Scamp Tongue Jack Wheel

[melissab]

I just noticed on Scamp's website and Facebook page their trailers dont have tongue jack wheels. How do you move it around if you cant roll it? Can you remove the sand pad and install a wheel?

[Lil M.]

I didn't notice the lack of wheel until two of us tried to reposition the front of the Scamp the first time I took it camping.
I'm thinking I'll just get a 1000# bolt-on wheel jack from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight and attach it to the other arm of the tongue so I can use it to move the trailer more easily in the future. I'll still use the fixed foot jack to rest the tongue on while camping tho.

[RRJR]

Hi All
I have a 1975 Trillium and it has no wheel, just a skid plate. This trailer is lite enought that you can skid it around if the ground is fairly solid. I may also get a bolt on wheel jack and instal on other side. It would make it easier if ground is soft.
Ron

[Kevin K]

Leave sand pad on and add a castor wheel.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by melissab

I just noticed on Scamp's website and Facebook page their trailers dont have tongue jack wheels. How do you move it around if you cant roll it? Can you remove the sand pad and install a wheel?

Its an option item - $22 for the wheel - the whole assembly new is about $60 from Camping world.

[melissab]

Wonder why Scamp left that out of their brochure/website? You'd think lots of folks would be asking about it.

[Greg H]

If you have a 13'er you just pick it up and move it.

[melissab]

LOL, maybe you can but I'm only 5 ft tall and no way am I picking up 150+ pound of tongue weight. I cant pick the T@b tongue up either.

Originally Posted by Greg H

If you have a 13'er you just pick it up and move it.

[Donna D.]

I use a HF tongue dolly to push my trailer around in it's home parking space. Weighing more than a ton, I'm not sure I'd trust the tongue jack to NOT bend if it had a wheel. And once it got bent, even a little bit... it wouldn't retract. YMMV

[melissab]

My T@b has a jockey wheel which makes it very convenient to push into the exact location you want it at your campsite. Our popups had wheels too even though you couldnt very easity manuever one. At Scamp Camp, we were able to get a site b/c we fit on the tent site since we were able to hand navigate the T@b through the trees where a tow vehicle couldnt go. I figured folks moved their 13 ft Scamp around by hand to whatever direction they wanted to face as well. Maybe folks dont? I do like those trailer dollys for home use though I wouldnt want to travel with one. Now that I think about, dont all the current manufacturers have jack wheels?

[Dennis Clinton]

I do like the jack wheels on the tab's. My 16' Scamp, I can remove the skid on the jack(held on by a pin) and replace it with a wheel(when I buy one). But I would want a larger diameter wheel than is sold as a jack attachment. The bigger the wheel, the easier to move!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by melissab

Wonder why Scamp left that out of their brochure/website? You'd think lots of folks would be asking about it.

You will find it on their website in the parts department

[melissab]

Any ideas as to why it says "16Ft only"??


Wheel For Front Tongue Jack For 16ft Trailer

Originally Posted by Carol H

You will find it on their website in the parts department

[Hambone]

melissa
Scamp sells two different sized A frame tongue jacks, one for the 13 ft, one for the 16 ft, but actually the 16 ft one probably would fit on the 13 ft, just the ratings are different 1000# vs 2000# I suspect, but I would think you could get a wheel for the 1000# jack which would replace sand pad. I personally dont have a wheel on my jack (for a 16ft) I dont think it would roll very good in sand?gravel and also those tubes the jacks are made of are really not made for the side stress of pushing around (think folding or bending)
Tom

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Hambone

and also those tubes the jacks are made of are really not made for the side stress of pushing around (think folding or bending)
Tom

That was my point exactly! I can't imagine having the thing bend and crimp during a camping trip and the only solution would be to cut it off to get home. If you've got a larger trailer and can't pick up the tongue to move the trailer around, then practice your backing skills!

[melissab]

LOL, well Donna, the tow vehicle wouldnt have fit where we put the T@b on the tent site and what if you want to spin the trailer around to look at the lake instead of your neighbor? Maybe the T@b has a heavier duty tongue jack b/c I dont see bending it and it comes with a nice sized wheel. Would there be that much side to side stress if the wheel it turned accordingly? The T@B moves side to side with just one hand and no real effort on smooth ground of course. Looks like Hubby is dancing with it (spinning it around once when we decided we wanted it to face the other way, lol) as he parallels it up against the storage building between 2 cars which is our storage parking spot. It is the only one available so again if we couldnt move it by hand we'd be out of luck. It's been a real handy feature already. Hubby can pick up the tongue easily but I cant.

[Donna D.]

Could be the T@B has a better, stronger tongue jack, I wouldn't know, I've never seen one or paid much attention when I saw it. I'd just hate to see a newbie molded trailer owner get themselves into a pickle based on your experience with your T@B. Since I'm a camper and not an RVer, I figure my lawn chair is movable if I don't like the view. YMMV

[Lil M.]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hambone
and also those tubes the jacks are made of are really not made for the side stress of pushing around (think folding or bending)
Tom

Originally Posted by Donna D.

That was my point exactly! I can't imagine having the thing bend and crimp during a camping trip and the only solution would be to cut it off to get home. If you've got a larger trailer and can't pick up the tongue to move the trailer around, then practice your backing skills!

If folding and bending are such a big problem, then why do they sell tongue jacks with wheels? I would think they've been engineered to stand most sideways forces (when used properly of course, and we're all careful campers here, right? ).

Tongue jacks with wheels that bolt onto the trailer frame usually swing up and out of the way or can simply be unbolted (is that a word?), so I'm not sure I understand what you mean about having to cut off the jack.

And as far as backing up skills... well, that could take me YEARS to perfect and I'd NEVER get to go camping!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Lil M.

Tongue jacks with wheels that bolt onto the trailer frame usually swing up and out of the way or can simply be unbolted (is that a word?), so I'm not sure I understand what you mean about having to cut off the jack.

The one that came on my Scamp from the factory is not bolted on with U-Bolts.. like the aftermarket brands. There's a plate welded on the side of the A-Frame and four gigantic rivet-like fasteners that go through the plate. I'd either need a drill with a large bit or a hack saw to get it off... and it swings up along the frame, as you mentioned. I don't take either kind of equipment when I go camping, so if the jack bends... I'm SOL.

Here's a picture and post where Doug has a bent tongue jack: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post218587. Not a swing up, but unusable never-the-less and the plate bent, not the jack.

[Greg H]

OK, tongue jack's are made to lift or lower the tongue to the hitch. My egg wobbles really bad when sitting on the tongue jack so I set two automotive jack stands under the frame rails for support. My tongue jack was bent when I bought my egg and I simply used a come along to pull it back into place.