Product review: BOS jockey wheel unit

Marty Ledwich gives us a long-term review of the BOS jockey wheel that’s made his caravanning experience easier (despite it not being quite as photogenic as it once was).

Let’s backtrack. There are aspects of caravanning life that seem to be designed to annoy and frustrate owners. For me, my biggest bugbear was always the jockey wheel. Having to fit and remove the standard jockey wheel at every stop became annoying.

For a start, you have to loosen and tighten the clamps, and on an already crowded A-frame, that becomes a chore. Then, you have to consider where to store the jockey wheel when it’s not in use. Some owners fit those swing-away jockey wheels on one of the A-frame beams. I’ve tried these as well, but I’ve found they are not really suited to the heavy towball weights of big caravans. What I wanted was a jockey wheel or stand that I could leave in the clamps on the A-frame all the time and raise or lower it when needed. Thankfully, there is such a system, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

BOS 370 jockey wheel unit

The BOS 370 jockey unit is an Australian-designed product with a propriety gearbox that allows a standard battery drill to raise and lower the jockey wheel. A hand winder is provided should your drill’s battery run flat.

BOS also manufactures a range of other products that use the same propriety gearbox, including stabilisation legs and a really nifty caravan mover.

The BOS 370 jockey wheel unit has four different options. Either three or four ribs to match your existing jockey wheel clamps and either 250mm or 400mm of shaft travel. The staff at BOS can assist you in choosing the right model to suit your caravan.

The BOS jockey wheel’s foot can be fitted with a range of ends including a simple baseplate or wheels to match various applications and terrains. You can also purchase shaft extensions should you find the standard one isn’t long enough for a particular site.

What I like most about the BOS 370 jockey wheel unit is that it can be left in-situ on the A-frame as the shaft fully retracts into the body of the stand. That feature alone makes the price for the unit well worth the investment.

Verdict

We have been using the BOS jockey wheel unit on our caravan for more than four years in all types of conditions, and it has never failed us yet. It has easily coped with the heavy 350kg tow-ball weight of our caravan, and it has never extended itself while travelling along the road, even after driving hundreds of kilometres over rough off-road tracks. It is a remarkable piece of engineering.

There’s not much wrong with the BOS jockey unit, but if I was forced to point out any issues, it’s with the red colour of the gearbox housing. I don’t think its UV rated and ours has faded over time. It’s only a cosmetic issue, and it certainly hasn’t affected the product’s performance.

Our BOS jockey wheel unit has been utterly reliable since the day I first fitted it, and it has survived the harshest of conditions. What’s more, it has removed what was, for me, the greatest source of annoyance on our caravan. To cap it off, the staff at BOS are very friendly and extremely helpful. We can highly recommend the BOS jockey unit to all caravanners.

Details

The BOS 370 Standard Three Rib Baseplate Kit has a load rating of up to 1800kg on the ball and includes:

• Jockey with lynchpin
• Baseplate
• Manual wind handle
• 3-piece drill fitting set
• 120mm shaft extension with lynchpin
• Weather cover

Available online at www.BOS370.com.au or 02 9623 6922

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