Power Tongue Jack
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13020
Printed Date: 23 Jun 2025 at 10:44pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Power Tongue Jack
Posted By: DavMar
Subject: Power Tongue Jack
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 10:44pm
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Okay Guys and Gals maybe someone here can give me some help on a Lippert Power Tongue Jack. I’ve tried the search function and have come up empty which I find strange because I can’t be the only one who has or is having trouble with the Lippert power jack. I’ve checked their website and found zippo, nadda, no information on troubleshooting and repair. Lucky me hu? Here is my dilemma I got ready to pull the Pod out for a month on the road today and when I hit the power on button the LED light lite goes on which tells me it’s getting power, good. Then I hit the extend switch and nothing, so hit the retract side of the switch and again nothing, not good! Went ahead and checked the fuse for grins and giggles and it is okay. So now I figure why not try the “emergency option” of cranking the jack down or up with a rachet and ¾ inch socket on the nut on the power jack top and it won’t budge a fraction of an inch. Hey, I’ll admit I’m not the strongest guy so I get out my breaker bar and give it a pull and guess what the nut just breaks into little pieces and I’m like what the #*@! I then removed the jack’s plastic cover and get out my ohm
meter and checked all the switches and all is good. Hmmm, so I then removed the
top plate that goes over the gears and to my surprise find water in pockets of
the castings. Cleaned the water out, sprayed switches with contact cleaner, and
the gears with penetrating oil and jacked up the tongue of the trailer with a
bottle jack. Then using vice grip plyers, I worked the shaft that the pot metal
¾ inch nut once was on back and forth until it broke free and I could turn it.
I put it all back together and finally the power jack started to work but intermittently
and I had to use the vice grips on the gear shaft that the nut was once on a couple
times. I kept on working the jack up and down and hopefully have the jack
working now that I won’t have to be dealing with this nightmare while on our
trip. Knock on wood! My question has anyone else had the same trouble with their
Lippert Power Tongue Jack? If so, what did you do to resolve the problem once
and for all? Or if you didn’t resolve the problem what brand jack did you buy
to replace the defective one? I do know Lippert will be getting a call from me
tomorrow to tell them what a sorry design their jack is and especially making an
emergency retraction or extension nut out of cheap pot metal! Grrrrr! ------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
Replies:
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 1:45am
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Sounds like things weren't olied/greased often enough and rusted up. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: 1nana2many
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 7:15am
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We do not have an electric tongue jack, however, I have noticed a couple pictures on the site where people have placed covers over their electric jack, much like the bag over the propane bottle. Perhaps this is the reason those covers were there. Something to consider anyway. I made a outdoor cloth cover for our propane bottle because I hated how cracked up the original equipment was looking after only one year. I used a 2 gallon bucket lid inside the doubled top circle to maintain the shape. Put grommets in the bottom edge so we could use hooks to keep it in place. Sprayed it with camp dry to improve water proofing. It’s fading a little, but doing the job. We put a generator rack over the top so didn’t want to have to lift hard plastic propane covers. Hinged the metal band that goes around the bottle so it doesn’t have to be lifted either. ------------- The mountains are calling and we must go...O.D., Keith & Jody 2016 RP179= O.D. (Olive Drab) 2008 Coachman Captiva 1993 Jayco 1206 popup 2016 F150 Supercrew |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 5:51pm
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Okay, here is another possibility. There may be sufficient ground to allow the LED lights to turn on, but it may be insufficient to allow the motor to run. Loosen and re-tighten the bolts holding the jack to the frame (make sure it is supported and do one at a time. If it is a ground problem, then this should help. If it still does not work, then a mechanical problem is more likely the cause. Take your manual crank and try to turn it. Does it turn or is it seized? My jack is not by Lippert, but I do keep a soft cover on it. Since it is soft, I can work the switches through the cover so I don't have to remove it. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 6:35pm
I thought of that but the fact that the jack couldn't be turned manually discounted it for me. But that's a good idea generally. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: DavMar
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 8:40pm
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Okay, thanks everyone for the suggestions on how to get this power jack working. After the emergency nut that you can turn shattered into little pieces I took it apart and lubricated everything yesterday and got it working. Lucky me hu? Tried it this morning and it still worked and I thought I had this problem licked. This evening I backed the TV in position to hook the trailer up to it and hit the the switch to extended it and it was DOA! I'm totally perplexed so I remove the top cover to the jack and with my vice grips worked it back and forth and it moves freely but still the jack won't budge a fraction of an inch when I hit the switch. I finally in desperation took the whole jack assembly apart and laid it out on my work bench to remove the motor and lubricate it. Replaced it all and still nothing which tells me the motor is shot! So I guess in the morning I'll be racing around like a chicken without a head to find a new power tongue jack so we can get on the road and make our first reserved campsite by tomorrow evening. Wish me luck, I'll need it and then some!
------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 10:04pm
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Strange. Have you tried hooking it straight to a battery now that it's off? Now I might suggest checking your ground connection. Grounds can be annoyingly elusive. But I suspect you might be right about the motor being shot. A power jack is a convenience. You could get by with a small hydraulic bottle jack for your trip. Or, depending on how that 3/4" nut was attached, if you can replace it, you can use a 1/2" drill with a 3/4" socket to turn the jack. That's what I do with my ol' manual tongue jack. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: DavMar
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2019 at 1:06pm
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Just a little update on my Lippert Power Tongue Jack problem. Ended up removing the jack head and testing the motor and found it was shot. Guess the little electric motor just doesn't like to take a bath.  So on the day that we were scheduled to leave on our trip I was down at my local RV dealer when it opened to purchase a new power jack ($200 gone thank you!) and install it in record time. What a way to start a trip though I learned the hard and expensive way to buy a waterproof sock cover for the jack head or put a bucket over it!
------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
Posted By: Blender Bob
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2019 at 11:07pm
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I had the same problem. I cleaned the contacts on the inline fuse and ensure the case was screwed tight to make a good contact. Problem went away. Seems to have enough power to run the light, but not the jack before I fiddled with it. I hate partial failure problems. ------------- Bob 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 2018 178 R-pod Hood River Edition |