I've searched and read several entries regarding pro's and con's of multiple brands. I've noticed each has their share of success and horror stories. I'll sort through that. In reading them, I've discovered there were some decision points I was unaware of, well.... had not considered. If you could, make me smarter to go shop for one. I'm good to go do the research, once I understand "what" I'm looking for. power - since we never dry camp, I rarely keep a charged battery on the rig. will they all power up with the 7 pin connector?lifting the tow vehicle to hook up WD bars - is this considered "normal use" for one? & do I need to add some amount to the capacity for this?"throw length" - how does one calculate this? with or without a timber/board underneath (would really like to eliminate that)emergency crank - in the event of a failure / power loss. Really surprised that they all don't come with onetongue weight capacity - manufacturer's list weight? or some factor higher than that?what have I missed?

Very first thing you said about no battery onboard. You do know it is illegal to tow your tt without the battery hooked up. The breakaway switch and brakes do not work without one.

I purchased one this spring and did a lot of research on this website and elsewhere on the Internet. Finally decided on a Barker VIP (Black) 3500. Bought it through Mantelli Trailer Sales via their eBay store. it was an absolute breeze to install and I'm extremely satisfied with how it has worked. Obviously your mileage may vary but I believe that Barker is one of the brand names with which you can't go wrong.

Barker seems to have the best reputation. But I'm happy with my refurbished Ultra Fab for $100. 3000+ pounds for TW plus rear of TV.

Extremely dangerous, and illegal to tow without a functioning battery on your TT. You're break-away brakes will not function in a catastrophic separation.

Yeah, get a battery in there, also, don't think so hard. Just pick a jack, install it and be happy with it. They all pretty much work the same. . . there's up.....then there's down. I have a Barker VIP 3500 with 24" stroke. Installed pretty easy. Has manual crank and light.

Forum Discussion

orggardn

Explorer

Sep 16, 2013

Electric jack - how do I select one?

I've searched and read several entries regarding pro's and con's of multiple brands. I've noticed each has their share of success and horror stories. I'll sort through that.

In reading them, I've discovered there were some decision points I was unaware of, well.... had not considered.

If you could, make me smarter to go shop for one. I'm good to go do the research, once I understand "what" I'm looking for.

power - since we never dry camp, I rarely keep a charged battery on the rig. will they all power up with the 7 pin connector?
lifting the tow vehicle to hook up WD bars - is this considered "normal use" for one? & do I need to add some amount to the capacity for this?
"throw length" - how does one calculate this? with or without a timber/board underneath (would really like to eliminate that)
emergency crank - in the event of a failure / power loss. Really surprised that they all don't come with one
tongue weight capacity - manufacturer's list weight? or some factor higher than that?
what have I missed?

13 Replies

APT
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013
Barker seems to have the best reputation. But I'm happy with my refurbished Ultra Fab for $100. 3000+ pounds for TW plus rear of TV.
LeBout
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013
I purchased one this spring and did a lot of research on this website and elsewhere on the Internet. Finally decided on a Barker VIP (Black) 3500. Bought it through Mantelli Trailer Sales via their eBay store. it was an absolute breeze to install and I'm extremely satisfied with how it has worked. Obviously your mileage may vary but I believe that Barker is one of the brand names with which you can't go wrong.
gates59
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013
Very first thing you said about no battery onboard. You do know it is illegal to tow your tt without the battery hooked up. The breakaway switch and brakes do not work without one.