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The short version: a good trailer jack turns hitching from a back-straining fight into a two-minute job — and the one spec that matters most is lift capacity matched to your tongue weight, with a margin. Our #1 pick, the Lippert 285318, is a 3,500 lb electric A-frame jack owners love for push-button leveling and a manual crank backup. The Weize 3,500 lb is the value electric, and the Bulldog 4,000 lb powered jack is the premium choice for heavy campers. Below is the full ranked field — electric and manual, by mount type — and how to choose.
A jack is one part of a safe towing setup — pair it with correctly rated ST trailer tires, a secure hitch pin lock, and working trailer lights. See the full roadside emergency & safety hub for the rest of the towing kit.
Top Picks at a Glance
Our #1 Pick: The Lippert 285318 Electric Jack
The Lippert 285318 tops the list because it makes the most common trailer chore effortless: a push of the button raises or lowers a 3,500 lb capacity A-frame jack, so leveling a camper or hitching solo no longer means cranking a handle. Owners rate it highly for smooth operation and reliability, and the emergency manual crank means a dead battery never leaves you stranded. Its 18-inch stroke and standard A-frame mount fit most campers and A-frame utility trailers. Confirm your tongue weight is comfortably under 3,500 lb and your tongue is an A-frame, and it is the jack most people should buy.
Best for push-button leveling on A-frame trailers and campers
- 3,500 lb lift capacity, 18-inch stroke
- Push-button electric operation
- Emergency manual crank override
- Fits standard A-frame mounts
Why buy it: the everyday winner — a 3,500 lb electric A-frame jack owners love for effortless push-button leveling, with a manual crank backup, and a lift rating that suits most campers and utility trailers.
Best for electric convenience at a lower price
- 3,500 lb capacity, drop-leg design
- 12V DC, built-in LED work light
- Manual override included
- Faster setup with the drop leg
Why buy it: the value electric — the same 3,500 lb push-button convenience for less, with a drop leg that speeds up setup and an LED light for hitching after dark.
Best for heavy campers and fifth-wheel-adjacent A-frames
- 4,000 lb lift, 27-inch total travel
- Powered drive with weather cover
- Bulldog heavy-duty build
- For heavier A-frame trailers
Why buy it: the premium hauler — a 4,000 lb Bulldog powered jack with long travel and a rugged, weather-covered build that heavier camper owners choose for reliability under real load.
Best for maximum manual lift for heavy trailers
- 5,000 lb capacity, sidewind handle
- 15-inch travel, weld or bolt-on
- No electrical to fail
- Bulldog heavy-duty construction
Why buy it: the highest-capacity pick — a 5,000 lb manual Bulldog jack owners trust for heavy trailers, with nothing electrical to fail and a sidewind handle that clears an A-frame.
Best for boat and utility trailers with a straight tongue
- 2,000 lb capacity, 15-inch travel
- Topwind handle, weld-on mount
- Includes swivel base
- Simple, dependable, cheap
Why buy it: the straight-tongue standard — a 2,000 lb topwind weld-on jack that owners of boat and utility trailers rely on for years, with a base for soft ground and nothing to break.
Best for trailers that need the jack to flip up for towing
- Swivels up out of the way to tow
- Bolt-on mount, no welding
- Drop-leg for quick height changes
- Includes footplate
Why buy it: the swivel-up pick — it bolts on without welding and flips horizontal for towing clearance, ideal for trailers where a fixed jack would drag or get in the way.
Match Capacity to Tongue Weight — With Margin
The number that matters is your tongue weight, not the trailer’s total weight. Tongue weight is typically 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight, so a 5,000 lb loaded trailer puts roughly 500 to 750 lb on the tongue. Pick a jack whose lift rating comfortably exceeds that figure — most owners choose a jack rated well above their real tongue weight so it lifts easily and lasts for years. A 2,000 lb jack covers light utility and boat trailers, 3,500 lb suits most campers, and 5,000 lb handles heavy trailers. Running a jack near its maximum rating every time wears it out fast, so buy more capacity than you think you need.
Electric vs Manual
Both work; the question is how often you hitch and how heavy the tongue is. An electric power jack (Lippert, Weize, Bulldog powered) raises and lowers at the push of a button — a genuine back-saver for campers and anyone hitching frequently or alone — and the good ones include a manual crank override for a dead battery. A manual jack (the Bulldog and Fulton topwind and sidewind models) is cheaper, has nothing electrical to fail, and is perfectly fine for light or occasional use, though a heavy tongue takes real effort to crank. Hitch a camper often? Go electric. Light trailer used now and then? A manual jack is dependable and cheap.
