Of all the components, gadgets and gear that go along with caravanning, perhaps one of the most under-appreciated is the humble jockey wheel. Sure, you could plod along with your traditional wind-up wheel, or you could upgrade to something that will remove a lot of the effort involved in hitching and unhitching.
In this instance, I’m referring to the 12V Outback Trailer Jack by RV Essentials Australia, an online company that distributes a vast range of gear for the Australian RV market, from swivel-arm TV mounting brackets to roof hatches and everything in between. If you’ve seen it on a caravan before, there’s a good chance RV Essentials Australia stocks it.
As things happened, I had the opportunity to try the Outback Trailer Jack while I was in the bush with a caravan in late July.
My lower back isn’t what it used to be, and my right elbow enjoys letting me know I’m not as young as I used to be at the most inconvenient of moments. Anything to remove a bit of the load is, for me, welcome.
IN THE BOX
First, what do you get in the box? The short answer: virtually everything you will need. The only things to supply yourself are the tools required to bolt the 12V trailer jack to the A-frame. A pair of vice grips and a spanner or shifter will do the job.
The shaft of the Outback Trailer Jack is pre-fitted with a steel-plate bracket designed to suit drawbars of various sizes, from 3in to 6in. It’s just a case of attaching the second steel plate using the four bolts supplied to clamp the jack to the A-frame. This five-minute job requires no special skills beyond the ability to swing a spanner. The integrated mounting plate is one of this jack’s biggest advantages. The built-in clamp is designed to suit virtually all caravan and boat trailer A-frames, simply clamping onto the drawbar without any modifications.
But how do you power the jack? I was actually pretty pleased on this front. The kit comes with a 5m wiring loom with Anderson plug connections. One end plugs into the jack and the other can be connected to either the caravan or the tow car. The caravan that I had, however, did not have a convenient Anderson plug at the drawbar to supply power.
No matter: I simply connected it to the Anderson plug at the back of my car. The Outback Trailer Jack immediately had power.
If your caravan doesn’t have a powered Anderson plug at the drawbar or on your tow vehicle, the 5m wiring loom, which includes a 30A inline fuse, can be connected directly to the house battery.
Push a button and the shaft will extend. Another button will make it retract. No more winding a jockey wheel handle and potentially straining your shoulder, elbow or back.
The kit also includes a special pad to provide a firm foundation for the jack on soft or sandy surfaces, as well as a weatherproof cover to protect it during inclement weather.
But what if you want to shift the van around on the jockey wheel? Say you need to nudge it slightly or want to use a caravan mover to precisely position your van on-site. That’s why the package includes a wheel attachment.
Importantly, the Outback Trailer Jack also comes with a winder to allow you to still hitch and unhitch in the event the unit loses power or some other failure occurs.
OUTBACK TRAILER JACK: VALUE AND PERFORMANCE
Rated to lift 1810kg, it’s safe to say that the Outback Trailer Jack will suit vans of all ball weights. The outer tube of the shaft is made from powder-coated steel, while the inner tube is zinc-plated for corrosion resistance. There’s even a built-in work light and level.
How did I find the overall user experience? Honestly, I couldn’t fault it. When a product does everything it says it will do on the box, what is there to complain about? The product lifted and lowered the coupling on an off the DO35 pin in a slow, controlled way.
I appreciated how easily I was able to attach the jack to the drawbar of the caravan, not to mention how easily I was able to power it. If you don’t already have an Anderson plug as a source of power, that would be something to address as a one-time job. And then, it’s just a matter of enjoying effortless hitching and unhitching.
With its online price of $395, there is genuine value here, considering competing products typically cost about $100 more.
For generations, the humble wind-up jockey wheel served us well. But times have changed. If you’ve grown tired of winding that manual jockey wheel, as I have, it’s time to look at an electric option.
