Harbor Freight 1000 lb Swing-Back Trailer Jack

[@brandonGCHACHU]

On the manual it says to mount the brackets facing the way you mounted them but later in the manual it shows a picture of the swing jack mounted and the brackets are flipped around opposite of the way they said to mount them. So I got pissed off and just welded it to the trailer lol

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Ya noticed that, eh? The orientation of the bracket shown in photo on the OE packaging is wrong. The orientation of the bracket shown on the tech drawing in the manual is correct.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

This may be an obvious point to some, but for everyone else, mount the jack as close to the hitch as you can get it without blocking the swivel movement of the jack. This will reduce potential for twisting/stress/fatigue damage to the tongue arm at the clamp point when you're loading/unloading the trailer.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

As an update to this comment, the heavier your load, the more pronounced this issue becomes. On my most recent use/road trip (heaviest load I've put on the trailer so far), the twist pressure caused by the jack was so noticeable that I asked a friend with a welder to make a cross-brace for me that'll be bolted to both arms just behind the jack location, to isolate any twist pressure caused by the jack to the section of the arm between the brace and hitch end of the tongue assembly. I'll post a follow-up video when the brace is done/installed.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

I've now completed/installed the custom tongue arm brace (check out the video) ... major improvement ... completely resolves the "arm-twist" issue associated with use of this jack with HF's "super duty" folding trailer, AND greatly improves the overall strength of the tongue assembly, with no impairment of folding features ...

[@CarlosDelaoGunEngraver]

​@dmrtechnology6033 do you have the follow up video for what you did?

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@CarlosDelaoGunEngraver ... see my separate video titled "HF Trailer Tongue Arm Brace" ... shows the completed cross-brace, bolted in place on the tongue arms ... totally eliminated the twist/torque issue caused by the clamp-on tongue jack.

[@Ron-o1f]

Can’t do that if you install a winch didn’t mount mine that way.

[@johnotam7529]

Another good video. Thanks

[@olheghtt]

Every video I've watched everybody's putting the jack on the passenger side of the trailer. I put mine on the driver side of the trailer so there would be no chance of it ever grabbing hold of any of the wiring.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

All the OE photos/manual illustrations show the jack on the passenger side. It's probably fine either way, but you might want to check out my "1 of 4 -- build out" video on wiring placement ... and then "4 of 4" to see how I eliminated any contact between the jack and the trailer wiring by running the wiring inside the tongue arms. Spend a little extra time doing this part right/clean, and you'll never have to worry about your wiring getting damaged/fouled by a tongue jack, regardless of what side of the tongue you mount it on. Unfortunately, HF's instructions say very little about this subject, and lot of people just leave big stretches of the wiring hanging loose on/around the tongue arms ... I wasn't having any of that.

[@marksears558]

Where did the red spacer come from? Is that something you made out of metal or wood, or was it bought?

[@dmrtechnology6033]

It came from my head. When I noted the amount of vacant space between the bottom bolts (the ones that bear the load of the tongue, and which must be mounted right up against the bottom of the tongue arm) and the top bolts of the tongue jack anchor bracket (this space depends entirely on which of the pre-cut holes in this "universal" bracket has to be used to fit the tongue arm), I wanted to put something in there to fill that void and help the brackets to remain stable/in position against any lateral stress on the deployed jack). The one you see in the video is wood, made from a simple 2x4 cut down its length with a jigsaw to match the height of the gap, drilled with holes to match the positions/diameter of the anchor bolts, then painted to match the tongue arm. However, knowing that material would eventually start to compress/wear and get deformed from the pressure of the steel brackets/bolts, I had a friend with a whiz-bang metal shop/tools at his house fabricate me a matching part from a billet of solid aluminum. A little on the crazy side, I know, but I didn't want anything on this trailer to look/be half-a**ed. ... the spacer is as solid as the bracket/tongue itself now, and isn't going/moving ANYWHERE.

[@marksears558]

@dmrtechnology6033 hey thanks for the info. I'm currently rebuilding a jet ski trailer and love the idea.

[@TroyGabe]

Great video I have to replace mine today some how on my last trip the handle got bent in when I pulled it out it snapped off grrr I'm not sure how it got bent in I didn't have a mark on my bumper confused to how it got bent.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Thanks ... glad you found the video helpful. Your crank handle was apparently damaged by some kind of impact. For example, if you let it hang down when the vehicle's moving, it may be well clear of level ground, but it's vulnerable to impacts with objects you may not notice/see while you're moving/backing the vehicle and trailer around, e.g., curbs, parking barriers, big rocks, etc. I always rotate mine up to parallel with the tongue bar the jack's mounted on, and wrap a small bungee cord around it to hold it in that position while I'm driving.

[@TroyGabe]

@@dmrtechnology6033 yes I always wrap the Handel arm with a bungy cord to keep it safe I think someone bent mine at grocery store parking lot when I was buying ice 🧊 there was no way it could of bent in like it was. Sad how some people are today.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@TroyGabe ... wow ... pretty sad/aggravating if that's how it happened. Fortunately, not expensive to replace ...

