Question about electric tongue jack installation

I went a different route - I used my front-end loader to lift the tongue while I installed the jack. Several ways have been described to do it, just choose the one that sounds easiest to you and get to it!

DH did it hooked to the truck, no issues. It went very smoothly.

I had no issues with the truck attached, leave the WD off, and other then stepping over the hitch VS walking around the coupler - not much different. I would get some auto parts store black split loom tubing to put the wires in and black zip tires to secure the tubing to the jack body. Cleans the front end up a lot.

Tennessee_Nomad wrote:

Tim_W wrote:

DanKirk wrote:
I just hooked mine up to the truck when I installed our jack.

:S


Oh, the answer seems so simple.

Kind of what I was thinking after reading these posts :S

Thanks for the replies and advice...

Maybe. But it is so much easier to work on with the TV out od the way. By lowering the front stabs. You can sit in front of the tongue, and reach everything very easily.

Tim_W wrote:

DanKirk wrote:
I just hooked mine up to the truck when I installed our jack.

:S


Oh, the answer seems so simple.

Kind of what I was thinking after reading these posts :S

Thanks for the replies and advice...

DanKirk wrote:
I just hooked mine up to the truck when I installed our jack.

:S


Oh, the answer seems so simple.

LarryJM,

You said - "I'm also not a big fan of using these "ramps" under one tire to get the other tire off the ground since especially for the "tor-flex" type axles you are "SERIOUSLY" overloading the axle whose tire remains on the ground. I haven't heard or seen any damage from this, but IMO it's just a poor practice to do this."

I had one of these for with my old trailer, thinking it was a good tool. Luckily, I was parked in a campground the first time I had to use it. It did not raise the flat tire high enough off the ground to remove and get the new one on. Nothing beats a bottle jack. Some trucks have a jack that can also be used with the trailer, otherwise make sure you have what you need before you blow a tire on the interstate.

NO matter what you method you use to install, after it is done, you will never go back to a hand crank!

michers wrote:
Just put the stabilizer jacks down. Since you mentioned a TT, most are scissor jacks and rated at around 5000 lbs. I've had to do this myself once for an emergency CG repair and I've also used them to support the entire TT when I repack wheel bearings.

I would not recommend using the stab jacks to support the entire length of the trailer for support with the wheels off the ground. I would be concerned that the trailer frame is designed to support spans from the wheels to each end (front or back) and supporting the weight of the trailer at the ends of the frame would "tweak" the frame. This is the same as using the stab jacks to "level" the trailer which I think is a universal NO-NO. To use them to support the front end to put on say the tongue jack should be O.K. from the frame standpoint since this is not much different that supporting the from of the trailer normally with just the tongue jack.

For lifting the wheels I would recommend using a jack

1. between the axles on the frame ... my preferred method using a 12T bottle jack. A thick 4 or 5" long steel plate between the lower frame webbing and the bottle jack would be good to spread the load more equally along the frame at the lift point.

2. On the frame as close to the front or rear axle as possible

3. On the axle itself within say 6" of the existing axle support and only if you are using a "curved saddle" on the jack that matches up with the axle shape.

I'm also not a big fan of using these "ramps" under one tire to get the other tire off the ground since especially for the "tor-flex" type axles you are "SERIOUSLY" overloading the axle whose tire remains on the ground. I haven't heard or seen any damage from this, but IMO it's just a poor practice to do this.

Larry

I've done both hooking the trailer up to the TV or using the stabilizer jacks. Both work fine but the jacks were easier as mine are always down when it's parked anyways.