elec tongue jack 101

[mosseater]

My hand crank jack is in need of bushings and gears. Was thinking I could get parts but there's no info on it. Am now considering replacing with elec jack. I haven't even started down the road of looking. Are most of good quality? Any to avoid completely? Tongue scales around 1100 lbs. Guessing 2000 lb would be plenty. Thoughts and opinions welcome. Thanks, folks.

[Huntindog]

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.

[Camreal]

Over a year ago I bought the Libra 3500 and it has worked great and has a crank . Less than $100 and for that I could replace it if needed. Very easy and fast to install. Sure beats all that cranking on 800-900 lbs.

[Lynnmor]

Terryallan wrote:


There are many good jacks to chose from.

And a few bad ones as well. I was at a RV manufacturing plant and was in on a conversation about a factory installed jack failing. They were honest about the jacks being junk and installed a manual jack till the customer could obtain a good one.

I have been using my Atwood jack for 18 years with only the lamp lens needing replacement.

[Trackrig]

As the others have said, a 2,000# jack isn't going to do it.

Here's the jack I bought a couple of years ago. It's rated for 4,500# and gets very good ratings. You can't beat it for $192.89 delivered to your door.

Husky HB4500 4500 lbs. Brute Power Jack from Amazon

Bill

[Terryallan]

2000lb ain't gonna do it. You will need at least 3500lb. Remember, You will need to raise the rear of the TV to hook the chains. I got mine at Northern Tool. It is an Ultra tow, and has been on the TT for the last 4 years. Did have a problem with a heat relay. Removed it. Works fine, Still has fuses to protect it.


There are many good jacks to chose from.

[Bigbird65]

I would get a 3500 lb jack. Remember you are lifting the tow vehicle when you hitch up. Bigger is better in this case.