Manual jacks?

According to the Adventurer site, their campers have HappiJac jacks. According to the HappiJac site, manual jacks can be converted to remote control electric jacks. You need motors and a wiring kit if the camper is not pre-wired.

HappiJac

Hope this helps.

Dakota98 wrote:
I think the real question is "how often are you going to load & unload" ?

:B :h

That is the question. If you take the camper off and on a lot then electric jacks are worth the price. For me, I rarely take the camper off so I don't even travel with the jacks on the camper. Electric jacks for me would be a total waste.

I helped a friend load his camper. We used a cordless drill to run the jacks down to the ground. Once the jacks were on the ground we each used a hand crank handle and worked the rear jacks a certain number of cranks, then the front, and we alternated front to rear, running each the same number of cranks, keeping the camper level side to side since both rear were operated in tandem, then the front.

Growing up, my dad had several truck campers. They were hydraulic, not crank, and we'd operate them the same - alternate front to rear. (two people)

I like manual ones better, too. I use a strong corded drill, and I think it takes me 10-15 minutes to raise the camper from all the way down to all the way up -- most of that is walking around to raise each jack a little at a time.
I store my camper much lower than Jefe.

Our entry level Lance came with manual jacks. I remove the jacks for XTC trips and leave them at home to save weight and for wind (and rock) drag mitigation. With heavy home made dually front jack extensions even the manuals get pretty heavy.

I use a powerful cordless drill in low gear on the jacks. But, you must constantly circle the camper inching up the camper one jack at a time to get it up or down. The electric jacks are even heavier and most do not have a removable feature (if that's worth anything to you) without cutting a splicing some plugs for each jack. I'm actually glad I have lighter manual jacks since I remove them for trips anyway. But if you are not strong enough to use the hand crank or electric drill going round and round the camper it might be worth the expense to have electric jacks installed after the fact. Most original manual jacks are not pre wired for electric jacks, to my knowledge, so there is the wiring factor to consider. Basically, you can get used to what ever mode on which you finally decide with the above strength caveat..
Assuming the 8-point position at storage before we had a camper shed:

jefe

I think the key is to store the camper at a level similar to the rear of the truck (if possible) for the least amount of cranking?

My cordless drill struggles with raising the camper, so I do that by hand. Doesn't take all that long and it's good upper-body exercise ;-) But my camper isn't a "camp with it off the truck without base support" type - it's a 3-legger. And I don't camp all that often - a handful of weekends a year.

I see manual jacks as a plus in that the only "loss of power" in raising them is if I keel over....LOL!

Canonsue wrote:
I am looking at an Adventurer camper to purchase. The camper in question is a good price and has exactly what I want or best to say it does not have expensive features that I do not want. However, it has manual jacks, I was wanting electric jacks.

Can you comment about your experience with manual jacks? I like the fact that it is less complicated but how much more time is spent taking camper in and out of truck using a drill to lower and raise jacks?

Use your cordless drill and you got your electric jacks.

I think the real question is "how often are you going to load & unload" ?

:B :h