power tongue jack installation

[Brian B-P]

If needed, I lower the tailgate gently and rest it on the post. The top of the tailgate is plastic, and neither the post or the tailgate is susceptible to damage.

To make this work even better, you could clamp (U-bolt) a bracket on the post to hold a foam pad for the tailgate to rest on.

 

[Ron in BC]

Thanks for the info I won't worry about it. Although I'm tempted to pick up the one at Princess Auto for $139 sounds like a deal.

I returned one of those to Princess Auto today. Good price etc. so I thought I'd look at how it fit etc. What a monster! Way overkill for the tongue weight of the 19 and with my tongue box against the propane cover, not enough room for it.

Ron

 

[rbryan4]

I returned one of those to Princess Auto today. Good price etc. so I thought I'd look at how it fit etc. What a monster! Way overkill for the tongue weight of the 19 and with my tongue box against the propane cover, not enough room for it.

Ron

Ron, I did alot of research before settling on the Atwood Premier 4000. The one on sale at Princess Auto is very similar in size and design to the Husky or Stromberg Carlson 3500 lb one. They may even be made by the same company, but I don't know. In any case, it's too bulky for Escapes, as you mentioned. I settled on the Atwood Premier even though it was pricier, because it had the ball bearings in the screw, was made in North America instead of China, and came with a 5 year warranty. Fits my 19 (with storage box and tank cover) perfectly. As it turns out, it's also quieter than the lighter capacity model, and I like the automatic flip foot.

 

[vermilye]

The reason I'm looking for a power jack with a taller head is that the current Escape provided Atwood jack (I don't know what model it is) just clears the tailgate when the Tacoma & trailer are aligned dead on. The post is not in the way.

When the tow vehicle is at any angle, the corner of the jack motor hits the tailgate (although it would still clear the post). I've thought about a longer stinger, but would like to use the one I have - although a longer stinger would be a much less expensive solution...

 

[Jmn n]

The reason I'm looking for a power jack with a taller head is that the current Escape provided Atwood jack (I don't know what model it is) just clears the tailgate when the Tacoma & trailer are aligned dead on. The post is not in the way.

When the tow vehicle is at any angle, the corner of the jack motor hits the tailgate (although it would still clear the post). I've thought about a longer stinger, but would like to use the one I have - although a longer stinger would be a much less expensive solution...

24" (rather than the usual 18") lift: https://www.barkermfg.com/vip-3500.html

I would have bought it but I got the Husky since I wanted the ball bearing screw drive and the drop down foot.

 

[Brian B-P]

The reason I'm looking for a power jack with a taller head is that the current Escape provided Atwood jack (I don't know what model it is) just clears the tailgate when the Tacoma & trailer are aligned dead on. The post is not in the way.

When the tow vehicle is at any angle, the corner of the jack motor hits the tailgate (although it would still clear the post). I've thought about a longer stinger, but would like to use the one I have - although a longer stinger would be a much less expensive solution...

You can use a taller jack, if enough of the additional height is above the coupler, or put a spacer between the jack's mounting flange and the coupler. Since the jack's flange is on top, adding a spacer between them lifts the whole jack. You need to ensure that between the jack travel and any foot extension you can still extend the jack far enough down, so it might not be viable. While I've read several forum references to adding a spacer, I don't think there's a commercial product so it's a matter of what you're comfortable building. Hopefully that involves tubing and welding, not just three stacks of washers and long bolts!

A longer ball mount ("stinger") has adverse consequences for load distribution and stability; raising the jack doesn't.

24" (rather than the usual 18") lift: https://www.barkermfg.com/vip-3500.html

With the motor ahead of the post, this would need to be very tall to fix Jon's clearance problem.

Unfortunately, the dimensions relevant to clearing tailgates are usually not given in the specifications for tongue jacks. They usually list only overall length and amount of extension.

 

[cpaharley2008]

A member here installed jack e up upside down to raise the jack higher