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Old 08-16-2018, 11:46 AM   #1
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Adding Electric Jack on Old 21'

I just finished installing a Lippert 3500# jack on my 2014 21'. The 21' has spray foam. To pickup power I had to run the wire back to a metal electrical box located under the bed. The pigtail connects via the red wire to the trailer wiring going to the battery. There was no terminal strip. The wire was connected via a wire nut that was over taped with electrical tape. I added my jack wire and upsized the wire nut. To access the box I had to remove the bed decking on the left side that had about 50 screw securing it.

The wiring from the jack was almost about 8" short, but was long enough to be routed through the bottom of the trailer beside the trailer pigtail. I added a quality crimp connector to make the extension. Buy a ratchet type tool - the only way to go. Caulked around the wire with Proflex.

All this is an effort to make hitching, unhitching a easier and faster proposition. We will find out next trip if the tailgate really clears the jack.

Hope this helps if you have this in a plan for a mod.
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Old 08-16-2018, 01:00 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman View Post
I just finished installing a Lippert 3500# jack on my 2014 21'. The 21' has spray foam. To pickup power I had to run the wire back to a metal electrical box located under the bed. The pigtail connects via the red wire to the trailer wiring going to the battery. There was no terminal strip. The wire was connected via a wire nut that was over taped with electrical tape. I added my jack wire and upsized the wire nut. To access the box I had to remove the bed decking on the left side that had about 50 screw securing it.

The wiring from the jack was almost about 8" short, but was long enough to be routed through the bottom of the trailer beside the trailer pigtail. I added a quality crimp connector to make the extension. Buy a ratchet type tool - the only way to go. Caulked around the wire with Proflex.

All this is an effort to make hitching, unhitching a easier and faster proposition. We will find out next trip if the tailgate really clears the jack.

Hope this helps if you have this in a plan for a mod.
Too bad you had to go so far to find battery power, Carl. On our ‘16, the terminal box is right under the driver side of the tongue. Congrats on getting it done! You will be very happy with the ease of hitching/unhitching, especially in hot weather
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Old 08-16-2018, 01:17 PM   #3
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On my 2016 21' Classic, the terminal block is on the right side of the tongue under the storage box. That's where I got power for my 3500# jack.
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Old 08-16-2018, 04:15 PM   #4
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On my 2016 21' Classic, the terminal block is on the right side of the tongue under the storage box. That's where I got power for my 3500# jack.
The BLACK painted screw, right titanizer?

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Old 08-16-2018, 05:37 PM   #5
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[QUOTE=Steve Clark;259226]The BLACK painted screw, right titanizer?
yes, the 12v + wire; I think it was painted black; it's been awhile.
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Old 08-22-2018, 07:15 AM   #6
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2014 is old? LOL

We just purchased a 2014 21' and interesting to hear that year called 'old'. LOL

This is one of the upgrades I thought about for one day in the future. I have RA and it is beginning to effect my hands the most so thought this would be something to help with that. Please update us on what you think after you get to try it out.

Safe travels to all,

Steve and Patty
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Old 08-22-2018, 07:43 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by stratos175 View Post
We just purchased a 2014 21' and interesting to hear that year called 'old'. LOL

This is one of the upgrades I thought about for one day in the future. I have RA and it is beginning to effect my hands the most so thought this would be something to help with that. Please update us on what you think after you get to try it out.

Safe travels to all,

Steve and Patty
The "old" was a reference to being the style before the mold change done in 2017. My old 21 pretty much looks like the day we picked it up.

The Jack is an effort to speed up hooking and unhooking on road trips I also bought a dedicated Ryobi drill for running stabilizers up and down and some hose quick connects as well.

I will post when I get some experience, but we don't have anything planned for a while.
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Old 08-22-2018, 08:53 AM   #8
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We (Skip) did this mod before our recent summer trip. The most interesting aspect is during the installation he discovered the charging connection on the 7-prong from the tow vehicle was not hooked up. (He wanted to use that for to power the jack, saving the house battery for house things.) He fixed it and, voila! We were able to travel with the fridge on 12v!

Meanwhile we are looking for a cover for the jack head, to keep the switches out of the elements... Any ideas?
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Old 08-22-2018, 09:39 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Mary F View Post
We (Skip) did this mod before our recent summer trip. The most interesting aspect is during the installation he discovered the charging connection on the 7-prong from the tow vehicle was not hooked up. (He wanted to use that for to power the jack, saving the house battery for house things.) He fixed it and, voila! We were able to travel with the fridge on 12v!

Meanwhile we are looking for a cover for the jack head, to keep the switches out of the elements... Any ideas?
We use this, Mary and are very happy with it. Of course, we take it off when in transit:

:UNIVERSAL RV TRAILER ELECTRIC TONGUE JACK COVER by Carver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDMM487..._jsxFBbJCT1H91
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Old 08-22-2018, 11:40 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary F View Post
We (Skip) did this mod before our recent summer trip. The most interesting aspect is during the installation he discovered the charging connection on the 7-prong from the tow vehicle was not hooked up. (He wanted to use that for to power the jack, saving the house battery for house things.) He fixed it and, voila! We were able to travel with the fridge on 12v!

