Adding Electric Tongue Jack.. Need Specs.

[Ausman]

We have a 2016 E19 with a hand crank tongue jack. Thought we could live with it just fine.. nope! If it was just a little bit faster per crank.. I would probably forge ahead. But alas.. it is very slow.

So that I buy the right electric version right the first time.. looking for the length and capacity that I need to make my E19 go up and down the right amount. As well as handling the weight of the said trailer.

Suggestions truly appreciated!

[Rossue]

Check out this Bulldog 3500# jack. It has a drop leg feature and can easily turn it 90 degrees.
https://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-50018...caAhe_EALw_wcB

[rubicon327]

Will: There are several brands out there but my research led me to the Bulldog 3500# jack. That is more than enough capacity for any Escape. It seemed to be one of the fastest and quietest available at the time. (I had to find reviews and videos on etrailer as speed/noise specs are not readily published by mfr's) It also has a drop leg which is very convenient. I didn't find many jacks with this feature.
22" of total travel - 14" screw travel and 8" drop leg travel. Ignore that I wired to my WFCO power center. This was done because I have custom wiring. If you have the 7-pin junction box on the tongue you should find constant 12V power and can land there. Cover it if you don't want the switch labeling to fade...lesson learned.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post415983

[bborzell]

I used this one as a replacement for the original Lippert on out 21C. Also bringing a new one up to install on our E23 when we pick it up.

https://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-Reese...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Vermilye]

Be sure to check the speed of any electric jack before you expect it to be faster than hand cranking. Some - for example my Lippert Smart Jack with 18" screw travel is very slow.

[LRCURTIS]

Another option would be to install a Fastway FLIP jack foot to reduce the amount of hand cranking. (https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/flip-jack-foot) We installed a 6” version on our E19 and have found it a time saver.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by LRCURTIS

Another option would be to install a Fastway FLIP jack foot to reduce the amount of hand cranking. (https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/flip-jack-foot) We installed a 6” version on our E19 and have found it a time saver.

We used a 6" version for awhile. Nifty device. Just be careful on sloped surfaces. It has a warning about maximum slope and driveways in particular can be a problem. Also in some nose-down situations you might not have clearance to fold it down even with jack all the way up so you need to keep it in the folded position. The 4" version would eliminate some of this. Ultimately took it off in favor of the power tongue jack with drop foot.

[Ron in BC]

There is an alternative if slow up and down is the issue.

I made a removable handle that fits on a 3/4" hex, same as the stabilizers. It allows for using a drill for fast up and down. I did the final cranking by hand as the jack quality is pretty poor and I didn't want to kill it.

It works fine and I'd probably still be using it except I got a killer deal on a power jack. The first one died and was replaced. If the second one dies I'll go back to my old set-up.

Ron

[Ausman]

Hey all.. a bunch of great info. Definitely puts me in the right direction. In fact I ordered a Bulldog 500187 today. Black 3500 from the old standby.. Amazon. I purchased the Fastway Flip Foot a couple months ago. It did speed things up a bit. However as mentioned earlier in the thread.. if you are on a downslope.. the Flip Foot can make you a bit nervous if the chocks slid forward a bit. I think you could find your trailer "taking a knee" at an inappropriate time. So I went back to the hand crank sans Flip Foot.

I am just in the process of improving the battery setup and repainting the front portion of the trailer frame. So now is a good time to switch out the jack. As long as it just stays a bit chilly and no snow is falling!.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

If you have the 7-pin junction box on the tongue you should find constant 12V power and can land there.

Although the Bulldog jack has an auto reset circuit breaker it’s probably a good idea to install an inline fuse if you are landing on the 7-pin junction box +12V terminal or direct to battery. If located properly it could be hidden but still accessible to pull the fuse in long term storage as a simple security measure. Unless they have a means to use manual crank it will be quite difficult to hitch up the trailer with an inoperable tongue jack.

[Ausman]

rubicon327... great idea about the fuse. I knew there was an internal circuit breaker.. but adding a fuse really makes the jack unusable without it.

