Power tongue jack

Thanks again for all the replies.

I am still leaning to the barker but am having some trouble figuring out the different models available.

The vip seems like a new cheaper model but beyond the bearing cant find what the differences are and how much that will help.

any insight???

sgrizzle wrote:
I thought I wanted a power jack, until one week-end the guy next to me had his fail. He couldn't manually jack the trailer. It stopped in midway up when he was unhooking. We had to all climb on the bumper of the truck to get him unhitched...

Are they all like that? no manual over-ride? to me, I'll just crank it myself.

The only time I had a problem was with a manual jack. The roll pin broke and I had to use the stablizer jacks to raise the trailer to get it unhooked.

Sheared the gears in a manual last fall and had to finish the unhooking job with a floor jack. Now, its an 'lectric HD Atwood for next spring.

Just ordered a Barker 3500 VIP for our TT. Can't wait. No more cranking!

Jimmc wrote:
Snip... Beyond that, the weight on the jack starts getting bigger and you have more leeway to attach the chains. The question is whether or not that "just touching" point or something just slightly beyond it gives enough slack to attach the chains without too large a load on the jack.

That is the proper way to use the jack to relieve the pressure from the chains for hooking up. You should have a jack that is strong enough to lift the back of the truck as high as needed to easily lift the bars into place or hook up the chains. The higher you lift and make the truck/coupler into and inverted V or a tent shape the easier it is.

Most use a 3000lb or 3500lb jack which should do the job easily. Mine is an Atwood 3500lb model and my tongue weight is just short of 1300lbs.
Barney

BarneyS wrote:

Jimmc wrote:
Perhaps a naive question from someone who has never used a WDH and was wondering if a power jack was really necessary. Do you really have to raise the TV rear end using the jack? It seems like you could position the coupler over the ball and leave it high enough to attach the bars, then lower the jack and couple. That would require something a lot less than a 1000 lbs with a moderate weight trailer and should be do-able with a manual jack.

Sorry, but that would make it even harder to raise up the bars with the chains. They are all do-able with a manual jack but the power one just makes it easier. If you are strong enough and/or young enough you do not even need to use the jack at all. Just use your arms and the pipe - and be careful.
Barney

I agree it wouldn't help if you raised the trailer tongue too high. Suppose you hitched up with the WDH disconnected, then started jacking the tongue up. At first there would be little weight since the TV is supporting most of it. Eventually you would reach a point where the jack is supporting the trailer tongue weight and the back of the TV has risen and the trailer coupler is just touching the ball. At that it should be easier to attach the chains. Beyond that, the weight on the jack starts getting bigger and you have more leeway to attach the chains. The question is whether or not that "just touching" point or something just slightly beyond it gives enough slack to attach the chains without too large a load on the jack.

BarneyS wrote:
If you are strong enough and/or young enough you do not even need to use the jack at all. Just use your arms and the pipe - and be careful.
Barney

That's funny- when I was growing up, my dad always used the old 'pipe and strongarm' method on his generic trunnion and chain bars. I didn't know any different until I got my own trailer later with the Equal-i-zer hitch.

We still didn't have an electric jack between us until he bought a 5er a few years ago.

sgrizzle wrote:
I thought I wanted a power jack, until one week-end the guy next to me had his fail. He couldn't manually jack the trailer. It stopped in midway up when he was unhooking. We had to all climb on the bumper of the truck to get him unhitched...

Are they all like that? no manual over-ride? to me, I'll just crank it myself.

Most of them are going to have a manual override crank. My Huskey 4500 does. If all else fails, I'd use some blocks and my 8ton bottle jack.

I thought I wanted a power jack, until one week-end the guy next to me had his fail. He couldn't manually jack the trailer. It stopped in midway up when he was unhooking. We had to all climb on the bumper of the truck to get him unhitched...

Are they all like that? no manual over-ride? to me, I'll just crank it myself.

Friend of mine lost a finger because he was too cheap to buy a power jack. If you are smart enough to learn from others, welcome to a power tongue jack.....