Ranger RT 188 Jack Stand is ,,,,,,,,,,Junk !

[Trusty Rusty]

I can't take this jack stand anymore and I know some of you guys have changed them out with better quality Fulton jacks . Can I ask what model have you guys went with that the holes line up and folds properly so I can change mine out .

[cdemarse]

Interested also. Because yes the stock stand is junk for sure.

[tnbassin]

Agree, junk

[Bosh]

I replaced mine with this: Fulton (141133) XLT Sharkskin Finish Bolt-On Swing-Away Jack - 1500 lb. Weight Capacity from Amazon. The wheel that it comes with is too big for it to swing all the way up so I took the wheel off the original jack and put it on the Fulton for now. It work great, the castor turns so nice and easy.

[BrentR]

Ask Skeeterbait which Fulton jack he has on his RT188. Not sure but i think he said that his just bolted right on. I'm pretty sure his has the Fulton wheel on his....the wheel looks a lot bigger the the stock jack. Won't hurt to ask.

[oldgoat188]

Mine was so bad when I got my boat that I had Ranger send me a new one. It was/is just as bad. I have to lower the front end to almost below level to get it to roll where I want it to. For awile I actually used a rubber mallet to turn the wheel.

[Skeeterbait]

I used the Fulton XLT. It bolts right on but being a high lift jack with large wheel it will not fold and lock without modification. Either way you fold it will hit the frame before it locks into place. I was determined to use it though because it works so well moving the boat around. So my solution was to fold it as far as it would go and mark the hole where the pin touched to determine how much metal needed to be removed. I then took the jack off its mounting plate and elongated the pin hole, then reassembled it.

[rocket man]

These Fulton jacks you speak of, do the have a swivel just above the wheel? or do the whole shaft swivel? I have the same problem turning mine I have to let all the way down to get it to turn. The shaft just binds in the housing.

[Skeeterbait]

The Fulton XLT has a ball bearing swivel just above the wheel yoke and has a grease fitting there and up top for the internal gear. The tube is much stronger than what comes with the boat and does not turn. Nor does the wheel spin while turning the crank.

[Trusty Rusty]

Thanks for the replies Skeeter and Bosh . I knew from day 1 that the factory jack wasn't going to cut it . The last straw was this weekend . I added BTO's trailer steps on my trailer and was getting in my boat in the garage and that cheap SOB wobbled on me right as I got on the deck and over the TM I went ! Luckily I landed for the most part on my feet with a nice scrape on my shin ! A Fulton XLT will be on it soon ..

[Skeeterbait]

I will try to take you a picture of mine folded this evening and let you see how it worked out after I modified it.

[mrc.in.wi]

The Jack on my Marine Master trailer for the Triton works good. It's not great but it does what it should.

[rocket man]

Where is the cheapest place to get one of them Fultons. And do they all have a swivel bearing just above the whhel? Thanks

[Skeeterbait]

Cheapest I have seen and where I bought mine is Amazon. Especially if you are a Prime member and can get it shipped for free. This is a big long heavy oversize jack.

https://www.amazon.com/Fulton-141133...rds=fulton+xlt

But remember, this has to be modified to use on a Ranger RT. It is too long to swivel up and lock without drilling out the locking hole.

[Skeeterbait]

Below is how the Fulton XLT jack worked out on my RT. It is much longer than the standard jack and will not fold completely horizontal. I enlarged the pin hole shown so it will lock in this position. To get to the hole I separated the jack from its mounting plate by removing the large nut shown. There are offset washers between the parts so you need to pay attention to how they come apart.

[Transom]

Just how bad are these jacks? Every jack I have ever used had a little bit of play in it but it got the job done. The only jack that I could say was exceptional was an old fixed jack was on my grandfather's early eighties model Cajun. It had one of those old made in the USA overkill quality construction. I still remember getting grease all over me when I was a kid as it's gear rack was external.

[Trusty Rusty]

Below is how the Fulton XLT jack worked out on my RT. It is much longer than the standard jack and will not fold completely horizontal. I enlarged the pin hole shown so it will lock in this position. To get to the hole I separated the jack from its mounting plate by removing the large nut shown. There are offset washers between the parts so you need to pay attention to how they come apart.

Gotcha . Thanks for the info and pics ...

[Trusty Rusty]

Just how bad are these jacks? Every jack I have ever used had a little bit of play in it but it got the job done. The only jack that I could say was exceptional was an old fixed jack was on my grandfather's early eighties model Cajun. It had one of those old made in the USA overkill quality construction. I still remember getting grease all over me when I was a kid as it's gear rack was external.

It just has unexceptional play in it . It's real wobbly . The weight of the boat causes the shaft to tilt out and makes it hard to keep the wheel going in the direction you want it while rolling the boat around . I've had better than this .

[BrentR]

Thanks Skeeterbait for your time to show everyone how to mount the fulton jack. Take care.

[FlaNative]

Got one on order for mine...