holes which appear standard for the jacks.
    2018 T@b 400, 200ah Lithium with Solar
    2013 Tundra TRD 5.7L
    Massachusetts

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