Trailer Parts and Accessories Introduction
Where jacks sit beside couplers, chains, and other tongue hardware on a CURT trailer-parts shelf.
Watch on YouTube →Trailer Tongue Jack Tips (Canada)
A tongue jack is the crank or side-handle lift on the trailer tongue that raises and lowers the coupler onto the ball. This page is practical Canada help: how to raise and lower safely, when a wheel foot helps versus a flat foot, what to do before you unhitch, and which in-stock CURT jack paths we actually shelf. Pair it with the coupler-latch checklist, tongue-weight explained, and the first-tow-day checklist — not a brochure dump of every jack SKU in the catalog.
Practical tongue jack tips for Canada trailers. Free shipping on CURT towing gear from Lots of Parts when the SKU is live on this store.
Keep these open beside this page:
coupler latch checklist,
tongue weight explained, and
first tow day checklist.
Prefer the full index?
Open the towing guides hub.
Watch these CURT videos beside the tips
CURT does not publish a single “tongue jack only” film we can embed here, so these four official CURT videos (@curtmfg) cover the hitch-up and tongue context you need: trailer parts overview, coupler latch hardware, hitch pin habits, and ball-mount height that decides how far you crank.
If an embed does not load, use the YouTube link under the card.
Coupler Latch Hardware
Latch and coupler habits that matter the moment you start cranking the jack to lift off the ball.
Watch on YouTube →How to Install a Hitch Pin
Pin and clip habits on the tow-vehicle side so you are not fighting a loose ball mount while the jack carries the tongue.
Watch on YouTube →Ball Mount and Trailer Ball
Why ball height decides how much jack travel you burn just to get the coupler over the ball.
Watch on YouTube →Raise and lower safely
Park on as level ground as you can find. Chock the trailer wheels before the coupler leaves the ball. Keep feet and hands clear of the jack tube and foot — a loaded tongue can drop faster than you expect if a pin walks out or a weld was already cracked.
Raise just enough to clear the ball, then back the tow vehicle out in a straight line. Do not side-load the jack by yanking the coupler sideways while the foot is still planted. When you hitch up, lower until the coupler fully seats, close the latch, then keep raising the jack until the foot clears the ground for travel. A half-raised jack is a curb magnet on Canadian driveways and washboard.
If the crank suddenly gets hard, stop. Bent tubes, packed grit, or a seized swivel pin are cheaper to find with the tongue still supported than after something lets go. Support the frame per the trailer maker if you need to work under a raised tongue — the jack alone is not a creeper stand.
Wheel versus foot
A flat jack foot is the simple, stable choice on firm ground: gravel pads, pavement, and most storage lots. A wheel on the jack helps when you need to roll the tongue a few feet by hand to line up with the ball, especially on boat trailers and light utility trailers. Marine-style jacks such as CURT 28115 put that wheel in a package meant for wet ramps and corrosion.
Wheels are not magic on soft mud. A small wheel can sink and lean the tongue over. Soft ground wants a wider foot or a board under the foot — not more hope in the caster. Pin-on feet such as CURT 28272 let some two inch tube jacks swap the contact pad when your old foot is worn or missing.
Capacity still wins over style. Match the jack rating to the tongue load you actually carry, not the empty trailer brochure weight. If tongue weight feels wrong once the coupler is down, fix the load first — read tongue weight explained — before you blame the jack brand.
Before you unhitch
Do the coupler walk-around before the jack takes the weight. Latch closed on the ball, pin in place, safety chains still crossed, breakaway cable still attached if your trailer uses one. Then chock the wheels. Only after that should you start cranking the jack to lift the coupler off the ball. The coupler latch checklist is the print-friendly version of that sequence.
On swivel jacks, confirm the pull-pin seats fully in the vertical position before you trust the tube with the tongue load. A half-engaged pin can look “in” from three feet away and still fold when the coupler comes off the ball. Side-handle swivel jacks such as CURT 28321 and top-wind swivels such as CURT 28304 both need that pin habit every time.
When you leave, reverse the movie: coupler locked, chains on, jack fully raised and locked for travel, lights proven. The first tow day checklist keeps jack stow from becoming the one step everyone skips.
A-frame
Through the tongue
A-frame jacks such as CURT 28204 bolt through the A-frame hole and stay vertical — no swivel fold.
Swivel
Fold for travel clearance
Side-mount swivel jacks swing up so the tube clears driveways. Pin them vertical before you lift the tongue.
Heavy tongue
Square direct-weld path
Heavier trailers may want a direct-weld square jack such as CURT 28575 — welding is a shop job.
Canada shipping
Free shipping on live CURT
When the jack SKU is live on Lots of Parts, free shipping on CURT towing gear applies the same as our other hitch pages.
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Before cranking | Wheels chocked. Coupler latch understood. Hands clear of the tube and foot. |
| Unhitch lift | Raise only enough to clear the ball. No side-loading while the foot is planted. |
| Hitch-up lower | Coupler fully seated, latch closed, then jack raised fully for travel. |
| Swivel pin | Pin fully seated vertical before the jack carries tongue weight. |
| Wheel versus foot | Wheel for short rolls on firm ground. Flat foot or board for soft or storage pads. |
| Capacity | Jack rating above real tongue weight — not empty-trailer wishful thinking. |
In stock on this store
CURT 28204 A-frame jack
Side-handle A-frame jack, two thousand pound class, fourteen and one half inch travel on the card.
In stock on this store
CURT 28321 side-handle swivel
Swivel jack path for trailers that need the tube to fold up for travel clearance.
In stock on this store
CURT 28304 top-wind swivel
Top-wind swivel jack when you prefer the crank on top of the tube.
In stock on this store
CURT 28115 marine jack with wheel
Wheel-equipped marine jack path for boat trailers and wet-ramp habits.
In stock on this store
CURT 28272 pin-on jack foot
Pin-on foot for listed two inch tube jacks when you need a fresh flat pad.
In stock on this store
CURT 28575 square direct-weld
Heavier direct-weld square jack with side handle — shop-weld install, not a driveway bolt-on.
Step 1Chock, then latch check
Wheels chocked and coupler understood before the jack lifts.
Step 2Pin the swivel
Vertical pin fully seated if you run a swivel jack.
Step 3Crank clear, then move
Clear the ball without side-loading the foot.
Step 4Stow fully for travel
After hitch-up, jack all the way up and locked.
Related guides we do publish
Coupler latch checklistLocked on the ball before you crank
Tongue weight explainedWhy the jack feels heavy or light
First tow day checklistJack stow with lights and chains
Breakaway cable guideCable habits beside the tongue
Measure ball mount dropLess cranking when height is right
Towing guides hubAll vehicle and topic guides
Open the coupler latch checklist
Do the latch walk-around before the jack takes the tongue weight — the quiet habit that prevents most unhitch surprises.
Open coupler latch checklist →Tongue feel wrong on the ball? Read tongue weight explained.
Lots of Parts · Canada tongue jack tips that stay practical: raise and lower safely, wheel versus foot honesty, before-unhitch habits, and live CURT jack SKUs only. No fake reviews, no invented SKUs.