Actually I am thinking I might take it a step further. I am installing an aluminum tongue box behind the propane tanks. I would love to have the Escape version.. but at almost $1500usd to my door is just not affordable.. hence the aluminum version. Obviously it will now provide a home for the batteries. Since I am reconfiguring the tongue setup.. I am going install all new 8 awg wire from the batteries and spliced in to the existing wire underneath the body. UV has taken a toll on the OEM wire and the wire at the batteries has suffered corrosion at the connectors that have hardened the wire about 6" back from the connectors. Time to go. Since I am going to the trouble with new wire I am adding a Blue Sea 50amp resettable circuit breaker and losing the inline 50a Maxi fuse. Consequently I am considering taking 12vdc from off side of the breaker. Thinking that I can just switch off the breaker and effect the same as removing the inline fuse.

Granted I will lose all power to the E19.. but for storage that might not be such a bad thing (I think) and I can skip the disconnect switch in the interior. Cover the solar panel of course. Anyone foresee any flaws in my thinking.. I would love to hear about them!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Ausman

rubicon327... great idea about the fuse. I knew there was an internal circuit breaker.. but adding a fuse really makes the jack unusable without it.

Actually I am thinking I might take it a step further. I am installing an aluminum tongue box behind the propane tanks. I would love to have the Escape version.. but at almost $1500usd to my door is just not affordable.. hence the aluminum version. Obviously it will now provide a home for the batteries. Since I am reconfiguring the tongue setup.. I am going install all new 8 awg wire from the batteries and spliced in to the existing wire underneath the body. UV has taken a toll on the OEM wire and the wire at the batteries has suffered corrosion at the connectors that have hardened the wire about 6" back from the connectors. Time to go. Since I am going to the trouble with new wire I am adding a Blue Sea 50amp resettable circuit breaker and losing the inline 50a Maxi fuse. Consequently I am considering taking 12vdc from off side of the breaker. Thinking that I can just switch off the breaker and effect the same as removing the inline fuse.

Granted I will lose all power to the E19.. but for storage that might not be such a bad thing (I think) and I can skip the disconnect switch in the interior. Cover the solar panel of course. Anyone foresee any flaws in my thinking.. I would love to hear about them!

Sounds like a good plan but if I was doing all of that rewiring I would still consider adding a dedicated fuse/circuit breaker for the tongue jack. There may be times that you would like to make it inoperable but not lose power to the camper (i.e. when boondocking without shore power and leaving your campsite unattended). Additionally if you have solar exposure or shore power in your storage location there is really no need to kill power to the entire trailer. This would give you flexibility.

Also it might be worth checking how your breakaway switch is wired. When I rewired our trailer I made sure that it was always hot. This means it will always be active when towing even if the battery disconnect switch is killing power to the trailer. Personally I think these emergency devices are best wired always hot with no fuse. Since your battery and the breakaway device are on the tongue this should be a simple change if required. Only the +12V power lead would need to be swung up direct to the battery or to the hot side of your new house circuit breaker.

Also I thought if the solar controller is wired direct to the battery and is not isolated by a disconnect switch you don’t need to worry about covering panels.

PS: It’s nice that there is even an option to get a front storage box shipped now. When I wanted one back in 2016 Reace would not ship separate or send with a load of trailers.

[Ron in BC]

I used a hidden switch to make the jack inoperable by potential thieves.

Ron

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I used a hidden switch to make the jack inoperable by potential thieves.

Ron

Even better is if this hidden switch is inside a locked tongue box

[Ausman]

Yep.. total agreement with both Ron in BC and Rubicon327 as to the point of refining my thought on cutting all power to everything. Since my tongue box will be diamond plate aluminum with a lock.. I think a switch inside the box would work well. Good call! Also that is where the circuit breaker will be.

Great that Escape will now ship a tongue box and I would have loved to go that direction keeping the E19 pure. But alas.. the cost plus shipping just did not factor well with our wallet. Guessing I will get over the fact that our E19 will be an odd duck!

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Ausman

Guessing I will get over the fact that our E19 will be an odd duck!

My 19 was also but it did the job.

I came to the conclusion that painted makes it much less of an odd duck.

Ron

[stratos175]

I though I would never get tired of cranking, cranked for years on our Casita. My friend I sold the Casita to added one about a year after I sold it to him and once I saw it I changed my mind. You will be glad you did this and pretty easy to do as well.

Enjoy the journey.
Steve