Electric tongue jack not extending

ipso_facto · 03-22-2003, 03:03 PM

I cannot extend my electric tongue jack down to raise the trailer. The motor in it is running as if normal but the actual jack is not moving at all. Why is this going on? My unit is a 86 Excella.

Could this be related to the fact that I am not plugged into the shore power?

I checked the battery and it is "Good".

Also the trailer is not level at all side to side, could this be related to the problem?

Is there a way to manually lower the jack?

How often do these jacks break?

femuse · 03-22-2003, 03:42 PM

If the motor is running, it sounds like a gear problem.
Nothing to do with how level the trailer is or on shore power: it's always running on 12v.
Some have a manual bypass. The one on our 1974 looks original and still working OK.

thenewkid64 · 03-22-2003, 04:09 PM

There is a clutch in many of the tounge jacks. Yours may be MIA.

If you remove the head of the jack (the motor assembly) There should be a slot in the top of the screw portion on the jack itself. You my have a small crank handle that came with your unit and you have yet to find what it fits. It fits in this slot so you can manually raise or lower the jack. You can also test the motor/clutch by grounding the head assembly and flipping the switch. You should see something turning inside.

j54mark · 03-22-2003, 04:34 PM

If you pull the head, be aware that the motor is "timed" to the drivetrain. You can't just plop it back on anywhere. My manual has instructions, but it is 50 miles away right now.

Mark

ipso_facto · 03-22-2003, 04:48 PM

That's what it was. I was able to take off the cover - barely, the bolts were rusty (but carb. cleaner helped). The main gear inside, the biggest one right in the middle is really worn. I took it out, looked at it and put it back in. It's really worn in one spot but most of it looks good. I saw that the other gear gets stuck right in this worn-out spot and they lack the friction to turn.

I was able to get it moving and lower the jack about a foot down. But once it hit the ground, the gears started slipping again.

It seems like a 25c repair. Where can I get this gear, made out of metal ideally?

(It seems like this one is made out of plastic although I wonder if they had reasons for that)

PS
I did not remove the head of the jack. Just the cover.

ipso_facto · 03-25-2003, 11:58 AM

I looked in the manual and here is what I found:

It is H&H Power Jack.

The part number is 10051. It is called 2nd/3rd Gear set.

http://www.barkermfg.com/product_pag...wer_jacks.html

Best news is, they make a metal upgrade instead of that fragile plastic gear.