[@addictedtomassbass4896]

where can I get that color paint :) nice video!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Rustoleum "Colonial Red," I believe ... think I pictured/mentioned it in the video. I found it at a local Ace hardware store.

[@manuelsalgado8510]

My trailer has round poles so I don’t know what to do to make this Jack fit around, any thoughts?

[@dmrtechnology6033]

This video is meant for owners of HF folding trailers, which don't have "round poles" (tongue arms). With that said, I wouldn't use this jack on any trailer with round tongue arms. I'd weld or bolt a fitted steel plate on the gap between the arms, and put a center-mount, crank-type jack on it.

[@manuelsalgado8510]

@@dmrtechnology6033 thank you for replying, I’m new with trailers and landing gears, I guess I’ll have to find me some type of fitting to make the arms square , thanks again

[@黄天柔-u2x]

I am a trailer jack expert, trailer jack factory

[@MM-ji1bq]

What did you connect the 2x4 with to the trailer

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Nothing. I just measured/cut the 2x4 with a jigsaw to match the height/width of the gap in the bracket, then drilled two holes through the side to match the locations of the top bolts. When the jack is down, the load of the tongue rests on the bottom bolts, so you don't need anything other than the top bolts of the bracket to hold the retainer/spacer in place.

[@scottchristian5056]

Turn the bracket around

[@dmrtechnology6033]

It's mounted as instructed/shown by all the technical drawings in the manual provided with the jack, but oddly enough, all the HF *photos* (both those on the HF website and the ones in the manual itself) show the clamp brackets turned the other way 'round. I guess that would eliminate the need for the spacing washers I had to put under the bolt heads, but it also reduces the surface area of the clamp bracket that's in contact with the tongue arm, and makes the bracket more likely to get deformed/bent and/or dig into/damage the tongue arm at these contact points. I opted for the configuration shown in the technical drawings, which probably reflects the intent of the engineers who designed the product, as opposed to "downstream" Chinese and/or HF workers who assembled/photographed the product for sales/promotional purposes. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter group of "handlers" also chose the wrong configuration/size for the bolts to be supplied with the product, e.g., based on their incorrect assumptions on installation of the clamp brackets ...

[@ridemfast7625]

@@dmrtechnology6033 Bought a used trailer with the jack and its mounted incorrectly after studying what you wrote and how you mounted your jack. Im changing it tomorrow! This guy mounted the jack like you and as far forward as possible. This should minimize the tongue twisting like mine does. Do you think their will be any clearance issues with this? Look at the 15:31 mark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZKWiaalfcmKick Oh crap! lol Just looked at HF manual and like you said, the technical drawing shows how to install it. And the pics in the manual show it another way. The guy I bought the trailer from followed the pics. Guys are known to be visual after all...

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@ridemfast7625 ... I don't know that I'd call either position "incorrect" ... and I edited my main post after Scott Christian's comment, because, e.g., I actually never noticed the discrepancy between the HF photos and the tech drawings in the manual until his post prompted me to study those more carefully. When I first installed it, I just configured the clamp brackets as shown in the tech drawings. I think either way "works," but the position shown in the tech drawings is probably the one intended by the engineers who designed the thing, and has worked fine for me so far. I'm not sure what "15:31 mark" refers to (as this video is less than 5 mins), but I've had no clearance issues of any kind (bottom to ground, or side-to-side) with the jack mounted as shown in the video, hitched behind a Suburban with a standard tow bar/receiver. After I made this video, I even loosened/moved the clamp/jack another two inches or so closer to the hitch ... still no clearance problems. Check out my subsequent "tongue arm brace" video to see the current position of the clamp/jack ... you can even see the spot on top of the tongue arm where I had to touch up the arm with new paint because the gaffers tape I put on there to act as a gasket between the clamp and tongue arm pulled off some of the OEM paint when I removed it. Waw-wawwhhh ...

[@ridemfast7625]

@@dmrtechnology6033 I appreciate the help. This trailer is very light duty , I have the lighter duty 4x8 trailer, and just want to be as safe as possible. Apologies for the confusion and time. I was referring to the video link I post and it should be 3:25 mark in the other persons video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZKWiaalfcmKick You moving the jack forward is almost the same location The brace you added is good!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@ridemfast7625 ... no problem. On the other video, yeah ... he's put the clamp all the way up against the hitch assembly ... guess that works OK too ... I just wanted to be sure the top of the jack (in "up" position) doesn't bump up against anything when I'm turning or backing up the trailer, but I think it never gets to that sharp of an angle anyway ... at least not unless you're jack-knifing it. On load capacity, yeah ... I watch my load weights pretty carefully ... for mine (rated for 1,720 lbs.), my "mental" max is 1,500 lbs. or less, but I've also noticed that it's pretty hard for me to get anywhere near this trailer's max with a 4x8' deck anyway, unless you're loading/towing something really heavy/dense. So far, my loads have been lightweight stuff like green waste, bankers boxes ... stuff you'd typically load/move by hand, etc., so it's been working fine for me, even when my load extends above the top of my fence (2.5 feet). Much greater concern when you've got the lighter-duty 4x8 version ... glad I opted for the heavier one.

