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A buddy of mine's wife got in touch with me yesterday about helping her pick out an electric tongue jack for him as a Christmas present. It would be going on a Starcraft Travelstar 229TB, 5k gvwr. I've never had a tag trailer with a power jack so I'm not sure what to look for. There are quite a few different weight ratings, though I'm inclined to suggest the heaviest available as it could always be moved to a bigger trailer later on. Second I see they offer electric round drop legs, so I'd call a drop leg a must, I hate the standard jack on my dump trailer, but there is no bolt on drop leg. Anybody have an electric tongue jack they really like? Or hate? Thanks!
Mostly because of it's weight rating. I would also think, generally, the higher the weight rating the better. Mostly because when you are loading your spring bars, you jack up the back of the tow vehicle to some extent, to connect the bars. The back of my tow vehicle is heavy.
I have used several and did not really find much difference, but I would go with a higher rating. The one thing I will say about the Husky, if you decide to go that way is it has a holder for the seven pin on the back that can conflict with the hard cover over your propane tanks so if you are tight for space there, it can be a problem.
Plenty of lift, excellent construction, and best of all, a wireless remote. Combined with a back up camera, makes hook-up and disconnect easy, not to mention front to rear leveling.
Mostly because of it's weight rating. I would also think, generally, the higher the weight rating the better. Mostly because when you are loading your spring bars, you jack up the back of the tow vehicle to some extent, to connect the bars. The back of my tow vehicle is heavy.
This was the one that peaked my interest the most so far. Honestly I may consider one for my dump trailer since the one on it sucks and I REALLY want a drop leg. This can be had with a wireless remote also, but I'll leave that decision to my buddies wife. As Chuck pointed out the screw in the Husky above does run on bearings.
Originally Posted by RV_Tech
I have used several and did not really find much difference, but I would go with a higher rating. The one thing I will say about the Husky, if you decide to go that way is it has a holder for the seven pin on the back that can conflict with the hard cover over your propane tanks so if you are tight for space there, it can be a problem.
Steve
Steve, it looks like the 7 pin holder is removable, since you've seen one in person is it as easy to remove as it looks?
One of the best things I ever bought for our travel trailer was an electric jack. I got really tired of raising, lowering and then raising the trailer by hand just to get it on/off the hitch.
I have a harbor frieght special on my trailer. The jack was simple to hook up and works. Biggest complaint if any is that is a bit slow but works. My boss said it was annoying and he would never trade for a hand jack option. Another note, I noticed the jack on his trailer is way oversized for it's wieght. It has to be a 3.5 to 4 K jack for a trailer that weighs in at 4500#. Good figure.
To finish this up, I asked her for some measurements of the trailer-- it's a hybrid so I needed to make sure the extra height of the motor would clear the bed. All good there and enough room between jack and propane tank cover for the Husky 4500. She found it somewhere for $161 with free shipping, so it's on the way.
I still want one for my dump trailer but it's pretty far down on the list right now.
I have a harbor frieght special on my trailer. The jack was simple to hook up and works. Biggest complaint if any is that is a bit slow but works. My boss said it was annoying and he would never trade for a hand jack option. Another note, I noticed the jack on his trailer is way oversized for it's wieght. It has to be a 3.5 to 4 K jack for a trailer that weighs in at 4500#. Good figure.
How has your's held up? I'm about to pull the trigger on one.
To finish this up, I asked her for some measurements of the trailer-- it's a hybrid so I needed to make sure the extra height of the motor would clear the bed. All good there and enough room between jack and propane tank cover for the Husky 4500. She found it somewhere for $161 with free shipping, so it's on the way.
I still want one for my dump trailer but it's pretty far down on the list right now.
Excellent choice, GREAT price. I sell (not online) and install these. It is imperative to grind off the paint in the vicinity of the 3 mounting bolts on both the coupler and bottom on the jack mounting plate. This is how it grounds.
How has your's held up? I'm about to pull the trigger on one.
So far so good. I don't have any complaints about them in general. So it is a bit slow, I am not cranking on the handle like a mad man to get the trailer off the ball or on. My dad has one on his trailer as well. He got his first and it was an "open box" type purchase. Once again no problems. Mine does not run any additional weather protection like a bucket or cover on top Neither does his. I know my storage site does plow/ move snow near the trailers, I did not have an issue.
I bought the generic version on ebay for 80 bucks. 3500 lb rating. I was not going to spend 350 on a jack when I plan on replacing the trailer in a year or 2.
It is the best upgrade I have made to date on the trailer. No more turning that handle 30-40 revolutions just to unhook it from the hitch.
It is a bit slower but still does what it needs to do and I am in no rush when I go camping.
I haven't seen problems with any of the jacks. Maybe some faster, some slower, but they all seem to work fine, at least for a reasonable number of years.
11-11-2015, 09:32 PM
