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Old 07-19-2020, 10:13 PM   #1
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Electric Jack or Manual? Thoughts? Trouble?

Electric Jack or Manual? Thoughts? Trouble? We put on our build sheet the electric jack but I am wondering if we should make the change to a manual due to reliability of one over the other.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:19 PM   #2
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Having aged, I find it more difficult to jack up and down a half dozen times to install my weight distribution hitch bars, or to use my Sherline tongue scale.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:26 PM   #3
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Our original electric jack just got replaced. Almost 6 years old with lots of use. Had a previous 17B with manual and it was a lot of turns to jack up just one foot.
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Old 07-19-2020, 10:30 PM   #4
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Electric Jack or Manual? Thoughts? Trouble? We put on our build sheet the electric jack but I am wondering if we should make the change to a manual due to reliability of one over the other.
Originally had the manual but the kids keep saying you will love it ,get a electric jack , and they were right . Bought ours and very easy to install and so glad it is on trailer . One of our favorites , you will not regret it ! Pat
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Old 07-19-2020, 11:25 PM   #5
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Originally had the manual but the kids keep saying you will love it ,get a electric jack , and they were right . Bought ours and very easy to install and so glad it is on trailer . One of our favorites , you will not regret it ! Pat
I ‘m sorry you also asked if they are reliable . We have had ours now about 3 years it is a Barker same as what Olivier uses . I would have to look up the warranty I can’t remember. The jacks are pretty simple actually the same motors and are very similar to camper jacks . They also gave us a wrench just in case you don’t have power . At the top just remove the cap and use the wrench ,you won’t be stuck . They really are pretty simple . One fused wire goes to battery . Pat
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Old 07-20-2020, 08:29 AM   #6
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Electric, all the way. We started out with manual and quickly replaced it after a few times putting on and removing the WDH bars. Especially in August, in Tennessee...
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Old 07-20-2020, 08:51 AM   #7
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I started out with a manual. Worked great for 4 years on my 19. But, I won an electric 2 years ago and am now enjoying that. Either way, you’ll be fine!
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:03 AM   #8
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Manual jack is fine if you are healthy and don't mind a small amount of excercise. I hardly even notice the effort required to operate the jack. However, if you are frail, have health issues or really dislike excercise, by all means get the electric jack as they do the job at the push of a button.
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:45 AM   #9
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Electric, all the way. We started out with manual and quickly replaced it after a few times putting on and removing the WDH bars. Especially in August, in Tennessee...
Hey Greg and Teresa..... Nice to hear from you. Thanks again for allowing us to see your Escape. We are waiting for our 21NE to arrive sometime in late Sept. I remember you saying you had manual and switched to electric.
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:14 AM   #10
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IME appreciation of an electric jack is directly proportional to ambient temperature

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Old 07-20-2020, 11:02 AM   #11
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I can't speak to long-term reliability, as the one I have on my 19 is only 2 years old. So far it's worked perfectly. Obviously, the hand crank will always work, as long as you do! Anything electronic is one more thing that can go belly up and might need replacement down the road. I put the electric awning in this category too. I have one and love the convenience but worry about long term reliability. When I bought my 19, the manual awning was not available. If it had been, that's the route I would have gone.

But I did include the electric jack, on the advice of many on this forum, because I also got Escape's WDH. It makes it much easier and faster to hitch. Without the WDH, I'm not sure it would have been worth it.

One thing to consider is the type of tow vehicle you are planning to use. The tailgate on my Colorado barely clears the electric jack when I open it, and only when the trailer is absolutely straight behind the truck. Others have reported SUVs with hatches that won't open. It is possible to install a longer hitch assembly or rotate the jack so this isn't a problem. But it is one more thing to think about.

I always say the electric jack is really nice to have, but it's something a person can also live without. Prioritize your options accordingly!
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Old 07-20-2020, 11:13 AM   #12
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My advice, get the electric and get one plenty big for your rig. It’s fast, it’s easy, and as some have said it makes hooking weight distributing hitch chains or bars easy. The one we have is a Bulldog 4500 and is 7 years old . No problems. This one came with a manual crank which has lived in the abyss of the front box, but it’s there just in case.
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Old 07-20-2020, 11:22 AM   #13
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I would go with an electric tongue jack. They are very reliable.

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Old 07-20-2020, 11:30 AM   #14
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I can't speak to long-term reliability ....
FWIW my 2005 (year of purchase) electric jack is still working just fine, albeit the 'white' shell is seriously 'yellowed' and all the labels are faded to white-on-white.

Granted, that's on a Casita
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Old 07-21-2020, 01:01 PM   #15
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Electric

We have the 'middle range' WD hitch w separate sway bar..and you need to raise and lower the trailer tongue often while setting up or removing that hitch..no hand jacking for me!!
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Old 07-21-2020, 01:12 PM   #16
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We have the 'middle range' WD hitch w separate sway bar..and you need to raise and lower the trailer tongue often while setting up or removing that hitch..no hand jacking for me!!
We are right next door in Mt Juliet. Our 21NE should be here by end of Sept.
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Old 07-21-2020, 01:56 PM   #17
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I had just installed the electric jack went camping and took a bad fall in shower at campground . Completely torn my rotator cuff from the bone from that fall . So glad it was a electric jack to hitch and go home . Another reason glad have my own shower to use in trailer . No more campground showers for us no matter how clean there are . Pat
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Old 07-21-2020, 03:06 PM   #18
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I had just installed the electric jack went camping and took a bad fall in shower at campground . Completely torn my rotator cuff from the bone from that fall . So glad it was a electric jack to hitch and go home . Another reason glad have my own shower to use in trailer . No more campground showers for us no matter how clean there are . Pat
Oh no, that’s a great reason to have an electric jack!! I’m in the healing phase of a partial rotator cuff tear, and it’s been one freaking painful injury. Going on month 4 of physical therapy, and just now getting some range of motion back. I think I could crank a manual if I had to, but since I too have the electric jack, I don’t have to find out!

OK, now I’m thinking this is a must-have option...
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Old 07-21-2020, 03:08 PM   #19
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You could always get the manual jack since it comes standard. If you don't like it, it's an easy swap to add an electric jack later.
One of the big advantages of an electric jack would be raising the tongue up and down for the weight distribution hitch. It would take a lot longer with a manual jack.
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Old 07-21-2020, 04:11 PM   #20
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Oh no, that’s a great reason to have an electric jack!! I’m in the healing phase of a partial rotator cuff tear, and it’s been one freaking painful injury. Going on month 4 of physical therapy, and just now getting some range of motion back. I think I could crank a manual if I had to, but since I too have the electric jack, I don’t have to find out!

OK, now I’m thinking this is a must-have option...
Hi Katherine ! Mine is a complete tear from the bone . I chose no surgery , didn’t care for the odds . I chose PT and gave me back a lot of use for my arm . But I need and I do exercises I learned in PT everyday for the rest of my life . It is my dominate arm . I just can’t pick up heavy things anymore but other then that still use my arm . And I need to keep the rest of muscles and ligaments working so I don’t have my arm atrophy . The PT really was worth it ! My pain is gone unless I don’t do what I am supposed to do now on my own .
But really love the electric jack and I have to say the kids were right , they have one and keeped saying to get it . We didn’t have one for almost 5 years but it sure was the right time to get one ! Pat
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