Electric Tongue Jack

[Donna D.]

I'm installing a diamond plate tongue box and the top wind tongue jack on the Scamp is turning into a knuckle buster. I'm a wimp and don't like getting hot and sweaty cranking down the jack

So, thought this may be a good solution.




Anyone ever installed one? What's all involved? I don't weld, unless you consider JB Weld.

TIA

[Roger H]

Oh, Donna... those scars on your knuckles are merely the proud reminders of trailer ownership! You want to give them up?

That jack should be a direct bolt-on replacement for your hand crank. Put the tongue on jacks or hitch it to your TV and then unbolt the old one. Bolt the new one on in it's place, and run the wires to the battery and splice them in where appropriate (with a fuse, of course) and you're in business!

Roger

[Donna D.]

humm, I thought this new fangled jack was somehow welded between the "V" near the coupler. I have a stock top-crank from Scamp that swings up parallel to the frame when towing. Actually the reason I want to replace it is the "foot" on the jack prevents the jack from locking into place when towing (because of the new tongue box). Certainly don't want to drag the dang thing down the road

[Roger H]

Nope... unless someone has done something horrible to your trailer tongue and spot welded the old jack on, the new one should just be a direct bolt-in replacement. They bolt through the three holes in the collar below the motor.

Rog

[Joe MacDonald]

it should bolt through the holes in the back of the coupler, they are a standard pattern





I put one on my trailer, it took about ten minutes to install and half an hour to wire.

[Martin D]

Donna, It may seem elementary but be sure to put blocking or a jack under the tonque before you start to unbolt the hand jack! I have replaced the hand crank on two of my rv's with electric -once you have the power jack you will never go back. Just push a switch and your persperation problems are over. I would also suggest some type of cloth cover for the jack head when storing as the plastic from which they are formed does not tolerate ultra-violet exposeure very well and will start to crack in less than a year. Martin

[Con]

Donna that looks like a heck of a good idea especially on something like a 16 footer. I would like that on my 13ft. Boler also. How about some more details like: Brand, suppliers and cost.

[Brian B-P]

My jack mounts the way Roger and Joe are describing, but Donna describes her existing jack as a side-mount swing-up unit, perhaps like a BAL 29004/5/6, so it's not a direct replacement. If the holes are in the A-frame coupler, then the original side mounting style could be ignored (just remove that jack and its bracket), and the new jack could use the bolt-through-the-hole method.

If the real problem is just the foot, then a removable foot or a swivel wheel might be cheaper option, and would retain the swing-up feature (which can be good for ground clearance). Mine doesn't have a foot or a wheel (I'm sure it had one of the two in the past), and I just toss a chunk of wood on the ground before cranking it down - there's another option!

My Boler 1700 weighs about 50% more than a Scamp 16', and I don't have a problem with my jack. It's a front-wind unit so it is geared to be easier to turn (but has to be turned many times). It don't know the brand off-hand, but it looks equivalent to a BAL model 29025. Would an easier manual-wind unit be an option?

[Benny K]

Like Martin says ....once you have an electric jack, you`ll never go back....I have one on my 17' and would never part with it.....it could be a bit of a nuisance though if you don`t have the center mounting hole on your trailer tongue now......Benny

[Morgan]

Donna,

I installed one on my first Casita. If the tongue of your Scamp has a 3" hole with 3 bolt hole around it, it will be a direct replacement. Here's a before and after:

[CD Smith]

I added an an Atwood 1500 to my 17' SD. The installation was just "bolt off - bolt on". I ran a 10 ga. wire from the jack, along the propane line to the water heater, up through the floor and to one of the spare fuses. Fused with 15 amp. fuse.

You can imagine how much sweat it saves from our hot summer weather in Texas.

[Morgan]

One thing I did when wiring my jack is to put a switch iside the Casita. That way I could disable the jack when parked. My idea was to keep kids (and dorky adults) from playing with the jack.

Is one still paranoid if they really are out to get you?

[Gina D.]

