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mstephens · 09-06-2012, 01:40 AM

I made a new adjustment to my EQ hitch to get better WD. This required increasing the down tilt by "2 washers worth." Fine. However, I now have to jack the rear of the car with the electric power jack rather higher than before to slide the bars onto the L-bracket - as expected. But, I really do mean HIGH! EQ supplies a "bar lift aid" but it doesn't supply sufficient leverage.

Question: Since I am lifting a pretty substantial Suburban nearly off the ground, is this going to burn out my AS power jack? Instead of lifting 800 pounds it is now lifting perhaps 2500 pounds?

Can the tongue lock lever in the coupler actually safely hold this much weight which is now "hanging" from it? <---This worries me the most.

Phoenix · 09-06-2012, 02:31 AM

Check the lifting capacity of your electric jack (use Google, if necessary to find owners manual online). I know that there are 2,500 and 3,500 pound models of the Atwood jack that we have (ours is 2,500#).

I think electric jacks are specifically designed for this purpose, and the coupler should be fine. After all, it carries most of this as tongue weight all the time, with it bouncing up an down as you cruise down the highway. It should be fine lifting it as a static load while you hook up your equalizer bars.

dznf0g · 09-06-2012, 06:19 AM

The Super Jack (Barker) is a 3000# jack. I lift pretty substantially as well with my Hensley. When I used an EQ I would lift either all the way so I could just slip the bars on by hand or near all the way and used the lever pry bar with a little force.

I believe, if you were to overload the jack, you'd blow the fuse or breaker...or worst case, eventually strip the fiber gear under the top shroud. That's why it's fiber....so it will fail before any "damage" is done to the motor and trive train. I carry an extra fiber gear, but have not needed it thus far.

If the coupler were to fail, I would want it to fail while hitching rather than later, on the road. Just keep you feet and hands out of the way when hitching...not just becaus of this, but it is just a wise safety precaution anyway.

I guess I am assuming you have a Super Jack....does it look like this one:

http://www.barkermfg.com/superjack.jpg

mstephens · 09-06-2012, 08:20 AM

Thanks folks. Yes, I think I have the super jack, although it doesn't look precisely like the picture you linked. I've never blown a fuse yet. I think the idea of carrying a spare gear sounds REALLY good.

Sounds like others do about the same as I am doing, so probably not too much to worry about here. Oh yeah - I keep my hands and feet where they belong!

MrUKToad · 09-06-2012, 09:26 AM

This is perhaps the part of Airstreaming I like the least - lifting the TV pretty much off the ground with the trailer jack to get the WD system hooked up. I know that the hitch receiver on the TV will be fine but the jack and the coupler are working quite hard. However, lots of sage old Airstream folk tell me that it's absolutely fine and is all designed to work like that. To be fair, over two years I'v not had a problem apart from the very first time I did it and blew the fuse. I replaced the fuse (like with like of course) and it's never blown since. Like the OP, hands and feet are well clear at all times and I try to get the operation completed as quickly as I can.

mstephens · 09-06-2012, 09:43 AM

Weirdly, I feel so much better now!

Maybe what's needed is some new way to lift those bars? Some new leverage device?

KenS · 09-06-2012, 09:59 AM

Are heavier bars a possibility to reduce the amount of down-tilt needed?

purman · 09-06-2012, 10:15 AM

This is a huge benefit of the new Andersen WD. You don't have to lift the TV to tighten the WD system.. or lift any heavy bars or hitch. I always hated lifting the TV up and down to hitch and unhitch. Now I do it once to put it on and once to take it off.. Once the hitch is on the ball it takes me about a minute to tighten the chains and away I go..

bigtom · 09-07-2012, 09:45 PM

Had a 2006 26' Safari, towed it without any sway control, and did notice sway and some control issues when passing or being passed with by a big 18-Wheeler. Traded it in on a 2010 30' Classic at Bates RV in Davis (Tampa), FL Feb 2010. They recommended Equalizer and they installed same. Worked well for about six months but did notice a strange 'popping' sound when lowering jack after raising the F-250 to swing stabilizer bars off the L-brackets. Eventually this popping stopped, and the jack would raise OK, but as soon as raising stopped, the jack would slowly sag down. Trouble!

Took to Intermountain Coach at Colorado Springs and they nailed the problem right away. Jack wasn't designed to continuous up and down of something as beefy as a fully loaded Crew Cab F-250. Good thing I purchased insurance covering five years for $2,000; they installed a brand new power jack, with 3,500# capacity. I believe original power jack was 2,500#. Cost about $850. Insurance Company never flinched; I never paid a cent!

ROBERTSUNRUS · 09-07-2012, 10:33 PM

Hi, I only used my lever a few times before I noticed that my tongue jack would do all of the work for me. A few times I lifted the rear wheels of my Lincoln completely off of the ground. Eight years old and still working fine.

kos221 · 09-08-2012, 07:31 PM

So, just exactly how much force is pulling down on the a frame when you let the jack down ? What is the unloaded weight on your front and rear axels? That is the loaded weight (with and without the bars connected)?

Goal15 · 09-08-2012, 07:40 PM

Somewhere on here of a thread about hitching up without jacking up the TV

mefly2 · 09-09-2012, 09:10 PM

When you reach either limit of the jack, the current goes up and the fuse is then blown at that point ...

ROBERTSUNRUS · 09-09-2012, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mefly2

When you reach either limit of the jack, the current goes up and the fuse is then blown at that point ...

Hi, if you are referring to the top and bottom limits of the tongue jack, there are limiter switches to prevent power to the motor, and the fuse will not blow. My down limit was incorrectly adjusted [by me] and it blew the fuse when hitting the bottom. I corrected this.

mefly2 · 09-24-2012, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, if you are referring to the top and bottom limits of the tongue jack, there are limiter switches to prevent power to the motor, and the fuse will not blow. My down limit was incorrectly adjusted [by me] and it blew the fuse when hitting the bottom. I corrected this.

Not sure about limiter switches on my 2012 tongue jack - fuses blown by both the service fellows when putting AS into storage and by me at home ... both at the top of the range as well as the bottom of the jack range. Can you refer me to the proper adjustment procedure, please. YMMV

Phoenix · 09-24-2012, 12:11 AM

We have an Attwood electric tongue jack that ratchets at the upper and lower limits to protect the motor and gears, and we have never blown a fuse. However, the noise is very annoying; so we took a permanent marker and put a ring around the shaft where the ratcheting occurs, so we can slow down as the limits are approached.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 09-24-2012, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mefly2

Not sure about limiter switches on my 2012 tongue jack - fuses blown by both the service fellows when putting AS into storage and by me at home ... both at the top of the range as well as the bottom of the jack range. Can you refer me to the proper adjustment procedure, please. YMMV

Hi, your tongue jack may be different. My motor housing has the limiter switches inside of it. The tongue jack must be timed. Remove the head and ground it to the tube. Run the jack motor in the down position until it stops. The limiter switch will stop it. Crank the jack by hand until it hits the bottom. Crank it back up, a few turns. Align shaft to motor assembly and re-install motor. Mine was hitting the bottom before the limiter switch came on and was blowing fuses everytime I bottomed it out. So I had to properly time the motor. See last paragraph.

mefly2 · 10-02-2012, 03:30 PM

Many thanks!

sarasafari · 11-06-2012, 04:42 PM

I'm a newbie and need some translation from your post

I have a 1969 Safari, towed by a GMC 1500 Sierra. We have a very painted over hitch "lock" (?) and are having difficulty raising and lowering the hitch. I don't want to high jack this thread, but we are frustrated over lifting the truck to get the ball off. What is a WD?? Thanks!