bernieNC Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 (edited) I bought an Ameritrail last fall for my '13 2200TRS and still trying to get things tweaked. I have a '08 Ford F150 4x4 (tow package) all stock. Looks to me I need about a 4" rise ball mount to get the ball to the correct height. For those that have a later model how far off ground is the bottom of your coupler when the boat and trailer are resting on the ball of your tow vehicle? Anybody replace the tongue jack? Ideas? Not crazy about how low the wheel rides on their current factory setup. Edited April 21, 2020 by bernieNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodrowbirdman Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 I have a '16 2200TRS on a same year Ameratrail. The base of my ball is 20" off ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCTribute Posted April 24, 2020 Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 I replaced the the jack with a swiveling jack, no way it going to clear a couple of ramps I use, also replaced the winch with one rated for 2,600 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron in Atlanta Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 On 4/21/2020 at 8:35 AM, bernieNC said: how far off ground is the bottom of your coupler when the boat and trailer are resting on the ball of your tow vehicle? OK, got some photographs for you... The boat looks pretty level here. This is the answer to "how high is the bottom of the ball when trailer is attached" You are right to be a little concerned, the bottom of the "factory" wheel is only 6 1/2" off the ground. I like the swiveling jack stand that NCTribute shows. I didn't know that there was room for a jack stand to fit and swivel without interfering with the winch handle, etc. What brand/model jack stand is that, NCTribute? While out there with the camera, I double checked the levelness of the trailer. Front... Rear... Looks like I could use another 3/4 to 1 inch higher ball to make the rig exactly level This one is about a 2 1/2 inch rise, 3 may be better. Hope this helps, see you out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCTribute Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 Dutton-Lainson DLx. Has a nice wide wheel (less likely to sink into asphalt) and has a bearing on the tube at the wheel, so the entire tube does not need to turn with the wheel. Had to shim out the bracket a little, so the grease zerk for the gears cleared the step. You have to swivel it so the wheel is toward your truck, it will not clear the step to the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernieNC Posted April 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 Sorted it out the other day and on mine, to be level, the bottom of the coupler needs to be 22 inches from the road. That makes mine to be about a 3 to 4" rise. I decided I do not what to buy any more draw bars so bit the bullet and ordered one of the below. I have heard of brass but SS balls has got to be better! Once I have the ball mount I will see how high off the ground the jack stand wheel rides. 180 Hitch 2-Ball Mount w/ Stainless Steel Balls - 2" Hitch - 4" Drop, 5" Rise - 10K I'm thinking about getting a drop leg jack. Better ground clearance and I would actually be able to raise the bow higher to drain the boat better. Honestly on a boat this size I do not see any advantage of having a wheel on the jack. https://www.dutton-lainson.com/proddetail.php?prod=22320 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaskeet Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 I know it’s a little late, but Ameratrail offers a swing jack option They weld a plate on the I beam and mount the swivel jack to the plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernieNC Posted April 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 1 minute ago, Bamaskeet said: I know it’s a little late, but Ameratrail offers a swing jack option They weld a plate on the I beam and mount the swivel jack to the plate. I would have gotten that option if I had known how low the wheel rides on the "standard". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaskeet Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 I have two Ameratrails, one with a standard jack and one with a swing jack. I’ve never hit anything with the standard jack wheel, the only advantage of the swing jack is you have to crank less.( which is nice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernieNC Posted April 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 "crank less" is part of my reason for considering a drop leg. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPizzle Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 On my GMC truck, the hitch comes out which seems a lot lower than my wife's SUV. One of the cross members would drag on some ramps when backing down. So I also have a hitch that goes up high to allow for the trailer to be higher, still not sloped back as much as I would like when at the car wash. But for in my garage I made this. Allows me to easily put the trailer on the ball and also jack up higher to get off the hitch and also drain easily. I have a single axle trailer and can easily push my 2200 around as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smooth move Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 what about tongue weight. i'd think that would be the most important factor for your vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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