IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Activities and vehicle modifications appearing, described, recommended, or linked to on this web site may be potentially dangerous.
We do not endorse any such activity for others or recommend it to any particular person.
These are simply the experiences and opinions of the writers.
If you choose to engage in these activities it is by your own free will and at your own risk.
Any and all modifications will likely cause a vehicle to behave differently than stock - some modifications may significantly increase your risk for an accident
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Use common sense when engaging in any activity or making any modifications.
Do not take unwise risks, consult a certified professional if you are not sure of something, if you are uncomfortable with your mechanical ability, if you don't
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EXTREME OFF-ROAD JOCKEY WHEEL (TRAILER TONGUE JACK)
This is what THEY say about it:
The XO Jockey Wheel from Ark Corporation
Our new Extreme Offroad Series (XO) Jockey Wheel is probably the toughest, most advanced Jockey Wheel in Australia today. But not only is it tough,
it’s also versatile – with multiple height options, a highly maneoverable trailing yoke design and 5 different yoke locking positions.
- Magnetic Removable Side-Winding Handle
- Heavy Duty Square Body & Swivel Clamp
- Rust Resistant Finish
- Four Height Positions
- Variable Yoke Lock
- Easy Pivot Trailing Yoke Design
- Dual Wheel w/ Sealed Bearings & Off-Road Tread
- Powder Coated Finish on Wheels
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Here Is What WE Say About It:
First let me say, the name "Jockey Wheel" was kind of new to me. It's sort of like my good friend Chris who is from England when he talks cars. Chris
educates me and I've learned new meanings for automotive words like "boot" is trunk, "bonnet" is hood and so on. It gives me better understanding when I watch
car shows on the BBC. So now I am looking at products from Austrailia at SEMA and I am thinking why do they call it a Jockey Wheel? Of course I don't want
to ask a dumb question and then after a bit it hits me, because you need it to "jockey" your trailer around when it's not connected to your vehicle. Ok
maybe that's not the reason but that's my story and I am going to stick with it!
Jeep Expeditions members first saw this new trailer tongue jack at the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We were impressed then just by looking at their sales
sample and we are honored that we are one of the first groups in the US to be able to acquire one of these jacks to see how it really works in the real world.
A few years back we bought two truck loads of the last available Canadian M101 trailers from a surplus dealer in Canada. Most of the guys had custom lids made for
their trailers, installed roof top tens, changed the bolt pattern and tires to match their Jeeps and got rid of the old style military drop down "ski" tongue jack for the typical trailer
tongue jack you can pick up at most any trailer supply house or boating dealer.
In the seven years since our trailer purchase, many of us found out that those Reese, Fulton, Bulldog jacks ranging in price from $40 to $199 for even the heavy duty
just don't hold up to the challenges that off-road trailers encounter. Even from new, these jacks tend to wobble from side to side and front to back when you are
trying to move the trailer around. On bumpy, uneven or rocky ground, you sometimes have to wonder if the jack is going to rip off the frame as the tongue comes tumbling
down. These jacks vibrate and jiggle so much in the travel position that many guys end up putting a cinch strap around the jack and the frame just to stabilize it
while going down the road or a trail.
Until now, the closest jack available in the US to the Jockey Wheel is the Trailer Valet V211 Trailer Mover Tongue Jack that retails for $373 and yet compare it side by
side to the Jockey Wheel that sells for about $125 less and there really is no comparison. The Jockey Wheel was designed and built for off-road trailers not the paved
parking lot but it still is very civilized on smooth concrete and black top alike.
Our experience with the Jockey Wheel starts with our getting rid of one of those $50 trailer jacks on an M101 trailer. Installation is quick and easy, with the right
tools and the help of a friend, under 15 minutes including removing the old jack. You can see the old jack and the new Jockey Wheel side by side in the picture
above for comparison and the new and old jacks installed on the same trailer. Comparing just by weight alone the Jockey Wheel is at least
twice the weight of the original, a good indication of the quality that the Jockey Wheel posseses. Mark from Ark refers to the Jockey Wheel as "The BEAST", he
isn't kidding and I am saying that in a good way.
With the new Jockey Wheel installed we played around with all the positions it could be stored in plus how easy it was to get into the lifting position and in a few cranks
the pintle ring left the trailer mounted hitch so easily. We were able to put the jack down and lift the trailer from the Jeeps hitch in less than 1/3 the time it took
with the original jack with much less effort. So how does it wheel around on the pavement on it's own? Excellent, the tires rolled very smoothly over the road
surface and there was absolutely NO play in the Jockey Wheel from where it was mounted to the trailer tongue. No wobble, no worries.
So it works like a charm on pavement but how does it perform off-road. The Jockey wheel is going to get its first U.S. workout on the Great Western Trail Jeep Expedition.
This multiple day off-road adventure takes us several hundred miles from southern Arizona to the Utah border over all types of terrain with several nights of
primative camping on the trail. A true "trial by fire" test.
Day one with the Extreme Jockey Wheel mounted on a military M101 trailer with a roof top tent attached. Washboard roads, bumps, dips, rocks and water falls. The Jeep
and the trailer made it thru with no issues. So did the Jockey Wheel, it stayed securely in place with none of the annoying rattles and noises we normally attribute to
the typical trailer jack. At camp with the trailer unhitched from the Jeep the Jockey Wheel made things simple. The trailer was easily moved over sand soil and uneven
dirt. Nothing of the fighting we've experienced with the so called heavy duty trailer jacks we were used to. The Jockey Wheel was 100% solid, no wobbling or wondering if
the jack portion was going to break away and the trailer tongue ends up being supported by what's left of your lower leg. Let's give it 5 out of 5 stars today.
Day two to the end. I could continue to write the same words from day one but why bore you. The Extreme Jockey Wheel by Ark Corporation is a clear winner and over performs
compared to the typical trailer jack you might be using now. It more than met our expectations and as the word gets out we will be seeing more of this amazing trailer jack
in the months and years to come on the trail. I don't doubt that when some of the big names in off-road trailers find how tough this product is, you will be seeing them as
an option or perhaps standard equipment. After all if you are going to invest $5000, $10,000 or more for an off-road trailer, why cheapen it with a big box store trailer
jack that just doesn't meet the challenge of rugged overlanding products.
The Extreme Jockey wheel has made a believer out of me and it's going to be mounted on the Jeep Expeditions trailer project as part of the final build. Watch for
a complete build write up with lots of text and pictures.
See this on Arks website Click here ---->
Extreme Off-Road Jockey Wheel.
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Check back monthly as we add new reviews as they are completed.
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Want to have YOUR Product Reviewed Here?
If you have a quality product that can be used by the off-road pubic we would be glad to test it, do a fair write up about it
and make an honest recommendation about it.
Products that we feel are useful to off-road travel whether it be Jeep related or camping related will not only be posted on our website but we will submit them
to one of several magazines for more possible exposure.
Email info@jeepexpeditions.org with detailed information about your product and your interest in working with
our organization.
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*The opinions expressed in this product review are the opinions of the writer and are based on the writers tastes and preferences. The writer
may have and in most cases invited other people to participate in this review. Despite the review (favorable/unfavorable)
you are encouraged to try out any product that you might be interested in.
**Copyrighted images & trademarks for products/items appearing on this website and/or portrayed and reviewed here
are the property of their respective owners
and are used within for informative and identification purposes only.
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