question for the experts UPDATED 04/29/15

[dspencer]

Just last night when i went out to move the camper back in storage I went to lower the electric tongue jack it would raise but not lower. Now my battery was very low and needs a good charge. Anyway at first i was thinking it was a switch or jack problem however after pulling it to the storage unit and being charged a little while driving it started to work again.

My question is could this have been related to the battery being very low or do i have a potential jack problem? I personally wouldn't see it being a battery issue when it would raise but not lower. But that's why i'm here seeking the experts opinion.

btw, the jack is on a 1 year old Gray Wolf 26ft trailer.

[Monster9903]

I vote for low battery. In some jacks the mechanism may be a little tighter at the extreme ends so going down that last few or up that small but may take a little more oomph and if the battery is low no go. I wouldn't leave my battery or my propane tanks on in storage. I used to remove the bottles and battery and bring them home. You can run your gas grill with them:-)

[diesel_man_03]

My guest is the low battery.

[myredracer]

Never mind, I see you got it.

[dspencer]

Thanks for everyone's advice, it was as most of you suggested a dead battery. Got a full charge on the battery and everything is back to normal now.

[westend]

I've seen similar. Chances are the battery was low and couldn't overcome the resistance in the switch, ie. the one set of contacts that didn't pass any power. If your switch is easy to remove, you may wish to pull it out and give it a squirt of contact cleaner.

Chances are, if you keep the battery fully charged you'll never have another problem with the jack.

[coolbreeze01]

I have used jumper cables to the jack when I had removed the trailer batteries.

[beemerphile1]

I doubt it was the battery.

Any chance the trailer had moved slightly and was binding the jack post? I had it happen.

[dspencer]

BurbMan wrote:

scbwr wrote:
I would think the low battery didn't have the power to extend the jack due to the weight load. Retracting was aided by the weight on the jack. If it works fine once charged up, I wouldn't worry about it although I would test it a few times.

I disconnect my battery if it's not going to be used for awhile, and throw a charger on it before connecting for a trip, if necessary. You can get a quick disconnect for it.

^^THIS^^

Takes more power to run the motor when there is a load on it, so if it runs in both directions when the battery is charged the jack is fine.

BTW, you came to right place looking for experts LOL.

You know i keep telling my employee's in my department that i'm the expert. :B
I also told them that i thought i was wrong one time along time ago but turns out i was mistaken. :R LOL

[BurbMan]

scbwr wrote:
I would think the low battery didn't have the power to extend the jack due to the weight load. Retracting was aided by the weight on the jack. If it works fine once charged up, I wouldn't worry about it although I would test it a few times.

I disconnect my battery if it's not going to be used for awhile, and throw a charger on it before connecting for a trip, if necessary. You can get a quick disconnect for it.

^^THIS^^

Takes more power to run the motor when there is a load on it, so if it runs in both directions when the battery is charged the jack is fine.

BTW, you came to right place looking for experts LOL.

[dwayneb236]

Had the same issue this week except didn't want to work either direction. Not necessarily a low battery but it was a poor connection on my cable. Didn't tighten my wing nut all the way. Had me worried till I snugged it all the way. Worked like a charm after that.

[dspencer]

The solar charger wouldn't work when its in storage as it's stored inside a building. Maybe i misspoke, the jack would extend but not retract. I am thinking its a battery but will find out for sure this weekend when i go back to the storage and get it completely charged up. Usually i do disconnect the battery but last week i simply forgot it.

[Dakota98]

I believe it to be the battery.

To test this in the future, if it occurs again, simply plug your 7-pin into the TV with the engine running & before attempting to hook up. The jack should work just fine, verifying the low battery.

[JAXFL]

wbwood wrote:

the bear II wrote:
I would suspect the Low Battery.... get one of the $100 solar chargers to keep your battery topped off when the RV is in storage.

Better yet, take the battery out and carry it with you to keep it and a solar charger from being stolen.

X 2

[scbwr]

I would think the low battery didn't have the power to extend the jack due to the weight load. Retracting was aided by the weight on the jack. If it works fine once charged up, I wouldn't worry about it although I would test it a few times.

I disconnect my battery if it's not going to be used for awhile, and throw a charger on it before connecting for a trip, if necessary. You can get a quick disconnect for it.