Forum Discussion

MERC225's avatar
MERC225
Explorer
Jul 06, 2015

Struggling Atwood jacks

Hello all,

Looking for some help or suggestions here.

I have an S&S 9.5FBSC camper, purchased new in 2009. Recently I put my 2 Interstate SRM 29 (group 29) batteries in camper after topping water levels off and recharging. The camper/jacks sound to be struggling to lift the camper like the batteries are dead.

I removed the batteries and had them load tested, they both tested real well, like new.

Put the batteries back in the camper, On board battery gauge reads 100%. The batteries still sound like they are struggling. Not sure what is going on. The jacks are Atwood, the camper is stored inside when not being used.

Any ideas as to why the jacks sound this way. I did operated them one at a time and it sounds like 3 of the 4 are struggling more than the others. The manual states they are internally lubed and require no maintenance besides spraying them with silicone which I have done each year. The jacks are clean with no rust on the inner tube portion.

Looking for suggestions as to what you may think is going on.
Truck Campers
  • Boatycall's avatar
    Boatycall
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2015
    Are the safety clutches popping? You'd know if they are, loud POP POP POP from any given jack head. That would tell you they're actually overloaded. Otherwise, as most others have suggested, either bad wiring or you need the extra *oomph* of being plugged in, or both.

    I had HappiJac's, and had to get rid of them because they couldn't handle my camper, but admittedly, mine's just a little heavier than yours.

    Jack Swap Post
  • mellow's avatar
    mellow
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2015
    Can you plug it into the truck? I always have mine either on shore power or it plugged into the truck with it running and that eliminated the groaning sounds I got.
  • MERC225's avatar
    MERC225
    Explorer
    Jul 07, 2015
    Have not had the opportunity to try the jacks while plugged into shore power. What is your thought??

    Narcodog, I will check the wiring, what grounds do you mean? The grounds of each jack? Do you mean the jack side, or camper side? I will try to check as much as possible.

    Keep the ideas coming, I really appreciate the help.
  • NEOK's avatar
    NEOK
    Explorer
    Jul 06, 2015
    Do the jacks sound like they are struggling if you are plugged in to shore power or just when they are on battery power?
  • MERC225's avatar
    MERC225
    Explorer
    Jul 06, 2015
    I did check the push-in black connector, posts and receptacle seem to be clean with no corrosion.

    How does one check the cable on the black connectors, they seem to be molded on to the connectors, not sure I want to cut those off?

    Keep the ideas coming. How does one check the voltage on these? Should I pull the connectors and have someone activate the remote to check voltage at the connectors?
  • slickrock_steve's avatar
    slickrock_steve
    Explorer
    Jul 06, 2015
    Any corrosion on the cable ends up in the insulation?
    Sometimes the corrosion can creep inside the cable causing a high resistance. Or perhaps the grounds?
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Jul 06, 2015
    Check all electrical connections to make sure they aren't loose or corroded.

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