Meanwhile we are looking for a cover for the jack head, to keep the switches out of the elements... Any ideas?
Lots on Amazon Mary and where we got ours and it cinches pretty tight and keep cover on even when traveling . Pat
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Old 09-13-2019, 09:24 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman View Post
I just finished installing a Lippert 3500# jack on my 2014 21'. The 21' has spray foam. To pickup power I had to run the wire back to a metal electrical box located under the bed. The pigtail connects via the red wire to the trailer wiring going to the battery. There was no terminal strip. The wire was connected via a wire nut that was over taped with electrical tape. I added my jack wire and upsized the wire nut. To access the box I had to remove the bed decking on the left side that had about 50 screw securing it.

The wiring from the jack was almost about 8" short, but was long enough to be routed through the bottom of the trailer beside the trailer pigtail. I added a quality crimp connector to make the extension. Buy a ratchet type tool - the only way to go. Caulked around the wire with Proflex.

All this is an effort to make hitching, unhitching a easier and faster proposition. We will find out next trip if the tailgate really clears the jack.

Hope this helps if you have this in a plan for a mod.
Went to move the trailer today and tongue jack would extend but not retract. Jack is 1 year and 1 month old. Sux. Ordered a new switch from etrailer. I should have left the cover i bought for the jack on during the very wet summer we have had here in Ohio.

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Old 09-14-2019, 06:05 AM   #12
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That kind of stinks - you’d think an electric tongue jack would be designed for outdoor use.
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Old 10-07-2019, 08:34 PM   #13
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Unhappy

Replaced the switch today and is now working both up and down. Had to remove top of enclosure held by six screws. Needed extra long Phillips. Etrailer says something about removing switch with pick or small screwdriver. No way will that work. Going to start keep jack head covered with vinyl cover from now on. Should be able to handle the weather. New switch was $40.
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Old 10-08-2019, 12:06 AM   #14
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Replaced the switch today and is now working both up and down. Had to remove top of enclosure held by six screws. Needed extra long Phillips. Etrailer says something about removing switch with pick or small screwdriver. No way will that work. Going to start keep jack head covered with vinyl cover from now on. Should be able to handle the weather. New switch was $40.
Hi Carl I bought a Barker jack and ours is always covered . It will be 2 years old in November . Called the manufacturer , no problem they are sending us a new switch , no cost . There is a 2 year warranty . Yesterday after washing trailer wanted jack down and .... it was sometimes working but very slow and sometimes not working at all . Batteries are all 100% so that was my thought .
I still think the cover is a good idea anyway . Guess it is jack switch replacement time ! Pat
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Old 10-08-2019, 11:25 AM   #15
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Those switches are a weak point. I had to replace one on my first electric jack, but I lucked out and found one at the hardware stores local.
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Old 10-08-2019, 03:26 PM   #16
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At least cover it while in storage...doesn’t take much. The plastic plug on top to access the emergency hole for the manual crank can leak.
I am going to make a better one out of an old BBQ cover for the road.
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Old 08-06-2020, 01:58 PM   #17
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Wiring in a tongue jack on 2015, 21

Hoping for help even though the thread is older...we don’t have a terminal box under the tongue, but do have wiring just behind it. Would this be where we could splice in to power an electric tongue jack? We purchased our camper last year and I would love to make Larry’s life easier when hitching up! Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Old 08-06-2020, 02:15 PM   #18
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I don't know how you intend to tap into that wiring or what gage it is. Probably could be done but see post #1. He takes the power from the junction box under the bed where the wiring from the 7 pin connector joins the trailer wiring.

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Old 08-06-2020, 04:33 PM   #19
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Also, make sure the jack you get will allow the propane cover to go on AND front box(if you have) will close. I replaced my Atwood after it broke(6 years old) and the first one- a Husky 4,000 was really nice and quiet, yet it wouldn't turn 90 degrees unless I drilled holes in the mounting plate. It went back to Amazon and got a Bulldog 3,500 that already has the extra holes and works great. It is shorter and is almost flush with front box. Just over $200 and 5 year warranty.
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Old 08-23-2020, 05:28 PM   #20
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Also, make sure the jack you get will allow the propane cover to go on AND front box(if you have) will close. I replaced my Atwood after it broke(6 years old) and the first one- a Husky 4,000 was really nice and quiet, yet it wouldn't turn 90 degrees unless I drilled holes in the mounting plate. It went back to Amazon and got a Bulldog 3,500 that already has the extra holes and works great. It is shorter and is almost flush with front box. Just over $200 and 5 year warranty.
We are in the same position trying to find a power tongue jack that will clear the propane tanks cover. What model did you get in the Bulldog line to fit on your trailer?
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