Mount Type: A-Frame, Weld-On, Bolt-On
The jack has to match your trailer’s tongue. A-frame jacks bolt to the angled A-frame tongue on most campers and many utility trailers, and most electric jacks are this type. Weld-on jacks fit a straight round or square tongue and must be welded — common on boat and older trailers. Bolt-on jacks clamp to a straight tongue with no welding, and swivel bolt-on models flip horizontal for towing clearance. Check your tongue shape and how the current jack mounts before you buy, because these styles are not interchangeable. And use a footplate on soft ground so the jack does not sink.
How We Rank
A trailer jack earns trust by lifting smoothly for years and not failing when the tongue is loaded, so we rank by aggregated owner ratings, review volume and the themes owners repeat rather than a single lift test. We weigh four things. Reliability — whether owners get long service without motor or gear failure. Capacity — a lift rating with real margin over typical tongue weights, stated plainly. Ease of use — push-button operation, drop legs, work lights and manual backups. And value — features and capacity against price, including the electric value picks. We are clear about lift ratings and mount types so you can match a jack to your trailer. Prices were current at the time of writing.
Heavy-Duty Jacks for a Boat or Utility Trailer
Boat and older utility trailers usually have a straight tongue rather than an A-frame, so they take a weld-on or bolt-on jack, often a heavy-duty manual one. These trailers can carry serious weight, and the jack has to hold the loaded tongue steady on a ramp — so a rugged sidewind or topwind jack with a swivel base for soft ground is the standard choice. The Fulton and Bulldog manual jacks here are exactly that: simple, strong, with nothing electrical to fail in a wet marine environment. For a boat trailer that gets dunked, a heavy-duty manual jack is more sensible than an electric one.
Rating the Load in Pounds (lbs)
Jacks are rated by lift in pounds (lbs) — match that rating to your tongue load with margin, and never park a heavy trailer with the jack near its maximum. Add a jack stand under the frame for anything you crawl beside.
Caster Wheel vs Footplate, and Drop-Leg Lift
Two setup details change how a jack works day to day. A caster wheel lets you roll the unhitched tongue around to reposition a light trailer by hand, while a footplate spreads the load and stops the jack sinking into gravel or grass when parked. Some jacks come with a dual-wheel caster for easier steering; others take a bolt-on footplate. The other feature worth having is a drop leg, which lets you drop the inner tube to the rough height first, then fine-tune the lift with the crank or motor — cutting the number of turns dramatically. For frequent hitching, a drop-leg jack saves real time and effort.
Trailer Jack Brands: Fulton, Bulldog, Lippert and Ark
A few names cover most trailer jacks. Fulton and its Bulldog line are the go-to for manual weld-on and bolt-on jacks; Lippert dominates electric A-frame jacks for campers; Weize, VEVOR and Torin offer value electric units; and Ark is a respected name for heavier-duty jacks. Retailers like etrailer publish fit guides, parts diagrams and exploded-view series listings that help you order the exact replacement part or match a jack to your tongue. The best-selling jacks in each style earn that status on reliability. Whatever brand you choose, confirm the mount type and capacity against your trailer before buying — the brand matters less than the correct fit.
Quick Comparison
Lippert 285318 Electric Power Tongue Jack (3,500 lb)
Best for push-button leveling on A-frame trailers and campers
Best Premium
Fulton Bulldog 500186 Powered A-Frame Jack (4,000 lb)
Check Price on Amazon
Best Heavy-Duty Manual
Fulton Bulldog 170010 A-Frame Sidewind Jack (5,000 lb)
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Best Manual Weld-On
Fulton Bulldog 1514210117 Topwind Jack (2,000 lb)
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Best Swivel / Bolt-On
Fulton XPD15L0101 Swivel Bolt-On Tongue Jack
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The Verdict
For most trailers, the Lippert 285318 electric jack is the one owners rate above the rest — 3,500 lb of push-button leveling with a manual backup. Want electric for less? The Weize 3,500 lb is the value pick. Hauling a heavy camper? The Bulldog 4,000 lb powered jack is the premium choice. Whatever you choose, match the lift rating to your tongue weight with margin. Check Price on Amazon →