Trailer Jack wheel

[mjgill1]

I have a 2012 aluminum trailer and have to maneuver the boat into its resting place by hand. With the boat loaded the wheel on the trailer jack just doesn't like to turn worth a sh**. I was thinking of buying a bolt on on trailer jack, AKA. jockey wheel, or fabricating a new caster using a 10" hard rubber tire. Has anyone changed their wheel or done anything different than stock? I sure would like to get this done as cheap as possible.

Thanks in advance,

[bobflshmn]

I fabricated a 4 wheel dolly for a friend of mine who has a large power boat which was to heavy for the jack wheel. We also replaced the wheel with a foot to keep in in a cradle I welded into the stand. I used (4) 6" hard rubber wheels, 2" by 1/4" angle. The frame was 16" square. Keep in mind the tongue weight of his boat was in excess of 1000 lbs. On concrete floor one person could push the trailer but not without effort.

If you are rolling on dirt or other soft material not sure what you would do. If the problem is getting the wheel to pivot for turning, I will ask the obvious. Have you greased it? Sorry but have to ask.

[Jimmyt]

This is what I came up with. Cut the bottom part of a nose wheel off and welded it to a reinforced parts washer base. Welded a pipe handle to it for steering leverage. Unpin it after hooking to the hitch and leave it at home. Have since cleaned it up and painted it, but haven't taken any pics since. I have a short roll across the grass that I couldn't manage with the original nose wheel.

[mjgill1]

It's not a greased item. It's on concrete pad west of the garage. Yes, the big problem is getting the wheel to turn. I think I am going to buy a frame mounted 8" wheel and try that. The stock Mac wheel has a sleeve about 1 1/2" deep that attaches with a hitch pin. It's pretty flimsy. Here's a link to the one I am looking at. It looks a lot stronger but I still don't know how it will rotate with a load on it. https://www.amazon.com/BOLT-MARINE-SWIV ... SK1MAQPT4J

I also thought of using this guy's idea. Maybe weld a plate on the bottom of the tube use about a 3-4 inch sleeve for side load and axle grease in the bottom of the sleeve for the post to rotate on. http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1267

The first one is around $50.00. The second one will cost around $80.00. Ugh!

[Catigale]

My welded-on wheel from my 2002 trailer eventually seized up in the tube and I pounded it out and bolted on a new one - I believe it was a Fulton F250 model which was overbuilt for this load.

It totally saved my hide when the tongue snapped, as I used it as a third wheel to get my boat up the trailer and out of the water. It did suffer some damage but it was easily repairable with new screws.

I think I put pictures either in my Pan Pan westport thread or maybe another.

[Catigale]

Fulton 1600 model

Some pictures here in this thread. I did break the wheel off, but it was my fault for abuse, not overload

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... t=westport

[bobflshmn]

Mine also does not turn well even without the boat on the trailer. I added grease to shaft in an effort to make it turn better. It helped a bit, not significantly. That is why I had asked. Not sure the one from Amazon would be any better.I like the idea of replacing the wheel with a welded plate and a swivel wheel with bearings!

[mjgill1]

For ease of turning while loaded, I totally agree with the idea of maybe adding a thrust bearing or something. It seems like there is quite a bit of tongue weight on the poor wheel...

I found this under mods. The larger caster and wheel with a thrust bearing might do the trick. Probably end up costing $75.00 by the time I was done. Heck that wheel alone has to be $30.00.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1267

[Tomfoolery]

For ease of turning while loaded, I totally agree with the idea of maybe adding a thrust bearing or something. It seems like there is quite a bit of tongue weight on the poor wheel...

Might be worth considering adding ballast to the stern, in the form of gear or crew, when moving the loaded trailer. The opposite of when prepping it for a high-speed road trip, where many (well, me at least) put moveable stuff in the bow to get the tongue weight up.

[RobertB]

The stock wheel jack on the 2012 trailer is totally non-serviceable. It took me less than 1/2 hour to cut off the stock setup with an angle grinder, paint the bare steel, and bolt on a new unit from WM. Works better than the stock one and hinges up out of the way when not needed.