Power jacj
Has anyone replaced manual tongue jack with power jack? And what kind? Anyone ever use the one harbor freight sells? Any info would be appreciated.
Forum Discussion
- I installed the Husky HB4500 on my rig. It has a manual crank over ride (if ever needed) and is of the ball screw design. It is of high quality.
- A friend of ours has had the 3500# Harbor Freight jack going on 10 years. never covers it. I installed it for him.
- The last sentence above is key. Be sure the switches do not get wet.
Trent1980 wrote:
Redcatcher70 wrote:
Not knowing the type of unit you have, be sure to get one with the weight rating of you unit. I have had two different units with electric Jack's, would. Not own a trailer without one.
I have a 21 ft travel trailer
HFs jacks most likely will work OK, sometimes their stuff is a good bargain and sometimes not so much.
They have a 3500 lb and 5000 lb electric jack, with HF I tend to gravitate to more robust versions of things to hedge my bets it will work. They are ACME screw which is what most manual jacks use, ball jacks are nice but cost more.
For your trailer a 3500 lb jack will most likely work.
If you do decide on the 5000 lbs jack, measure the jack tube diameter and the bolt pattern of your existing jack. Heavier built jacks will have a larger tube diameter and wider bolt pattern and if you have the smaller version won't fit your tongue without making modifications.
Also want to check and verify the total lift distance of what you have vs the replacement. The lift of jacks can vary.
One nice thing I noticed about the HF jacks, they have a manual over ride so if the electric motor has a problem you can use the manual option. Not all electric jacks have manual override.
The downside I saw was the switches are exposed to weather and you will want to cover those to protect them.Redcatcher70 wrote:
Not knowing the type of unit you have, be sure to get one with the weight rating of you unit. I have had two different units with electric Jack's, would. Not own a trailer without one.
I have a 21 ft travel trailer- Consider a jack that uses a drill/impact for power with a removal handle to use if needed. An added security measure IMO.
- Not knowing the type of unit you have, be sure to get one with the weight rating of you unit. I have had two different units with electric Jack's, would. Not own a trailer without one.
- on all my trailers with manual jacks I've replaced them with power jacks. For me the only choice is power jacks with a ball screw mechanism, not an acme thread. More expensive but ball screw mechanism has less resistance, less trouble, and generally is longer lasting. I've done 3 such upgrades and in all cases used a barker ball screw jack.
