I have a new Flagstaff Micro Lite 21 FBRS that came with a FIC 3500 electric tongue jack. The problem with it is that I can't lower the tailgate all the way without it hitting the jack cover. I looked on-line to see if the head could be rotated 90 degrees but didn't find anything.Could anyone recommend a jack that the head can easily be rotated 90 degrees. I did a search and it seems like the Husky Brute can be but I didn't find anything in their instructions that said how to do it. Atwood also makes a top motor jack that would probably work, but I don't know anything about their jacks.

Donnoh wrote:Could anyone recommend a jack that the head can easily be rotated 90 degrees.The head on an UltraFab 3502 used to be rotatable but a redesign now makes that impractical ('though not impossible) on the latest version. I replaced my own LCI tongue jack with it's way too big head with a new UltraFab 3502 which has multiple holes in the mounting base so the entire jack can be rotated 90 degrees, thus improving the chances your tailgate will clear the head. Mine does.A warning - at the mere mention of UltraFab all the pundits will come out of the woodwork claiming how terrible this jack is but having owned 2 myself the fact is they're just as reliable as any on the market, especially the latest version. It's also one of the few that's all metal, including the head. :B

You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

troubledwaters wrote:You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.That's what I did. Just 6" longer made all the difference in the world. I think I could safely tow with the tailgate down now. The new shank for my Equal-I-zer hitch was around $130 I think. Simple solution, but you may have to adjust your wd hitch afterwards.

Thanks for the suggestions, I never considered a longer shank nor did the UltraFab 3502 show up on my radar.The dilemma comes with my safety chains, they are barely long enough now even using D-rings to connect them to the receiver. I have a Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch and the cost of the longer shank is about what the UltraFab would cost.The easiest solution is to go with the UltraFab. I do like that it has a zerk fitting to grease the screw and is fairly inexpensive with a 2 year warranty.

Donnoh wrote:Thanks for the suggestions, I never considered a longer shank nor did the UltraFab 3502 show up on my radar.The dilemma comes with my safety chains, they are barely long enough now even using D-rings to connect them to the receiver. I have a Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch and the cost of the longer shank is about what the UltraFab would cost.The easiest solution is to go with the UltraFab. I do like that it has a zerk fitting to grease the screw and is fairly inexpensive with a 2 year warranty.You can buy the appropriate strength chain and connectors to lengthen your existing safety chain. I did that for a trailer and the cost was about $15.

Electric Tongue Jack for Tailgate Interference | Good Sam Community

26 Replies

BizmarksMom
Explorer
Aug 02, 2018
Terryallan wrote:
I don't worry about it. Mine will hit the jack no matter how it is turned. I just make sure every thing is in the truck before I hookup. Easy Peasy
Same here. It just isn't a big enough deal for me to muck around with stuff.
Jackfate
Explorer
Aug 01, 2018
Same issue here...

Was told by etrailer and others that I could not rotate my lippert power head
They were wrong
Was told to rotate using the three mounting bolts.
Wrong again
You only need to remove screws from head and lift it off
Now you may already have another set of holes 90degrees on jack tube
You may need to tap ( thread ) them if no holes drill 2 and tap 2 new holes

Not that hard
Hope this helps someone out there
camperforlife
Explorer
Aug 01, 2018
Another happy Atwood owner. The nice thing about the Atwood is the motor is top mounted instead of front mounted which eliminates your issue for most people.
drsteve
Explorer
Jul 21, 2018
SpeakEasy wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
SpeakEasy wrote:
troubledwaters wrote:
You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

Like most things, this idea has "legs." If you extend your shank it will have an impact on your towing capacity. If you're anywhere near your limits now, you need to check into this before you do it.

-Speak
Not if you are using WD.

Read what Ron Gratz had to say back in 2010:
Ron Gratz

OK. I checked out what Ron Gratz had to say. I'll admit that I didn't understand much of it. I'm not even a "first year engineering student" let alone a second-year one.

However. Look at what I said. I said the extender would "have an impact." I believe that's true, even after having read through Gratz's material. I'm not sure what the impact would be - increase or decrease or by how much. But I still maintain it is something to consider if you're going to extend your shank. If I were going that route I'd work on understanding the physics of what I was doing.

-Speak

Ron tells you what the impact will be--less force on the receiver.

Ron Gratz wrote:
The second year engineering student would conclude using the extension, with WD, results in less "stress on the hitch attachment points and truck frame".

He's a mechanical engineer, and he shows his work, so I'll take his word for it.
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Jul 21, 2018
Huntindog wrote:
SpeakEasy wrote:
troubledwaters wrote:
You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

Like most things, this idea has "legs." If you extend your shank it will have an impact on your towing capacity. If you're anywhere near your limits now, you need to check into this before you do it.

-Speak
Not if you are using WD.

Read what Ron Gratz had to say back in 2010:
Ron Gratz

OK. I checked out what Ron Gratz had to say. I'll admit that I didn't understand much of it. I'm not even a "first year engineering student" let alone a second-year one.

However. Look at what I said. I said the extender would "have an impact." I believe that's true, even after having read through Gratz's material. I'm not sure what the impact would be - increase or decrease or by how much. But I still maintain it is something to consider if you're going to extend your shank. If I were going that route I'd work on understanding the physics of what I was doing.

-Speak
Huntindog
Explorer
Jul 20, 2018
SpeakEasy wrote:
troubledwaters wrote:
You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

Like most things, this idea has "legs." If you extend your shank it will have an impact on your towing capacity. If you're anywhere near your limits now, you need to check into this before you do it.

-Speak
Not if you are using WD.

Read what Ron Gratz had to say back in 2010:
Ron Gratz
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jul 20, 2018
Donnoh wrote:
Just to put this topic to rest, I decided to purchase the UltraFab jack and try it out.

At the very worst I spent $150 to see if I can open my tailgate with the UltraFab and if not, I bought from Amazon and they'll get it back.

Every truck / trailer combination is different so no one can guarantee that the UltraFab will definitely solve your issue BUT the ability to turn it 90 degrees and the fact the head is about the smallest on any tongue jack sold certainly improve your chances that it will. :)
Donnoh
Explorer
Jul 20, 2018
Just to put this topic to rest, I decided to purchase the UltraFab jack and try it out. Purchasing another shank for the Blue Ox just wasn't appealing at the price I found and the weight of the one I have already breaks my back a longer one probably adds another 10 pounds.
At the very worst I spent $150 to see if I can open my tailgate with the UltraFab and if not, I bought from Amazon and they'll get it back. At any rate the UltraFab is probably twice as good as the generic FIC noise maker that came with the trailer.
Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments.
TurnThePage
Explorer
Jul 20, 2018
SpeakEasy wrote:
troubledwaters wrote:
You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

Like most things, this idea has "legs." If you extend your shank it will have an impact on your towing capacity. If you're anywhere near your limits now, you need to check into this before you do it.

-Speak

A valid concern, but I concur with the idea, especially after looking at the trailer in question. I did it and am very happy with the outcome. It's awesome to be able to lay the tailgate down and open the tonneau cover for unfettered access to the bed. It would be very troublesome otherwise. My better half has already hurt herself trying to hold the tailgate partially open while reaching in the bed.
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Jul 20, 2018
troubledwaters wrote:
You can get a longer shank for your ball mount, whichever way is cheaper.

Like most things, this idea has "legs." If you extend your shank it will have an impact on your towing capacity. If you're anywhere near your limits now, you need to check into this before you do it.

-Speak