6 Best Single Axle Trailer Jack Stands For Backyard Flocks Old Farmers Swear By

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hitch up your mobile coop on a damp morning, only to fight with a wobbly, rust-seized trailer jack. A good jack isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental tool for managing a flock on pasture. It’s the difference between a smooth move to fresh grass and a back-straining ordeal that leaves you, and your chickens, stuck in the mud.

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Why a Solid Jack is Key for Your Mobile Coop

A trailer jack does more than just lift the coop tongue onto your tow vehicle. It’s the tool you use to level the coop on uneven ground, ensuring the birds are comfortable and eggs don’t all roll to one side of the nesting box. A stable, level coop is also less stressful on the structure itself, preventing warped doors and windows over time.

Think of the jack as the foundation of your mobile system. When you’re rotating your flock every few days, you’ll be using that jack constantly. A cheap, flimsy model will grind, bend, or fail, often at the worst possible moment.

A reliable jack provides stability when the coop is unhitched, preventing it from tipping if a few heavy hens all decide to roost on the same end. It’s a small piece of hardware that carries a significant responsibility for the safety of your flock and the longevity of your coop. Investing in a decent one saves you headaches down the road.

CURT 28204 A-Frame Jack: Simple and Reliable

If you have a standard A-frame trailer tongue on your coop, the CURT A-frame jack is the straightforward, dependable choice. It’s not fancy, but it is built to do its job without fuss. With a 2,000-pound lift capacity, it’s more than strong enough for the vast majority of backyard-scale chicken tractors.

This is a topwind jack, meaning the crank is on the top. The action is smooth and the gearing provides enough mechanical advantage that you won’t be straining to lift the coop. It bolts directly to the pre-drilled holes on most A-frame couplers, making installation a simple, 15-minute job.

The CURT jack is a workhorse. Its black powder coat finish offers decent protection against the elements, but in very wet climates, a little preventative grease on the moving parts goes a long way. For a simple, cost-effective solution that you can trust, this is the one.

Bulldog A-Frame Jack for Heavy-Duty Farm Use

Some of us get a little carried away when building our coops. If you used heavy lumber, added a metal roof, and installed a large-capacity waterer, you might be pushing the weight limits of a standard jack. The Bulldog A-Frame Jack is the answer for heavier, overbuilt mobile coops.

With a lift capacity of up to 5,000 pounds, the Bulldog is famously tough. These jacks are known for their durability and are often what you’ll find on heavier farm equipment. The precision-machined gears and solid construction mean it can handle the stress of being bounced across a rough pasture without complaint.

While it’s more expensive than a standard-duty jack, the peace of mind is worth it. If your coop is your pride and joy, or if you move it across very uneven terrain that puts a lot of torque on the frame, the Bulldog provides an extra margin of safety and stability. It’s an investment in resilience.

Reese Pro Series Swivel Jack for Versatility

The biggest drawback of a fixed A-frame jack is its limited ground clearance. A swivel jack, like this one from Reese, solves that problem brilliantly. After you hitch up, you simply pull a pin and swing the entire jack up parallel to the trailer tongue, getting it completely out of the way.

This feature is invaluable when moving your coop across fields with tall grass, over small berms, or through wooded areas. You never have to worry about the jack foot digging into the dirt or getting hung up on a tree root. It makes navigating varied terrain significantly less stressful.

This particular model mounts to the side of the trailer tongue, making it a great option for straight-tongue frames, not just A-frames. The side-mounted crank is easy to operate, and the large wheel makes maneuvering the coop by hand on a hard surface, like a driveway, much easier. For maximum flexibility, a swivel jack is hard to beat.

Fulton F2 Swing-Up Jack: Premium Rust Protection

Rust is the enemy of any piece of farm equipment left outdoors. The Fulton F2 is designed from the ground up to fight corrosion, making it a premium choice for anyone farming in a wet, humid, or coastal climate. Its aluminum inner and outer tubes are anodized, creating a protective layer that resists rust far better than standard paint or powder coating.

Beyond its weather resistance, the F2 is known for its incredibly smooth and easy operation. The internal gearing is sealed to keep out dirt and water, ensuring it works as well on year five as it did on day one. It’s a swing-up design, so it also offers the excellent ground clearance of a swivel jack.

The F2 is undeniably a high-end option, and its price reflects that. However, if you’ve ever had to replace a jack that seized up from rust, you understand the value of buying one that’s built to last. This is a "buy it once, buy it for life" kind of tool.

MaxxHaul Sidewind Jack: A Practical Top Crank

The choice between a topwind and a sidewind jack often comes down to clearance. If your coop design includes a storage box, a solar panel mount, or anything else over the A-frame, a topwind crank can be awkward or impossible to turn. The MaxxHaul Sidewind Jack solves this by moving the crank to the side.

This ergonomic advantage can be a big deal. It allows for a full, comfortable range of motion without banging your knuckles on the front of the coop. This model bolts onto the side of the trailer tongue and offers a swivel function, tucking away neatly for travel.

MaxxHaul provides a solid, practical jack at a very reasonable price point. It’s a great example of how a small design difference—the crank position—can have a big impact on usability. Before you buy any jack, look at your coop’s tongue and imagine yourself cranking it up and down. That will tell you whether a topwind or sidewind is right for you.

RAM Pipe Mount Swivel Jack: No-Frills Workhorse

Not all mobile coops are built on A-frame trailers. Many DIY designs use a simple, straight tongue made from square or rectangular tubing. For these, you need a pipe mount jack like this rugged model from RAM.

This type of jack comes with a matching steel tube that you weld directly onto the side of your trailer tongue. The jack itself then slides into this mount and is secured with a heavy-duty pin. This makes it a permanent, incredibly strong part of your coop’s frame. It also swivels, allowing you to pull the pin and rotate it for travel.

There’s nothing fancy here. It’s just thick steel, a simple screw mechanism, and a basic handle. But for a custom-built coop, its raw strength and simplicity are exactly what’s needed. This is the go-to for the farmer who prefers a welder over a wrench.

Choosing Your Jack: Lift Capacity and Mount Type

Picking the right jack isn’t complicated if you focus on two key factors: your coop’s weight and your trailer’s design. Everything else is about convenience and longevity. Don’t get overwhelmed by the options; just match the hardware to your specific needs.

First, consider the lift capacity. Most homemade coops on single axles weigh well under 1,500 pounds, so a standard 2,000-pound jack is plenty. If you’ve built a palace for your poultry, go with a 5,000-pound model for peace of mind. It’s always better to have more capacity than you need.

Next, look at the mount type. This is dictated by your coop’s chassis.

• A-Frame Mount: For trailers with a triangular tongue. The jack bolts directly into the center of the "A".
• Pipe Mount / Side Mount: For trailers with a single, straight tongue. The jack either welds on or bolts to the side of the tongue beam.

Finally, think about convenience features. A swivel function is a massive plus for ground clearance on uneven pasture. Superior rust protection is a smart investment in wet climates. And the choice between a topwind or sidewind crank depends entirely on the clearance you have above your trailer tongue.

Ultimately, the best trailer jack is the one you don’t have to think about. It should be strong enough to hold your coop securely, smooth enough to operate without a fight, and tough enough to withstand the farm environment. A small investment in the right jack pays you back every single time you move your flock to greener pastures.