Once a caravan or trailer has been parked and disconnected from the tow vehicle, it can be difficult to move. However, by attaching a jockey wheel to it, you can move the trailer or caravan to another space. Here is some information for choosing the right jockey wheel for your caravan or trailer.
Components of a Jockey Wheel
When selecting a replacement jockey wheel for a caravan or a trailer, there are three components for getting the right one:
- The wheel type
- Its dimensions, width, and length
- The replacement wheel
Jockey Wheel Types
There are four types of jockey wheels, including those with a smooth sleeve and one with a serrated sleeve. Smooth-sleeved tyres are the most common types of jockey wheels for light- to commercial-duty caravans or trailers. The main disadvantage to the smooth-sleeved ones is that they can slide through the jockey wheel clamp and hit the road while the trailer is being towed.
Serrated-sleeved jockey wheels have a ribbed pattern and are available for heavy-duty commercial use. The minimum width of this jockey wheel is 48mm and a special clamp is required that matches the shape of the ribbing. When the right clamp is matched for the serrated-shaped wheel, it produces less vibration, which prevents the wheel from sliding off the clamp and onto the road.
Jockey wheels are also available as retractable wheels that do not use a clamp but are bolted onto the trailer’s A-frame. When winding the wheel up, the mechanism flips the wheel up against the trailer’s body to keep it out of the way. It eliminates the possibility of the wheel hitting the road during transport.
Nose-weight jockey wheels have a gauge that displays the weight of the caravan going onto the towball. They are mainly found on caravans to help evenly distribute the weight of the load when getting ready for a trip. A nose-weight jockey wheel can be used on commercial trailers as well.
Jockey Wheel Dimensions
When buying a jockey wheel from On Auto, you need to know the size of the old wheel. The sizes are available as:
- 34mm, which is the smallest size and used on small camping trailers
- 42mm for larger camping trailers and small boat trailers
- 48mm, which is the most common for most commercial trailers
- 60mm to 63mm, which are rare sizes used on commercial trailers that have a nose-weight capacity of up to 750kg
The width of the wheel is important for the strength of the trailer and it also helps determine whether the wheel fits the clamp.
When replacing the wheel, measure the old one’s length and make sure that the new jockey wheel has the same overall length. Measure the length from the top of the handle to the bottom of the wheel to get the correct length.
Replacement Wheels
When replacing jockey wheels, you can choose from pneumatic or solid tyres with steel or plastic wheel centres. When you are replacing a wheel, you can use this information to purchase one online.
