rockwithjason
Well-known member
any advise on electric tongue jacks?
electric trailer tongue jacks
- Thread starter rockwithjason
- Start date
Dick in Wisconsin
Well-known member
I bought one at Northern Tool last year for my 24' race trailer. I have 1,400# of tongue weight at the ball (used a Sherline Trailer Tongue scale). I think it works great. I think I paid abotu $175 with an extended warranty. No need to wire. Tongue jack plugs into the RV jack on the tow vehicle.
What kind of trailer do you have?
I would recommend it.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200381584_200381584
What kind of trailer do you have?
I would recommend it.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200381584_200381584
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They are guaranteed to quick working when you least expect it.
Zeke
Well-known member
That would be my favorite kind of tool.
Anyway, as long as you have a back up, what's to lose?
That would be my favorite kind of tool.
Anyway, as long as you have a back up, what's to lose?
Just make sure have some type of jack and blocking.
RVDan
Well-known member
The ones that I have in stock have a manual override crank, So with a built in backup I don't see a problem.
Just don't get one that doesn't have that option.
Just don't get one that doesn't have that option.
The one shown in the link at Northern Tool looks great, good to read a positive review. I'd love to put something like this on my trailer as my original hand crank wore out and was replaced with one that has a knob which is hard to use.
I've never bought from Northern Tool, but was under the impression that it's alot like HF, so I looked on the HF site for an electric trailer jack. They have one that looks very similar except for the ability to plug into the truck for power. Theirs has bad reviews.
Going to look into the one at Northern Tool. EDiT...looked at the reviews on NT...looks like a solid unit. Darn you guys...making me spend money!
I've never bought from Northern Tool, but was under the impression that it's alot like HF, so I looked on the HF site for an electric trailer jack. They have one that looks very similar except for the ability to plug into the truck for power. Theirs has bad reviews.
Going to look into the one at Northern Tool. EDiT...looked at the reviews on NT...looks like a solid unit. Darn you guys...making me spend money!
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PeterT
Well-known member
Mine is a real knuckle buster. The swing arm almost hits the rusty propane tanks. I've bloodied my knuckles more then once. I would be interested in your findings or recommendations on something under $100
OP
rockwithjason
Well-known member
under 100 isn't going to get it. 150 to 200 is realistic by all of my shopping around. thanks for the recommend on the northern tool unit. i will try it out on our 24ft cargo trailer and report back.
Dick in Wisconsin
Well-known member
Careful. You got what you pay for. You need a stout motor and metal gears; not plastic.
I'll be beuilding a modified replica of a trailer I currently have / use. I was thinking about an electric tongue jack and was going to wire it off of a trailer battery, if its wired up for trailer or tow vehicle ( Truck ) power, ... would the Trucks system be charging the trailer batter when its hooked up and Truck is running ?
fiveohpatrol
Well-known member
I have an Atwood and love it. I have an old car battery in the trailer to power the jack and a winch. It stays charged between uses via a $50 solar panel on the roof.
Dick in Wisconsin
Well-known member
Presume you are going to use RV plugs between the truck and trailer. The big six or seven lead ones.
Then it depends on how the receptacle on the truck and the plug on the trailer is wired. I presume you'll have a "hot" wire coming from the truck to the trailer battery. I think my Suburban is wired so that the only time the "hot" wire is really "hot" is when the Suburban is running; otherwise you run the risk of having dead batteries in the trailer and truck.
The Northern Tool electric tongue jack doesn't need to be "wired into the trailer" (which I was pleasantly surprised to find out after I bought it). The cable from the tongue has a RV plug on the end and you plug the tongue jack into the tow vehicle and it works GREAT!
If it runs slow ... its only when the there lots of weight on the tongue and/or I'm trying to "bust the hitch off the ball".
OP
rockwithjason
Well-known member
update on the tongue jack. i got this thing installed yesterday in about an hour or so and i am not sure how civilized society has made it this far without them. i have to hook and unhook several times a day to this trailer and this has made life so much easier. i did hard wire it to the batteries inside the trailer that were already installed for the winch system as opposed to using the 7 way plug supplied. the only down side i can see is that there are small led lights on the sides of the unit that are unswitched so you might have to add a switch if you hard wire. i love this thing.
OP
rockwithjason
Well-known member
only if you set it up that way. you may need an isolator to protect your truck batteries.
evs1
Well-known member
I installed an attwood on my shop trailer several years ago and it is great. Usually the wifeyperson guides me back to hook up and then lowers the ball before I get out. It made her life a lot easier too. We were moving this trailer 3-4 times a week going to different jobs and setting up and it definately helped.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
My advise would be to not purchase a cheapy jack. That will turn you off of them. I have two friends that bought electric jacks at the same time I added one to my new 26' Haulmark Edge race trailer that I bought in 2008. I added the Atwood 3500 lb. model and have not had a single issue with it, even with the trailer loaded to over 12k pounds.
My wife and I also bought one for my father-in-law two years ago for Father's day and he loves it. It is the lighter duty Atwood as he doesn't have nearly the tongue weight on his travel trailer as we do on our enclosed trailer.
Both of my friends have gone back to the manual ones after their generic, inexpensive electric jacks quite working properly.
On a side note, when the trailer is loaded heavy I will usually back the truck, or coach depending on what I am towing it with, to the trailer and plug it in prior to activating the tongue jack. This boosts the voltage slightly allowing the electric motor to operate more efficiently and puts less stress on it. With the onboard battery alone it can drop the voltage just enough to lessen the ability for the motor to function at the designed RPM and therefore not able to produce the rated torque.
Mike.
My wife and I also bought one for my father-in-law two years ago for Father's day and he loves it. It is the lighter duty Atwood as he doesn't have nearly the tongue weight on his travel trailer as we do on our enclosed trailer.
Both of my friends have gone back to the manual ones after their generic, inexpensive electric jacks quite working properly.
On a side note, when the trailer is loaded heavy I will usually back the truck, or coach depending on what I am towing it with, to the trailer and plug it in prior to activating the tongue jack. This boosts the voltage slightly allowing the electric motor to operate more efficiently and puts less stress on it. With the onboard battery alone it can drop the voltage just enough to lessen the ability for the motor to function at the designed RPM and therefore not able to produce the rated torque.
Mike.
admranger
Well-known member
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