Repair / replace pillar/swivel from popup front wheel

[cajunlimeys]

Yes, I'm one of those newbies that did not wind up the front wheel swivel far enough... The pillar hit the ground and is now bent. Not sure what it's called - googling hasn't been too much luck.

Anyway, I want to replace it! I'm wondering how easy it is, and how standard the replacement part is, and how far up I need to get the front of the trailer so I can do it. Any hints on what to jack up the front with and support it.

It's a 2014 425D

Picture attached.

Many thanks in advance!!

[huizarr]

I think you'd better off replacing the whole jack. Should be held by three bolts. Tweetys RV has Top Wind Jacks for sale (Tweetys.com - RV Parts & Accessories - RV Hitches - Search). You could possibly reuse the wheel. When it come time to remove the jack hook it up to the tow vehicle.

[sammonilla]

Check Harbor freight. They have them and also amazon. If you want to get fancy you could also install a power jack!

[doc73]

Don't feel bad, after all these years of camping I still manage to always forget to put the jack foot up after using it to put the WD on... Cannot figure out why, its not like it is not obvious when down...

If it was me, since the jack will prob not work, I would use a floor jack under the hitch to lift it to a good working height and then support the trailer from the A frame with jack stands for safety sake since jacks can fail.

[cajunlimeys]

Thanks for all the replies. It was pretty easy to remove and install a replacement - just 3 bolts when it was on the car hitch.

The issue was finding the right replacement which was compatible with the wheel. This trailer jack had a 1 5/8-in diameter. Most of the ones I could find were 2-in.! Got a 2-in. one from Academy, without realizing it was different, and then the wheel I had did not fit. Tried Oreilleys, autozone, lowes, home depot, and harbor freight. Even tried our local RV store - and they have the 2 in jack and the 1 5/8 in wheel too! Eventually found a 2 in wheel at northern tool equipment. No luck finding the 1 5/8 in replacement - and we needed it in a hurry.

Main difference is the pitch of the thread - many more turns needed now - but that's what the kids are for! The original wheel had a lump in it to help it stop rolling which was also the only other difference. This one looks more sturdy - but still need to wind it up!

[maxters]

We always just remove the wheel and throw it in the Minivan Tow Vehicle.

That way we never have a problem with hitting the wheel on the ground. The only other thing that's low is the power connector on the Minivan

[cajunlimeys]

We had removed the wheel . It was a railroad crossing or something that made us hit bottom.