Trailer Ramp Jack - NO SCREWS - follow up

On Monday, July 16, 2012 2:42:49 PM UTC-4, Tim Taylor wrote:

> One *good solution used on a jantar is a jack to lift a motorcycle..
> Best after market solution!
> S6

1. Too heavy
2. Too bulky
3. Thrust bearings tend to break

So no it is not the best after market solution. Been there, tried
that.

I'll second that. I've now rebuilt the original scissors jack for my 1999 Komet trailer 3 times; the outer thrust bearing has failed yet again. I still kick myself for returning the screw-jack version that they accidentally shipped when I first bought the trailer. Simple, robust, relatively light, and works as well at zero height as it does at full extension.

I looked at the motorcycle jack (Big Red or somesuch) at my local motorcycle dealer. The thing weighs nearly 40 pounds! And, there wasn't any reason to expect it to last any longer under the repeated cycles of use in the grass and gravel that's typical at our airport.

In the meantime, the UPS truck should be arriving at my house tomorrow with the pieces to make an over-center lever job. If I could just come up with a slightly more elegant way to store the long handle, I would be completely happy!