Choosing a power tongue jack
I'm thinking of asking Mrs. Clause for a power jack for Christmas. I have a 28f TT, sticker weight: 5000 UVW I have no idea what the tongue weight or the loaded weight is. (Shame on me) * ar...
Forum Discussion
You will not regret getting an electric tongue jack. Our Outback did not come with one, so we had the dealer install one a couple months after we bought it ... oh my ... what a difference.
Things to look for.
1. Make sure you get one that is strong enough to lift both trailer and truck, so get the heaviest one you can afford.
2. Make sure it will clear your propane tanks and cover.
3. Make sure there is clearance so you can lower your truck tailgate. (um... mine does not clear the tailgate ... I never though of that when we got it.)
4. Mine has little lights on it, front and both sides. That's kind of a nice feature, but honestly, I've never used them. My Outback has flood lights on the front, angled down so it shines right in the bed of the truck. But someone else might find the lights a nice feature, especially if you do a lot of hitching and unhitching after dark.
5. My jack came with an extension base (foot) plate that can be raised and lowered. At first I though, I'll just keep it in the shortest position. But it did not take long to figure out how nice it is to be able to extend the jack another 8 inches or or more. I adjust the extension all the time now. It saves having to crank up and down so much.
6. Make sure whatever jack you go with has a manual over ride (easily accessible) so you can crank up and down manually in the event of a dead battery or the motor burns up or something.
7. Keep your original tongue jack stowed away at home, in the attic of your garage or somewhere. Don't throw it away. In the event the electric jack fails, you can swap it out quickly with your old manual one until you can get a new electric one. Also, if you ever decide to sell the camper, you can put the original jack back on and keep your electric one with you. Don't toss out the original one. Keep it.
8. I don't know about brands, all I know is, the one I have works ok for me.
Good luck!
Things to look for.
1. Make sure you get one that is strong enough to lift both trailer and truck, so get the heaviest one you can afford.
2. Make sure it will clear your propane tanks and cover.
3. Make sure there is clearance so you can lower your truck tailgate. (um... mine does not clear the tailgate ... I never though of that when we got it.)
4. Mine has little lights on it, front and both sides. That's kind of a nice feature, but honestly, I've never used them. My Outback has flood lights on the front, angled down so it shines right in the bed of the truck. But someone else might find the lights a nice feature, especially if you do a lot of hitching and unhitching after dark.
5. My jack came with an extension base (foot) plate that can be raised and lowered. At first I though, I'll just keep it in the shortest position. But it did not take long to figure out how nice it is to be able to extend the jack another 8 inches or or more. I adjust the extension all the time now. It saves having to crank up and down so much.
6. Make sure whatever jack you go with has a manual over ride (easily accessible) so you can crank up and down manually in the event of a dead battery or the motor burns up or something.
7. Keep your original tongue jack stowed away at home, in the attic of your garage or somewhere. Don't throw it away. In the event the electric jack fails, you can swap it out quickly with your old manual one until you can get a new electric one. Also, if you ever decide to sell the camper, you can put the original jack back on and keep your electric one with you. Don't toss out the original one. Keep it.
8. I don't know about brands, all I know is, the one I have works ok for me.
Good luck!
