I also got a collapsible lug wrench that weighed next to nothing and took up almost no space in the trailer. Perfect! Now when I faced the wrath of the tire gods on the road, far from home, I would be prepared.
A few months later I was browsing through a boating magazine, and came across this product. I suddenly realized that I had absolutely no way of hoisting the trailer tire into the air - I had a spare tire, a lug wrench - and no way to lift the trailer to change it! I didn't want to put a heavy bottle jack in the trailer, knowing it could potentially bash a hole through the trailer's fiberglass shell. This looked like the perfect solution:
The manufacturer, Springfield Marine, makes them in two sizes. Taking some measurements, I decided that I should get the larger of the two. Looking back, I could have probably done with the smaller one, but the larger one, with its 4,000 pound capacity, will work on pretty much any trailer I could ever think of hauling, so it will work fine.
I bought mine for $37 from Amazon, and that is still the cheapest place I have found them.
The jack itself has no moving parts, and depends on your vehicle to do the heavy lifting, utilizing the power of leverage to lift your trailer wheel into the air. It's simply a big piece of cast aluminum. Despite the "Made in USA" statement on the package, the jack itself has "MADE IN CHINA" cast right into it. That did not sit well with me.
The casting has had some rather rough, crappy grinding work done to remove the casting flashing. It doesn't affect the strength or functionality of the jack, but I suspect this would not have been the case if it had in fact been manufactured in the USA like the packaging stated.
Using the jack consists of simply pushing the top of the jack against the trailer axle, with the feet against the ground, pointing toward the rear of the trailer. In my case, my trailer has torsion suspension, so there is no axle. Instead I pushed the jack against the crossmember that went between the wheels.
Start pulling the trailer forward with your motorcycle (or whatever tow vehicle you're using), and as you do so, the jack rotates in place, lifting the affected wheel into the air.
Once the jack is fully elevated, stop the motorcycle, leave it in gear to secure the trailer, and remove the wheel. Once you're finished putting your spare tire on, just back the motorcycle to lower the trailer wheel back to the ground. I tried raising and lowering the trailer several times, and it was a simple and effortless procedure. I worried at first about pulling the trailer too far forward, and in fact on my first attempt this is exactly what I did. The jack simply kept rotating, and gently let the wheel back down onto the ground - so no worries there. The feet of the jack should grab into just about any kind of surface save slippery mud. The jack itself weighs only a couple of pounds, and should be nearly indestructible. I like the fact that I can also use it on pretty much any other trailer I ever pull, so it's definitely not a motorcycle-only product.
Pros: Relatively cheap, strong, universal application, simple to use, aluminum is light and won't rust
Cons: Packaging says Made in USA, product says Made in China. Poor grinding/finishing, but does not affect functionality of the product - if it bothers you, grind it yourself I suppose.
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I would suggest breaking the wheel lugs loose before lifting.
cueman
