A tongue jack is a $50 part that prevents thousands of dollars of damage. It also happens to be one of the most overlooked components on a trailer. Most owners pick whatever was on it when they bought the trailer and never think about it again.
This guide reflects what we see in our shop in Elkhart, Indiana, working on light-duty trailer axles up to 10,000 lb. We don't service over-10k commercial axles — that's a different specification regime — but everything below that ceiling lives in our daily wheelhouse: utility, boat, snowmobile, cargo, motorcycle, ATV, and small enclosed trailers.
Capacity rule of thumb
Pick a jack rated for at least 1.25 times your loaded tongue weight. Tongue weight is roughly 10–15% of total trailer weight. A 5,000 lb loaded trailer has 500–750 lb of tongue weight, so a 1,000 lb jack is the floor — and we usually steer customers up to 2,000 lb for service margin.
Manual jack life cycle
A quality manual sidewind jack runs $40–$80 and lasts 8–15 years if it stays out of standing water. The cheap pot-metal versions you see at big-box stores fail in 2–3 seasons. We don't sell those.
Electric jack realities
Electric jacks save your back and give you years of service if you wire them properly. Common failures are corroded ground returns, blown internal fuses, and stripped gear sets from over-cranking. Most of these are a 30-minute repair, not a replacement.
Drop-leg vs fixed
On any trailer that gets hooked and unhooked frequently, a drop-leg saves dozens of cranks per season. The premium is small and the time savings real. For a trailer that lives hooked up, fixed-shaft is fine.
Fall 2022 note
Fall is the smartest service window of the year. Get ahead of winter while the shops aren't slammed. If your trailer hasn't been through a real inspection this season, now is the right time to bring it in. We schedule preventative service ahead of the busy travel windows precisely so customers don't get stuck waiting two weeks during peak season.
When to call us
Most of what we cover above is owner-level work. The line we draw at the shop: anything that involves the spindle, brake hydraulics, axle replacement, or a suspension change that touches the frame, we'd rather do ourselves. Bearings, brake shoes, lights, jacks, couplers — those you can do at home or bring to us, your call.
Axle Inc. is the area's authorized Dexter Group distributor and we stock parts for trailer axles up to 10,000 lb. If you have a trailer in that range and you're in northern Indiana or southern Michigan, call (574) 264-9434 or schedule online at axle.setmore.com.
Axle Inc. Service Team
60+ years of combined trailer experience. Authorized Dexter Group distributor, Elkhart, IN. We answer the phone.