Ideas on brand of power jack?

[marant]

On a 6 week trip with our 21C and it has made it clear to me that I don't want to hand crank the jack any more. There are a lot of brands of power jacks out there, at widely varying prices. Features seem to be all over the map, including amount of lift, extensions, etc.

I want one that will fit the 21C without drilling additional holes, and that can turn sideways if necessary. Don't care about a light, or to have an obvious on/off switch (will hide my own).

Any suggestions?

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by marant

On a 6 week trip with our 21C and it has made it clear to me that I don't want to hand crank the jack any more. There are a lot of brands of power jacks out there, at widely varying prices. Features seem to be all over the map, including amount of lift, extensions, etc.

I want one that will fit the 21C without drilling additional holes, and that can turn sideways if necessary. Don't care about a light, or to have an obvious on/off switch (will hide my own).

Any suggestions?

Last June I installed a VIP 3500 Power Jack from Barker Manufacturing. I wanted simple, wellbuilt, 24" not 18" of lift, and the ability to turn it to any angle. I read of too many problems with auto jacks, and wanted lots of power. We have a seasonal lot in a campground here in Lanesboro, and have seen those cheap plastic cases cracked/damaged that come with today's modern looking jacks. We just want functional. Up/down is fine with us and we didn't need the light, but the circular level actually works decent.

Food for thought,

Perry

[Rossue]

Bulldog 3500 replaced our original Atwood and is way better. It has an extendable leg and can be turned sideways.

[MVA]

We installed a VIP3500 Barker jack after many years of hand cranking. The Barker jack head can be rotated so that our truck tailgate can be dropped when the trailer is hitched to the truck. Perry apparently installed the 24" model; we installed the 18" model. Works great.

Light on jack is poor. Installed additional "kill" switch for both security and safety (don't want jack extending while traveling down the road if jack switch shorts).

Selection was based on speed of jack extension, maintenance parts availability, space to rotate jack head and install without interfering with propane cover or truck tailgate, perceived longevity (Barker jacks used on Oliver and Airstreams), no additional holes required for installation. Escape trailers have an untypically short A-frame (compared to many stick trailers), making interference issues between the jack and propane cover an issue to contend with.

For any power jack, one of the main failure modes is water leaking into the drive head. Hence, I purchased a jack cover to keep it dry when traveling.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9BH5SL

YMMV

edit: when researching power jacks, I talked to the engineer at Barker. He recommended that prior to using the jack, to remove the cover and "fish" out any small metal fragments in the grease around the gears. Apparently when being manufactured, holes for a couple of self-tapping screws are drilled leaving a few metal fragments in the grease. Oliver has a nice maintenance video BTW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-g5Tor6HJA

[marant]

In my research it seems that nearly all power jacks have a capacity of at least 3,000lb. Why such a high capacity when the tongue weight on a 21C is around 500lb? Just to be sure the jack can accommodate all trailers? Anyone have a jack with a lower capacity (price)?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Bulldog 3500 replaced our original Atwood and is way better. It has an extendable leg and can be turned sideways.

I’m another fan of the Bulldog 3500 although the Barker VIP was high on my list. I like the drop leg feature of the Bulldog and in my research it was one of the faster, quieter jacks. Still working well after almost two years of use.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post415983

[MVA]

Originally Posted by marant

In my research it seems that nearly all power jacks have a capacity of at least 3,000lb. Why such a high capacity when the tongue weight on a 21C is around 500lb? Just to be sure the jack can accommodate all trailers? Anyone have a jack with a lower capacity (price)?

Two reasons for the higher than expected lift capacity.
- If you are using equalizing bars, you need additional lifting force to take the weight off of the bars in order to remove them.
- You need more force than the hitch weight to lift the trailer off of the ball if the coupler is slightly hung up on the ball.


That being said, 3500# force has been more than sufficient to remove the equalizing bars and decouple the hitch for us.

[pkgman51]

Last year I installed the Husky Tongue Jack, Brute, HB4500. I've been very pleased with it. I can hear, and feel the torque as it raises and lowers the trailer. But, the light is almost useless. I think it was more expensive than some, and I can't speak for others, but the quality is worth it. Every time I hit the switch I'm so glad I made the change.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gary

[marant]

Thanks, all. As soon as we get home I will finish looking at all the suggested jacks and get one ordered.

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by MVA

We installed a VIP3500 Barker jack after many years of hand cranking. The Barker jack head can be rotated so that our truck tailgate can be dropped when the trailer is hitched to the truck. Perry apparently installed the 24" model; we installed the 18" model. Works great.

Light on jack is poor. Installed additional "kill" switch for both security and safety (don't want jack extending while traveling down the road if jack switch shorts).

Selection was based on speed of jack extension, maintenance parts availability, space to rotate jack head and install without interfering with propane cover or truck tailgate, perceived longevity (Barker jacks used on Oliver and Airstreams), no additional holes required for installation. Escape trailers have an untypically short A-frame (compared to many stick trailers), making interference issues between the jack and propane cover an issue to contend with.

For any power jack, one of the main failure modes is water leaking into the drive head. Hence, I purchased a jack cover to keep it dry when traveling.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9BH5SL

YMMV

edit: when researching power jacks, I talked to the engineer at Barker. He recommended that prior to using the jack, to remove the cover and "fish" out any small metal fragments in the grease around the gears. Apparently when being manufactured, holes for a couple of self-tapping screws are drilled leaving a few metal fragments in the grease. Oliver has a nice maintenance video BTW.

MVA is right on. The most important feature is the ability to turn it sideways so you can get your tailgate open when hitched up.

[marant]

Based upon recommendations here I purchased and installed a Bulldog 3500 jack. Installation took about 1.5 hours, at least 30 minutes of which was back and forth to the garage for the right tool.
A few observations:
1. The jack comes with nuts and bolts, but my A-frame is threaded for the original manual jack. I just used the threaded bolts from the original jack. I sanded the holes to bare metal so the star washers made a good ground.
2. My lot is steep uphill so I have made ramps I park the trailer on. With the manual jack I could just barely lower the tongue enough to get it to level. With the Bulldog I am unable to do so. It may require a two step process, but I have not tried it yet. Bit of a pain.
3. If you have a steep lot like mine be sure to insert the extension into the jack before tightening the mounting bolts. Ask how I know.
4. The wire that comes with the jack only has a bare end, no connector is provided. The wire is barely long enough to reach the power in in the Escape junction box. I used the 6th pin from the left. Be sure to disconnect the battery before making connections.
5. The Escape junction box has no opening for the wire. Had to use a rat tail file and then caulk for waterproofing.
6. The on/off switch controls only the light, not the entire unit. Another reason for a 'secret switch'.
7. The jack is well designed to be mounted sideways. Necessary with my trailer due to the propane tanks and cover.


All in all, I think it will be a worthwhile mod.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by marant

5. The Escape junction box has no opening for the wire. Had to use a rat tail file and then caulk for waterproofing.

I inserted a small screwdriver in one grommet and moved it sideways. Then slide the two wires in. Worked for me.

Ron