Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

[TxHorns]

Can I use the jack made for my chevy tahoe for my trailer with boat on it? The boat is pretty heavy - it's on old 23' Mako with twin outboards and up to 150 gallons of gas.

Also, what is the right way to change the tire with my boat on it? My trailer has dual axles. Do I leave it hooked up to my car and put the jack behind the axles? Unhook it from the car? Thanks.

 

[Smuggler's Blues]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

Does the jack have a sticker on it that says what the total lifting capacity is?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

Leave the trailer hitched for safety..... yes a Tahoe Jack will lift your trailer and boat ....one wheel at a time. Make sure you have a good jack point. The tahoe jack is rated to lift a 5000 lb SUV.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

car and truck jacks are cheap pos's. useally only good for emergency and even then are about worthless. if your changing tires for newer tires or rims then take it to a friends house with a floor jack and lift the axle as close to the tire as possible. leave it hitched for safty make sure parking brake is set or its in park depending on manual or auto tranny. if your just asknig incase you get a flat running long distance, then yah and hopefully you have a good jack.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

The only bad thing about automotive sissor type jacks is their narrow base. Other than that they are perfectly capable of lifting the trailer. Place the jack directly under the spring perch or as close to it as you can. Crank it up. Leave the trailer hooked to the tow vehicle unless you want to see it go bye-bye.

 

[beagleboy]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

Buy a bottle jack. Put it in your tow vehicle or boat when towing, along with the appropriate lug nut wrench and have it packed handy. This saves you from unpacking your vehicle on the side of the Interstate to get at your vehicle jack and wrench. Answer to original question, yes your vehicle jack placed under the trailor axle will do the job.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

You better make sure it works before you have a flat. Not all new cars/trucks have scissor jacks. My truck does not, so a flat tire on my boat will not allow the jack to get under the axle, rendering the truck jack useless.
I have a scissor jack for my boat trailers, and camp trailer. Make sure your lug wrench also works because again the truck has larger lug nuts than the trailers so the truck lug wrench does not work.

 

[gozierdt]

Re: Can I use my car jack for boat trailer? And right way to jack it up?

I agree with elkhunter338. Check out the jack you intend to use before you have to use it on the side of a road. A lot of boat trailers have dropped axles, and when the tire is flat, the bottom of the axle is very close to the ground. A lot of bottle jacks and some scissor jacks won't work because they're too tall. You have to jack up the frame of the trailer, and then the bottle jack may not get it high enough to get the tire off the road. I didn't know that a few years ago. Ended up using the bottle jack, the tow vehicle jack, and some 4x4" tire chocks I had along, with a lot of back and forth to finally get the tire changed.