Morgan, nope. The guy I bought the Burro from had installed inside switches for everything. I especially like the one for the porch light, as we have rotten nieghborhood kids that like to push buttons and flip switches while they are using my driveway as a smoking lounge. They can flip all day, it ain't going on.

Donna, have you considered just putting a couple 4x4s under the jack? Thats what I do, so I don't have to crank as high in my sloped driveway. (Bring the ground to you!)

[Al and Cindy K]

Donna,

As others have noted, the jack referenced in your photo mounts through a hole in the A-frame coupler directly behind the locking lever and between the frame rails. It has a triangular flange with three holes which match up to corresponding holes in the coupler to secure it to your trailer. This type of jack does not rotate up for travel and provides a bit less ground clearance than your swing-up style. The foot is simply cranked to it's highest position which will be a couple of inches below the frame rails.

To save your knuckles, the least costly option would probably be to switch to a side crank jack. That's what I did when I mounted a EU3000 genset on the tongue of our Scamp. Although my jack mounts through the coupler, the side crank models are also available in the style you have. Here's a link to Northern Tool which has several pages of jacks and related accessories.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...matchallpartial

I think one of the products was a side mount / swing up electric jack if you still want to go the luxury route and don't have a coupler with the center hole.



Al

[Benny K]

Hi Donna, I think that even if they sold a flip up electric jack you wouldn`t be able to use it because you don`t have the clearance on your tongue to use a flip up, especially an electric one like mine because it is longer than a wind up, but you could use the side mount marine style if you don`t have the mount in the center of your tongue, but you still would have about 5-6 inches lower than your tongue in tow mode because it has a wheel on it and I`m thinking that a wheel on one wouldn`t be used very much because a 6-8" swivel caster wheel doesn`t roll too easily with a trailer your size in a campground, and at home you`d be better off with a trailer dolly if you don`t have one already.....unless your trailer rides really low I wouldn`t get too hung up on the jack being lower than the tongue when underway....too bad I don`t have the ambition to go out in the snow and block my trailer and let the jack wind up all the way and see how much mine actually sticks down when in the up position.....mine doesn`t have a caster wheel on it so think that the amount that sticks down isn`t very much if at all......Benny

[Donna D.]

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my questions I've been very briefly online since last Thursday and haven't forgotten your kindness..truly.

To answer a few questions. The electric tongue jack is one I found on eBay. It's expensive as a "buy it now" ...no auction available on this one: Atwood tongue jack $279.98 + $16.98 S&H. It's really the heavy duty model 3,500lbs. and I've seen them alot cheaper on eBay, but this one comes with the manufacturers warranty.

The current jack on my Scamp is bolted to the outside of the frame rail to swing up. There isn't a hole in the coupler area to mount an electric jack. I don't suppose it would be too difficult to have something welded up.

I like the idea of a cutout switch. Maybe instead of inside the trailer, I could mount one inside the tongue box? Got a brand name for the switch Morgan??

All of this is going to have to wait until I see the damage done to my pocketbook by the IRS. I just may end up purchasing another swingup jack with a side crank. But still need one without a permanent foot.

THANKS GROUP!!

[Morgan]

...
I like the idea of a cutout switch. Maybe instead of inside the trailer, I could mount one inside the tongue box? Got a brand name for the switch Morgan??

...
THANKS GROUP!!

Just go to an auto supply store and get a 12VDC 10A rocker switch; single pole, single throw.

Donna, I bought my electric jack at $CW for under $200. Check this:

$160 Jack

[Donna D.]

ooooh I like saving money...that looks like the ticket Morgan.

Wonder if it comes in white

[Morgan]

ooooh I like saving money...that looks like the ticket Morgan.

Wonder if it comes in white

White

[Martin D]

Donna, if you have a steel plate where the thru hole jack normally would be mounted there should be no need to have anything welded. First I would advise you to buy the 2 1/4 inch post jack which usuaully is the same price as the two inch. Anyone with a drill motor with a half inch capacity chuck can mount a hole saw and drill the 2 1/4 hole thru the plate and three additional holes for the hold down bolts. Should take but a few minutes to drill the four holes required. Bolt on the jack and impress your neighbors. Martin