Our HWH are a different series, but YES we're both talking about the same part as Actuator. We don't use ours all that often, and that makes matters worse. I spray the extended ram piston with silicone and the linkage with WD40. Seems to help. The more often I use the jacks the better they work.
Is anything binding? Does the jack pull to vertical by hand? Could you do it with an awning rod or something you can rig up before you head to CO?
I wouldn't let a jack interrupt a trip, especially one I could make work and deal with it at a more convenient time.
