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Donnoh's avatar
Donnoh
Explorer
Jul 19, 2018

Electric Tongue Jack for Tailgate Interference

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.

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  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2018
    Donnoh wrote:
    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.
    This is a common question, and there are many threads on this. The common theme seems to be that the Barker owners are very attached to their jacks, almost all of them rave about the fantastic customer service. My take on that is that it can't be all that reliable if customer service is needed so much. That said, there are two basic designs. The front side mounted motor ie: Barker, Ultrafab etc. And the top mounted motor ie: Atwood. Most of the front side mounted motors offer a built in level on the top, which at least on some of them doubles as the plug for the backup hand crank. The front side mounts have many drawbacks. On many TTs using the backup hand crank will require either removing the propane tanks, or turning the crank 1/2 turn, removing it, turning it 180 degrees, reinserting it and repeat this process. Very inconvenient. My concern here is not the need to use the handcrank due to a jack failure so much as a dead battery Due to the motor being mounted on the front side it almost always will result in interference with the tailgate. A common solution is to rotate the jack so that the motor is on the side. But then the hitch light points in the wrong direction. The front side mounts also have several penetrations (holes) in the housing for the switches and backup crank that is a common source of water intrusion into the motor. This is so common that many have posted here that Barker has supplied them with a free cover for the jack. (this is likely the reason for the glowing customer service reports) This style of jack really needs to be covered, to eliminate the risk of water intrusion. Owners report that they can operate the jack without removing the cover by feeling the switch through it. But then the light is useless. Owners report that they don't use the light anyway. Probably because most of them have rotated the jack for tailgate clearance, so it points in the wrong direction. I would have a concern that the light switch would get turned on accidently and since it was under the cover go unnoticed and drain the battery. Then the hand crank would need to be used. See previous concern. If your TT has a front slide, then you may have to use a front side mounted motor as they are a little shorter and less likely to interfere with the slide. The top mounted motor, (Atwood) has no pentrations in the housing for water intrusion. So it doesn't need covering. The backup crank inserts in the front, so there is no propane tank interference. And the motor will not interfere with the tailgate. So the jack can point the light at the hitch where it is needed. The only complaints some have is they don't like the sound of the motor as much as some of the others. That's got to be a personal thing, as mine sounds like music everytime I press the button and it does it's work without me breaking a sweat. And I cannot attest to Atwoods customer service as in 18 years of use, I haven't needed any. I also haven't read about it here either. At any rate, look the features of both styles over closely and decide which one makes sense for you. Spend the money. Then enjoy it. I hope this helps.
  • wgriswold's avatar
    wgriswold
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2018
    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.
  • Donnoh's avatar
    Donnoh
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2018
    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.
  • TurnThePage's avatar
    TurnThePage
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2018
    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.
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2018
    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

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