Back-up manual tongue jack

[MargaretB]

My husband is nervous about trailering because he's not mechanically inclined and fears trouble that he can't fix. So the issue of relying on the electric jack came up. I'm wondering if there is such a thing as a manual crank that can be used on a normally electric crank, just in case. Belt and suspenders, that's me. He's concerned about the battery running down and us not being able to hitch up or unhitch.

So is there such a thing as a manual crank for the jack?

[krobbe]

I just carry a bottle jack and plenty of leveling blocks to tackle most emergency lifting jobs. Much more versatile than a manual tongue jack with a single purpose.

[Bull_Rider]

It's important to keep the top of the electric jack covered when not in use. We use a small plastic bucket to keep the rain and snow out of the electric motor.

Fancy people will sew a bag our of marine vinyl or some other waterproof material. Either way will greatly extend the life of the unit.

[bguy]

Last year my friends' 2014 Jayco had the electric jack fail. The servicing dealer was 250km away so he figured on using it manually until he got it there for the fall inspection. After a few weeks the jack jammed. Luckily it jammed low and he jacked it up with the tire jack to get it on the truck. Surprisingly enough the dealer made a house call ( which was now about 200 km away) and changed the jack under warranty. Pretty good of them because their official policy was for a 100 km radius.

[Gene_Ginny]

Make sure you have some extra fuses and don't reverse the direction (up/down) until the motor stops turning.

Don't ask how I learned that one. :S

[Tom_Barb]

jerem0621 wrote:
my best friend had a power tongue jack FAIL internally and collapsed the Tongue to the ground.

A simple bottle jack and a couple automotive jackstands helped get the tongue back up where it needed to be.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Our's tthe motor smoked and that was all she wrote.

[Bigbird65]

My trailer came with a manual jack. I replaced it with an electric jack. I keep the manual jack in the back of my truck incase the electric jack fails. My bottle jack can hold the tougue up while I change the electric jack out. Only 3 bolts.

[MargaretB]

Whew! Thanks, everyone - it's reassuring to know that we can crank it manually. And of course I never even thought about backing the Sequoia up and plugging in the 7-way. Duuuh.

Thanks again.

[Huntindog]

All electric jacks that I have seen can be operated manually.

When it comes to tongue jacks, there is something to consider. They come in two basic designs. A top mounted motor ie: Atwood or a side mounted motor ie; Barker, Ultrafab, Husky and the rest.

The top motor mount design is the same as a manual jack as far as that operation goes.

The side mounted jacks are different, and the difference can be a problem.

The emergency handle inserts into the roof of the housing, and is cranked on a horizontal plane. This can cause interference with the propane tanks, making the operation a real pain. You can only turn it half a revolution, then must remove the handle, turn it 180 degrees, reinsert it and repeat this many times. I found this out the hard way when a Ultrafab on my new TT failed when hitching it up for the first time at the dealers lot.... I only owned that jack for 20-30 minutes. The dealer agreed with me on the stupidity of the design, and gave me full credit towards an Atwood.
This may not be an issue for all TTs because of differing designs... But it for sure won't be an issue with the Atwood.

[jerem0621]

my best friend had a power tongue jack FAIL internally and collapsed the Tongue to the ground.

A simple bottle jack and a couple automotive jackstands helped get the tongue back up where it needed to be.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[nomad297]

TucsonJim wrote:
All the electric jacks on the market that I've seen have a manual back up. Usually, you just use a socket and ratchet on the nut on top of the jack to perform this task. It's very easy and not complicated at all.

This^^^

And, if your battery goes dead, just back the truck up to the seven way and plug it in. Presto! You have 12 volts to your rongue jack.

Bruce

[Jaxom]

My electric jack has a little rubber plug on top. Remove the plug and use the included crank handle to raise or lower as needed.

[TucsonJim]

All the electric jacks on the market that I've seen have a manual back up. Usually, you just use a socket and ratchet on the nut on top of the jack to perform this task. It's very easy and not complicated at all.