Quick Answer: The Lippert Power Tongue Jack (about $250-$360) is the best trailer tongue jack for most travel trailers and overlanding rigs — a 3,500 lb electric lift with LED coupler lights and a manual crank for backup. Towing a lighter utility trailer and don’t want to wire in 12V power? The CURT 28250 top-wind A-frame jack (about $45-$70) is the cheapest reliable manual option, and the MaxxHaul 70148 swing-back jack (about $61-$81) is built specifically to fold up and out of the way on a flatbed or utility trailer bed.
A tongue jack is the one piece of trailer hardware almost every rig already has, yet it’s never gotten its own page on this site — “jack” only ever shows up in passing inside our trailer hitch lock and overlanding trailer guides, both assuming the trailer is already level and hitched. The four picks below split cleanly by mechanism: electric push-button, manual top-wind, manual swivel side-wind, and a swing-back jack built for trailers that need the jack to disappear during loading. The FAQ above covers the single most misunderstood spec in this category — why a jack’s printed “capacity” number is often two different numbers wearing one label.
Trailer tongue jacks by the numbers
- A jack’s static support capacity can run nearly double its dynamic lift capacity — the CURT 28250 is rated for 5,000 lb support (holding the trailer parked) but only 3,000 lb lift (actively cranking it up), according to the manufacturer’s own spec sheet. Most buyers only see one number on a listing and assume it covers both jobs.
- Lippert’s electric Power Tongue Jack motor draws up to 30 amps at 12V per Lippert’s published specs — enough that a marginal trailer or tow-vehicle battery can leave it too weak to lift, which is why it ships with a manual crank-handle override rather than relying on the motor alone.
- The jack’s 18-inch stroke on the Lippert model is roughly 25-30% more vertical travel than the 13-14 inch travel typical of manual A-frame and side-wind jacks like the CURT 28250 and Bulldog 155157, useful for leveling a trailer on uneven ground without extra blocks.
Trailer tongue jack picks at a glance
| Product | Type | Capacity | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lippert Power Tongue Jack | Electric, 12V | 3,500 lb lift | Best overall / power | ~$250-$360 |
| CURT 28250 | Manual, top-wind | 5,000 lb support / 3,000 lb lift | Best budget / manual | ~$45-$70 |
| Bulldog 155157 | Manual, side-wind swivel | 2,000 lb | Best swivel | ~$70-$98 |
| MaxxHaul 70148 | Manual, swing-back | 1,000 lb | Best for utility trailers | ~$61-$81 |
1. Lippert Power Tongue Jack — Best Overall / Power
Lippert Power Tongue Jack
- 3,500 lb lift capacity, 18-inch stroke, 12V motor drawing up to 30 amps per Lippert's spec sheet.
- Four integrated LED lights illuminate the ball and coupler for hitching up in the dark.
- Includes a manual crank-handle override if the battery is too weak to lift the trailer.
- Needs a 12V circuit run to the tongue — a bigger install than any manual jack on this list.
The Lippert earns the overall pick because hitching up solo gets a lot easier when lifting the trailer off the ball is a button-hold instead of 20-30 crank turns, especially on a heavier overlanding trailer. Get your camp setup sorted before the trip — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days and have the rest of the gear list waiting at the campsite. The manual override is the detail that makes this worth the price jump over a manual jack: a dead or marginal battery at a dry campsite doesn’t strand the trailer, it just means cranking by hand once instead of never.
2. CURT 28250 — Best Budget / Manual
CURT 28250 A-Frame Trailer Jack
- 5,000 lb support (static) capacity and 3,000 lb lift (dynamic) capacity — two different numbers on the same spec sheet.
- 14 1/8-inch vertical travel, top-wind handle, lifetime warranty.
- Welds or bolts directly to the trailer frame, no wiring required.
- Top-wind handle sits lower and can be slower to crank than a side-wind jack on a trailer with limited clearance underneath.
The 28250 is the clear budget pick for anyone towing a lighter utility or small camper trailer who doesn’t want to run 12V power to the tongue — a lifetime warranty on a $50-$70 part is a low-risk buy. Its dual rating is the textbook example of the static-vs-dynamic confusion covered in the FAQ above: the 5,000 lb number looks like the ceiling, but the jack can only actively lift 3,000 lb of tongue weight, which covers the vast majority of trailers this site’s audience tows but is worth checking against a loaded trailer’s actual tongue weight first.
3. Bulldog 155157 — Best Swivel
Bulldog 155157 Side-Wind Swivel Trailer Jack
- 2,000 lb capacity, 13-inch travel, side-wind handle for easier access under low trailers.
- Swivels up and out of the way when not in use, unlike a fixed top-wind jack.
- Common fit for boat trailers and smaller camper/utility trailers already using a round-pipe mount.
- Lower capacity than the CURT 28250 at a similar or higher price — pay for the swivel feature specifically, not for extra capacity.
The 155157 is the right call when the jack needs to get out of the way entirely rather than just retract — swiveling it up clears ground clearance for backing over ramps or rough trail sections that a fixed jack’s footplate would otherwise drag through. It’s a worse value than the CURT 28250 on pure capacity-per-dollar, so it’s only the better buy when the swivel feature itself solves a real clearance problem.
4. MaxxHaul 70148 — Best for Utility Trailers
MaxxHaul 70148 Swing-Back Trailer Jack
- 1,000 lb capacity, 10-inch lift, single wheel for rolling the trailer short distances by hand.
- Swings fully back and up, clearing the tongue area completely during loading or ramp use.
- Bolt-on install, no welding required.
- Lowest capacity on this list — sized for light utility and cargo trailers, not a loaded overlanding trailer.
The 70148 is built for exactly the trailers the other three picks are overkill for — a light utility or landscape trailer where the jack needs to swing completely clear for loading mowers, ATVs, or cargo over the tongue, not just retract a few inches. The single wheel is a genuine added convenience for maneuvering an unhitched trailer by hand, something none of the other three picks on this list include.
How to choose a trailer tongue jack
Start with how the trailer gets hitched most often. Solo hitching, a heavier trailer, or simply wanting to skip hand-cranking altogether points to the electric Lippert, as long as running a 12V circuit to the tongue is acceptable. Towing occasionally or on a budget favors a manual jack — the CURT 28250 for the best capacity-per-dollar, or the Bulldog 155157 if the jack needs to swivel clear for ground clearance. Loading cargo directly over the tongue, like on a utility or landscape trailer, is the one case where the MaxxHaul’s full swing-back range earns its keep over a jack that only retracts. Whichever jack gets picked, check the support-vs-lift rating against the trailer’s actual loaded tongue weight rather than assuming the bigger printed number applies to active lifting.
The bottom line
For most travel trailers and overlanding rigs, the Lippert Power Tongue Jack is the easiest daily-use upgrade on this list — electric lift with a manual backup covers both convenience and reliability. Towing something lighter on a budget, the CURT 28250 is the cheapest jack that won’t need replacing, and the Bulldog 155157 is worth the extra cost only when its swivel clearance solves a specific problem. Utility and cargo trailer owners loading gear directly over the tongue should skip straight to the MaxxHaul 70148. Pair whichever jack fits with our best trailer hitch lock and best trailer wiring harness guides to round out the rest of the hitch setup. Once the trailer’s unhitched and parked, our best trailer leveling blocks guide covers the separate job of correcting side-to-side and front-to-back tilt — the jack only raises and lowers the coupler itself.