What To Look For In a A Heavy-Duty, Off-Road Trailer Jack Wheel

Campers and off-roaders use trailers to haul gear and supplies, and occasionally a few dirt bikes, an ATV, or even a boat. Overlanders often rely on off-road trailers when they have a lot to carry, and not a lot of space to carry it in. The problem with all this towing - it's off-road. Trailers are a hindrance off-road because:

  1. The trailer parking situation isn't always great. Campsites (impromptu or established), rustic boat ramps, and the like can be a great place to get a trailer stuck. Once a trailer is good and stuck, it's hard to move...especially if the tow vehicle is in the very same mud, sand, etc.
  2. A trailer acts like an anchor when you're trying to navigate an obstacle. Disconnecting is the most effective solution, but a disconnected trailer is a hindrance (unless you have our product - more on that in a minute).
  3. A trailer increases your vehicle length, and on some trails that extra few feet makes life very difficult. In order to navigate a very tight turn, it may be necessary to disconnect (especially when there's an obstacle involved).

The solution? A heavy-duty wheeled trailer jack that works off-road, aka the XO Trailer Jack. Here's the how and why.

Key Features of Our Heavy Duty Trailer Jack

XP jack

In order to stand up to off-road conditions, you need a heavy-duty trailer jockey designed for off-roading. Unfortunately, the market is full of products that were designed to work on concrete. Most trailer jockeys/wheeled trailer jacks are not designed to roll over obstacles, stand up to the strain of being pulled thru the mud or sand, etc. Instead, most wheeled trailer jacks are thin, cheap pieces of tubing with a cheap wheel attached to the bottom. That works OK in a garage, but it doesn't work at all off-road.

A good off-road wheeled trailer jack requires:

Heavy-duty construction. When you're using a trailer jockey off-road, you're probably going to use it along with your winch. That way, you can get your vehicle clear of the obstacle/conditions, stand off a few yards, and tow your trailer thru while the jockey wheel supports the front of the trailer. A wheeled trailer jack with light-duty construction is going to bend or break in this scenario.

Wheel(s) With off-road tread. Your wheeled trailer jack also needs wheels with tread that can roll thru mud and sand. Smooth wheels just get packed with dirt or sink into the sand when you're off-road.

Wheels that are protected from the elements and pivot easily. The wheel bearings on your off-road trailer jockey should be sealed to protect them from damage when submerged, and they also needs to pivot easily under heavy loads, even when the ground is soft.

A wide range of adjustable height positions. An off-road trailer jockey needs to be compatible with lifted vehicles, which means you need height.

A trail-ready handle. When you're banging down the trail, you can't afford to have a handle that swings around, either getting caught on obstacles or self-cranking the jack. The XO Trailer Jack's handle is removable, which means you can stow it away.

A rust resistant finish. A hunk of steel with a wheel on it might seem like a good solution to your off-road trailering problems, but it won't last. That's because corrosion kills steel, even if you're really really careful. It's almost impossible to protect raw steel from rust without some sort of coating applied to every surface.

XO trailer jack up

Basically, we're describing the XO Trailer Jack.

We’ve designed an innovative trailer jack that’s unlike anything on the market today. It’s tough enough to be the front wheel of your trailer when you winch over obstacles, and rugged enough to help you position a trailer when the ground is mud or sand. Check it out.

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