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Old 04-13-2004, 03:36 AM   #1
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Angry electric jack...that darn fiber gear again!

I've got a '77 Sovereign and it has it's original electric jack. The problem is that it seems to eat up that big fiber gear about every two years, and this is with maybe 5 trips per year.
Is this normal?? Does anyone know of a source for these gears that's less than the nearly 30 bucks I've been paying?
Thanks for any leads on this....
Guy
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Old 04-13-2004, 08:21 AM   #2
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That fiber gear is the biggest failure on the whole jack. I keep an extra one in stock all the time. They are available through dealers but $26 is the least I ever paid for one.
Randy
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Old 04-13-2004, 08:50 AM   #3
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In the Nick of Time

Well this is bad news.
But I am so glad to read about this problem. I was just getting ready to buy the jack head from another list member for 85.00.
If the innards are junk-engineered I think I'll pass. Thanks guys.
I'm still able to crank.

However I have never heard others complain of this weakness in part eslswhere. Could it be a misaligned gear train, due to a dent etc? Seems if this were widespread I would have seen other folks much PO'd. I read alot of forums pretty thouroughly and this is my first encounter.


Could you all further ID the brand/model# etc. jack-motor you are condemning please.

Is the 26.00 part(gear) from the manufacturer? Or a retailer?

EDIT I just found some info thanks to the "similar thread" feature that follows this thread.http://www.airforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4069
But still wonder if this is the same model that you are talking about.
Thanks again
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Old 04-13-2004, 09:05 AM   #4
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Don't buy a new jack head yet. The part is made by Barker Manufacturing. I think the key is to baby the switch. In other words, up or down with a pause between or it will eventually strip. Don't go past full up or full down. My first one lasted 24 years (that I know of because it looked original) and the second lasted only two years until I figured out how fragile they are. My dad has stripped a few too.
In edit, I would not say the jack innards are bad, or the whole jack for that matter and maybe there is a way to align the gears better but the fiber gear is under suspicion to me.
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Old 04-13-2004, 09:10 AM   #5
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The gear is likely engineered to be a failure component. It is cheaper to replace than a burnt up motor because the gearing jammed, Etc.

I did not have this problem in the past with my Jacks, but I babied them as I had heard that if you did not they could loose a gear.
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Old 04-13-2004, 10:02 AM   #6
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Seat the head

It is imperative that the whole assembly is seated upon re-assembly.

As you may have noticed, it is tight quarters and the wiring is very short. It does not take much for the wire to get under the gear. This will provide for a weak mating between drive gears and rotary gear.
I did not have a problem with the gear but I have disassembled a couple and repaired other problems.
I would watch Ebay for a whole head, they come on there every now and then.

As for the 85 dollars unit. I would buy that any day over cranking, been there and done that. I guarantee if you ever go electric you will not crank back

But Jaco Cranko, kinda catchy

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Old 04-13-2004, 10:17 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smily
It is imperative that the whole assembly is seated upon re-assembly.

As you may have noticed, it is tight quarters and the wiring is very short. It does not take much for the wire to get under the gear. This will provide for a weak mating between drive gears and rotary gear.
I did not have a problem with the gear but I have disassembled a couple and repaired other problems.
I would watch Ebay for a whole head, they come on there every now and then.

As for the 85 dollars unit. I would buy that any day over cranking, been there and done that. I guarantee if you ever go electric you will not crank back

But Jaco Cranko, kinda catchy

Smily

There is nothing wrong with the head when you hear the spinning of the motor and no action from the jack. It's a sound you will know. It is the fiber gear. If you need a head, get the head but the gear is what's wrong most of the time. If your jack is dead, you can even get a motor and not a whole head from Barker or Ebay but I don't think that is the problem. I too would buy a whole new jack before cranking, that will wear you down quick.

In edit, Ken is right that reseating the cap correctly and making sure the wires don't get in the way of the gear is important but the fiber gear will still strip in time anyway.
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Old 04-13-2004, 12:22 PM   #8
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We have painted a red stripe on our jack right before it is fully extended and before fully retracted. This way you will always know when to stop the jack.

Tim
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Old 04-13-2004, 12:28 PM   #9
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limit switches

If your jack is working correctly and it is synchronized properly, there is no need for indicators like red lines on the shaft, (although this is a good preventative measure). There is a limit switch in the head that stops the motor at both extremes. it is a small microswitch. This switch can cause some confusion for a novice electrician. There are more wires than you would think necessary. The extra wires provide for the limit switch.

Works good when everything is in its place.

Smily
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Old 04-13-2004, 12:51 PM   #10
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I guess the question was asked but does this jack require syncronization when the head is pulled off? If it does, and you aren't doing it after putting things back together, then you may be looking at why this gear fails so rapidly.

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Old 04-13-2004, 12:54 PM   #11
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Ding Ding Ding

Jack, I believe you have hit it right on the head. I dont remember seeing any reference to synchronizing in this thread.

We shall see soon, I am certain.

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Old 04-13-2004, 07:35 PM   #12
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All electric jack "heads" must be in sync with the jack post.

If it is, the internal switches will prevent the jack from reaching either extreme position.

Most fiber gear failures are not caused by wear and tear, but by being out of sync.

Andy
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Old 04-14-2004, 05:16 AM   #13
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Okay....that synchronization thing sounds plausible. Now that I think about it, the failures have occurred when someone other than me, was operating the jack!
Now the question.....how does one synchronize the jack??
Guy
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Old 04-14-2004, 08:43 AM   #14
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Who's jack?

Andy
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Old 04-14-2004, 04:45 PM   #15
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Jack Sync instructions

If it's a Barker jack there are some PDF's here with instructions

http://www.barkermfg.com/product_ins...tructions.html
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Old 04-15-2004, 05:17 AM   #16
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I can't really tell what brand of jack it is...the logo is too faded. It does appear as if it is probably the original jack that came with the trailer. The up/down switch is located on the bottom of the motor itself on mine. I've ordered the fiber gear from an Airstream dealer several times, and they've always sent me the correct one without asking which jack I have, so it must be the original equipment one.
Guy
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Old 05-04-2004, 02:34 PM   #17
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Well, I received the new fiber gear and was all ready to install and "synchronize" the jack today.
I removed the head and I don't see anything but two gears in there...no limit switches! I tried grounding the motor against the frame and running it to see if the limit circuit was in the motor housing, but apparently not. It just kept running.
Could this jack just simply not have limit switches, thus no need to synchronize? I wish I could read the make and model of the jack, but it's just gone.
Any ideas?
Guy
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Old 05-04-2004, 05:10 PM   #18
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A thousand words

I have an idea, send pictures!

We can help you if we can see what you are working on.

Smily
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Old 05-05-2004, 05:25 PM   #19
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Hmmm...a picture.....good idea!
I hope I can figure out how to do that....Let's see what happens.
Guy
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Old 05-05-2004, 09:18 PM   #20
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Hey DOH
Thanks for the barker link. I found the owners manual for my
jack and found out where the switch for the lights are.......BONUS!!!!!
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