[Rhodes22-list] Trailer jack failure

[Peter Thorn]

Jim,

I recently had some experience with a Fulton trailer jack: a larger Fulton
jack (10,000 pound gross weight trailer) on one of our construction trailers
failed.  It was the bevel gear - they are probably designed to be the weak
links.

After contacting Fulton they sent a replacement kit.  It took 15 minutes to
install, then the jack was good as new.  We now keep it greased more often.

My Triad is about the same age as yours (almost new).  I inspected it
earlier and found none of the slightly smaller Fulton jacks have grease
fittings.  After opening the top cap, it looks just like the bigger jack on
my construction trailer, just no grease fittings.  Maybe they sell more
jacks that way.

So, if you're not happy about the idea of replacing jacks every year, you
could try opening the top caps and adding grease, or adding grease zerks to
the tube head and using a grease gun.  A saltwater bath several times a
season is just going to be tough on those jacks, but perhaps with enough
grease they can be maintained.

I've attached a photo of my Triad.  Note the old buckets to keep the
rainwater out of the jacks - an idea we use on all our trailers I learned
from a mechanic.

Fair winds,

PT





> I finally got to pulling the boat and trailer out of winter parking on
Monday.  I got very little preparation done, because the trailer jack seized
while attempting to retract it after hooking up to the truck.  I got a
little too enthusiastic trying to free it up and shattered the bevel gear on
the crank handle.
>
> After scrounging enough lumber to use as a stand, and using car jacks to
lift and drop the trailer, I got the trailer safely stowed and off the
truck.
>
> I have not yet figured out what rusted and caused the jack to seize.  The
Triad trailer and jack are barely a year old.  The two times I immersed the
trailer last year, I rinsed accessible exterior parts of the Fulton jack as
best I could.
>
> What should I be doing to prevent having to replace the replacement next
year?  Should I grease the inside mechanism, and if so, how?
>
> Jim Connolly
> s/v Inisheer
> '85 recycled '03
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
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