[@jamesm568]

That trailer jack probably weighs more than a whole trailer. Lol!

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Seems bulky, but it's no heavier than any other form of tongue jack I've used, and it's pretty easy to swivel/use once it's bolted on. I'm guessing the whole assembly weighs around 10-15 lbs. The trailer, on the other hand, weighs 255 lbs. in the box, BEFORE you've assembled it; added the deck/hardware; added fences; added a tongue box; added the tongue jack; added a spare tire/enclosure; added a ramp; added the support jacks for the back end ... the total "unladen" weight of my finished trailer is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 400-450 lbs., so ....

[@jnicksnewstart]

@@dmrtechnology6033 I really enjoy your videos. I'm making hangers to stow my ramp (same one you have) underneath. It will slide in from the rear on rollers and lock in place. I'm also using the 1500 lb. tongue jack with the idea that with it's two wheels, it will roll over the lawn or gravel easier. It's 21lbs, about 8 lbs heavier then the single wheeled 1000 lb. jack. I got it with a coupon so it was about the same price. I'm still upset about how loose and sloppy they are. When I get everything else assembled and done on the trailer, I will probably take the jack apart and see if I can internally take up the slack so it's more rigid. Maybe add a polypropylene spacer and weld it back together. Stay safe, healthy, and happy.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@jnicksnewstart ... thanks for the compliment on the videos ... I probably tend to talk more than a lot of viewers would prefer, but I like providing explanations of my thought/design process as I'm going along making the video, and figure anyone who doesn't want/need that much detail can just fast-forward past the blabbing to the parts they find interesting/useful. Glad you enjoy them. The "wobble" in the HF jack swivel joint is annoying, to be sure. When you add that "wobble" to the general, squirrelly nature of the tongue arms/assembly on this particular trailer, the "wobble" adds to some pretty serious twist pressure on the mount location when the trailer is loaded and you're trying to move it around. I solved that problem, however, by making/installing a cross brace that both stiffens up the whole tongue assembly, and fully isolates the jack mount between the hitch joint and the brace. See my other video on that subject, if you're interested.

[@jnicksnewstart]

@@dmrtechnology6033 You're right! I was apprehensive the minute I saw there was no brace. Twists in the tongue excessively evident the second that I installed the jack. I noticed some of the earlier units had a cross brace in them. There were two different types. One went across the bottom of the tongue, and the other was a brace that bolted between the tongue channels the same as the cross braces on the rest of the frame. I saw your other video I think you have a good design. You were definitely spot on to not use a single bolt through the top and bottom of the tongue channels. I'm not sure at this point how I want to deal with this problem. I hate drilling the flanges on the tongue channels as I'm concerned about causing stress risers. Still thinking about a couple different avenues. ① welding in two separated channeled cross braces. This would allow me to mount a small wireless winch so I can load a dressed motorcycle safely by myself. ② Box in the channels or swap them out for rectangular tubing and weld in proper cross-bracing. These little Harbor Freight trailers are somewhat addictive. They are all over KZbin and Pinterest with tons of personalized modifications. I have some of my own ideas, but also see other really good ones such as yours. These trailers make a great starting platform. However I sometimes ask myself, should I have started from scratch? Hindsight's 20/20, so I will continue on with the fun upgrades to my foldable little trailer. 🤞 Hope I can keep it under the $1,000 mark. Maybe not. Trying to convince myself that those great-looking aluminum wheels I saw would decrease unsprung weight, therefore making it much smoother towing and stopping.😉 Keep us updated.

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@jnicksnewstart the lighter duty 4x8 trailer has the cross brace because the arms that come with that one are even flimsier than the ones supplied with the "super duty" trailer. If you go with a cross brace attached like mine, don't worry about drilling holes in the tongue arm. Properly fitting bracket/bolts will make the arm stronger in the location of the holes,, not weaker.

[@kingduramax9903]

Brackets are on backwards

[@dmrtechnology6033]

Maybe you should contact the OEM and tell the engineers that created the jack and technical drawings/manual they got it wrong ... manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/69000-69999/69780.pdf

[@mattszostak]

@@dmrtechnology6033 Thanks for the videos! Regarding the bracket everyone is talking about: I could be mistaken, but the directions in the manual appear to suggest that the orientation of the bracket (horizontal or vertical) depends on the "height" of the tongue bar. But which orientation is which? 🤷‍♂

[@dmrtechnology6033]

@@mattszostak ... there's only one horizontal/vertical orientation for the mounting brackets: perpendicular to the tongue arm, two bolts on top, two below, with the bolts placed in the holes that make the smallest possible gap between bolts and tongue arm surfaces, and bottom bolts right up against the bottom of the arm (as this bolt bears the weight of the tongue when the jack is down). As noted in comments above, the photos on the product box show the bracket clamps installed backwards ... I think the "correct" configuration is the one shown on the technical drawing in the manual. Glad you found the videos helpful.

[@noway57]

You would want more surface area pressed against the tongue dummy 😅 if you did it like you say it would only have 4 little spots connected😂