gear slippage on tongue jack

[BessieB]

So my husband ran the tongue jack yesterday and could not see the gear slip. Last year you all helped me when the tongue slipped down while traveling and of course that could have been a disaster. So I chained it up the rest of the trip. I saw the slippage when the trailer was still on the truck. So with the trailer on the block and full pressure, the tongue jack works fine. I told him to put it on the truck or something and then he will see the slippage.
Sooooo.... if he neglects to fix this gear problem, what is the long term result?

[KJRitchie]

Why not chuck it for a new jack.

Kelvin

[HowieE]

Once the shaft has failed, it is not the gears it is the shaft, it has to be replaced. Some manufactures will sell just the shaft and you can replace it and save the head. But if the unit is older you may want to just replace the complete unit.

Look at others owners trailers before you buy new one. Some are junk and take forever to expand and retract.

[Wolf Alaska]

All of the above is good troubleshooting advice.

I can add that several times I've had a trailer tongue jack fail to operate after several months of inactivity. By removing the rubber plugs & the bolts within, I was able to remove the cover. Then I sprayed the helix mechanism with WD40 or light oil & sprayed the switches with silicone spray.

Luckily, the jack would resume operation each time.

I've bought vinyl jack cover bags for each trailer's nose jack & keep them on in hopes that will reduce moisture & corrosion in the jack mechanism.

Let's Roll !
Wolf

[BessieB]

So called the Ultra peoples. Because the jack spins when it goes up and needs help, there is no fix. Just run the jack until it's dead and then replace.

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by BessieB

So called the Ultra peoples. Because the jack spins when it goes up and needs help, there is no fix. Just run the jack until it's dead and then replace.

Not sure who told you that it could not be fixed but i don't buy it. The jack has 2 distinct part, the motor and the shaft. Either one can be replaced as a repair.

All manufactures state that you should not rely on the jack when going under the trailer for any type of work. That is because the failure mode of these jacks is to auto rotate down. Sounds like yours is just about there.

[BessieB]

Sounds like the one bolt is out or worn, the one that locks in the jack. Getting this second hand since I passed on the phone to hubby to talk to them. It is the spinning as it goes up once the weight is off that sank any fix. So the first poster after mine said buy a new one. My husband joked, "donations welcome"