Fastway® Flip™ Automatic Jack Foot

[NACSKINS]

Anyone install or use one? Im looking at "upgrading" and am interested in any and all opinions.

http://www.fastwaytrailer.com/flip/

[Murphie]

I'm glad you posted this. I too would be interested in the opinion of someone who has used this. Looks like a spring is involved in retracting the foot somehow. Just a guess though. The thing that concerns me is the fact that this foot articulates at a point where several hundred pounds of weight is. I had an incident once where the jack came off the block and the down pipe dug into the sand. I was lucky i wasn't hurt. This was years ago when I was new to trailering. Secondly if the front of the trailer has to be close to the ground, the foot has to be in the retracted position supported by a 2x4 so your back to square one again. I will pass on this for these reasons. I think in some applications this may be the ideal thing to have. Possibly at a different place supporting the frame. Just my thoughts on it.

[Seann45]

Just my opinion but another solution to a nonexistent problem... save your money and use it for camping

[NACSKINS]

I agree with if it aint broke dont fix it.

I believe its just the bolt that goes thru the tube sliding at an angle that makes it extend and retract.

If i can find it for $30 or less I may give it a shot. I believe i may have to cut an inch or so off the tube though.

[Terry]

My concern would be if the added height makes it less stable. If I remember my physics, the higher it is, the more side to side torque you would add to the jacks when you move around the coach. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if this could exceed the manufacturer limits and eventually cause damage?

I had my other vehicle out the other day and it was unlevel nose down - the jacks went out all the way - the front tires were 6" off the ground and the rear bumper was only 3" from touching the ground. If I had used pads or these extenders I probably would have put the bumper into the ground....

[my toys]

Are they height adjustable? If not, What if you are on a spot with a short clearance? If they are, what is the difference between the stock ones? A friend had one on his trailer. His were not adjustable. He had to dig a hole to put it all the way down.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Did any of you actually go to the site and take the time to thoroughly read about the product?

First, the product is for use only when the original jack is too short for most applications. It's a replacement for a stack of blocks to shim up a too short jack. The site is pretty clear about this. If the present jack is long enough for most applications, you don't need this product. If you are always having to add blocks under your jack, then the product may be what you need. If you rarely have to block up your jack, then you do not need it. Get a jack pad instead.

An example of where this product would be of benefit is when a trailer has had the axles flipped for more ground clearance. Raising the trailer effectively shortens the jack. The product allows one to use the existing jack without having to resort to an inconvenient and, possibly, unstable stack of blocks.

The foot is not adjustable. It isn't intended to be and does not need to be if used only where actually needed.

"Looks like a spring is involved in retracting the foot somehow." No, a spring is not used to "retract" the foot. It has a cam action that, when the jack raise the foot against the tongue, it pushes the foot into a horizontal position until it locks flat against the frame. It's clearly explained on the website.

"My concern would be if the added height makes it less stable." If you need more height, it wouldn't matter if you got it by replacing the existing jack with a taller one or you extended the existing jack with something like this product; stability would be the same. Besides, if the trailer wheels have been properly chocked, there shouldn't be any stability issues. If a trailer with a stock jack shifts, dragging the jack on the ground, there is a chance you would tear up the jack anyway. If the trailer shifts while the jack is setting on a 6" stack of blocks, I can pretty much guarantee you will lunch the jack!

"Secondly if the front of the trailer has to be close to the ground, the foot has to be in the retracted position supported by a 2x4 so your back to square one again." If the trailer is routinely that close to the ground, again, the foot is not intended for your use. Now, if you had installed a longer jack to accommodate a trailer with more ground clearance and you found yourself in a situation where the jack was on the up hill side of a steep slope, then you would have to dig a hole to accommodate the longer jack. If you had installed the foot to extend the existing jack, then you would have the option of flipping up the foot to effectively reduce the length of the jack. The block of wood required wouldn't need to be any more than short piece of 2 x 6. If you are having to do this most of the time, you do not need the foot, just the 2 x 6 or something similar to keep the jack from sinking in.

"A friend had one on his trailer. His were not adjustable. He had to dig a hole to put it all the way down." So tell your friend to take it off and replace it with a jack pad, which was all he needed in the first place.

One advantage to this product the site didn't exactly discuss has to do with ground ground clearance under the retracted jack. If one has a problem with a jack dragging when towing over high spots because too much of the jack tube protrudes when fully retracted, one could shorten the tube then install the foot to regain the lost length. When the jack is raised, the foot folds up against the tongue, gaining a few inches of clearance. This would be useful only with the 6" versions.

The is a niche product designed to correct a too short jack. It is not just a jack pad. If your jack is long enough, the product is not intended for you.