New Style Vertical Motor Happijac Spy Photos

Did this just turn out to be the same motor, but on top instead of beside the leg?

Makes way more sense to put motor on top as there is unlimited room above the leg, but next to it can interfere with the truck door or access door on camper or just be in an odd place generally.

Yes, but there some practical limit to how far you can go.

HMS Beagle wrote:
No Acme screw jack will drop on its own (with a motor disconnect) that requires a ball screw. The newest hi load Happijacs are acme screw. An acme screw will have higher friction and therefore require more torque to turn, but a ball screw has to be kept very clean and lubricated or it will freeze solid. Tradeoffs....

With the acme screw, can't the thread pitch be lower so you can use a faster but lower torque motor?

HMS Beagle wrote:
Tradeoffs....

Such is life........

No Acme screw jack will drop on its own (with a motor disconnect) that requires a ball screw. The newest hi load Happijacs are acme screw. An acme screw will have higher friction and therefore require more torque to turn, but a ball screw has to be kept very clean and lubricated or it will freeze solid. Tradeoffs....

I trust the technology exists to make a jack motor weatherproof?

My camper is out in the elements all year, and even if it wasn't, it doesn't just rain here outside the camping season. Now if I need to keep the camper out of the rain year-round, my camping experience would be somewhat diminished.

In all seriousness... I had a seized HJ motor after the second winter on our previous camper. For our 2017 Northstar, I decided against electric jacks. We do not load/unload often, and when we do, we now use a Makita cordless drill. It cost about the price of one replacement motor.

covered wagon wrote:
My HJ's are 15 yrs now because I cover them with freezer bags during storage. Also remove motor cover sleeves and oil bearings twice a year.

I will do the freezer bag protection, but I saw no obvious way to remove the motor cover without removing the whole head assembly.

My HJ's are 15 yrs now because I cover them with freezer bags during storage. Also remove motor cover sleeves and oil bearings twice a year.

My Atwoods are trouble free for 7 years now.

joerg68 wrote:
Thank You! I still liked the Atwood product better. Time will tell if the new motors reliably survive more than 2 years in the weather...

Yep, my Atwoods still work great after 22 years.

I would love to open up one of the new Happijac motor/drive assemblies. Someone said they were direct drive with a high torque motor. I doubt that because the wires to the head were too small to handle the current draw for that. There has to be some type of gear reduction inside that head..... I'm thinking planetary gear system.....probably with $#!+? plastic gears. :)

Bradw