Battery isolation switch/ Atwood Tongue Jack

hughharden

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
343
Location
Calgary
Just tucking my 19 away for the winter and charged the batteries up to full before isolating them for the winter. I checked after throwing the switch and nothing 12V is working inside the trailer but the tongue jack still works. Is this normal?
 
I'll say it's normal, I know my front jacks on the 5.0TA still work with the 12v switch off.
 
Good to know I will pull a fuse to disable it I guess.

I don't have an electrical tongue jack, but I would suspect that you don't need to remove the fuse. If the tongue jack switch is mechanical, and disconnects the unit entirely, which seems likely, then there should be no parasitic draw when the switch isn't being pushed. You can check with an ammeter.

Incidentally, the terminal on the exterior junction box that I suspect is being used to power the tongue jack is also used to power the breakaway switch, but that doesn't need to be disconnected either because it doesn't transmit any electricity in its normal position.
 
Last edited:
Just tucking my 19 away for the winter and charged the batteries up to full before isolating them for the winter. I checked after throwing the switch and nothing 12V is working inside the trailer but the tongue jack still works. Is this normal?
Hugh, I'm guessing they wired the power jack similar to what I did - directly to the batteries. It was just an easy way to do it on the 19 because of the battery location, and didn't require any additional wire besides the one coming off the jack.

As Paul mentioned, there's no need to disable it - zero draw unless it's on.
 
Last edited:
Just tucking my 19 away for the winter and charged the batteries up to full before isolating them for the winter. I checked after throwing the switch and nothing 12V is working inside the trailer but the tongue jack still works. Is this normal?

I don’t know if it’s “normal” or not, but I discovered the same thing today as I was getting ready to put my trailer into storage for the winter. Batteries fully charged, shore power disconnected and battery disconnect switch off and the electric jack still worked. However, I have decided to remove the batteries and store them in the basement and as soon as I disconnected them the jack no longer worked. That makes perfect sense, but it caused me a problem as I intended to have the trailer winterized and batteries out before taking it to the storage facility - so now how would I disconnect the trailer from the tow – except by using the emergency hand crank. However, on a whim, I backed the tow up to the trailer, plugged it in and voila! the electric jack works apparently getting power from the tow vehicle.
 
However, on a whim, I backed the tow up to the trailer, plugged it in and voila! the electric jack works apparently getting power from the tow vehicle.
AND, you no longer have emergency brakes on the trailer because the switch to activate requires a "house battery."
 
WOW! Thanks Donna. I didn't even think of that. Obviously if the trailer emergency brake switch activates the trailer has probably become disconnected from the tow - so now power in it at all. I'll have to drive the four miles to the storage facility very carefully! :whistling:
 

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom