Electric Tongue Jack Issue
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15200
Printed Date: 18 May 2024 at 2:27pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Electric Tongue Jack Issue
Posted By: hiker39
Subject: Electric Tongue Jack Issue
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 4:14pm
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My 195 has an electric tongue jack and it was dead when I went to use it for the first time since last fall. I checked the fuse and it's good, it's getting voltage to the switch and I checked all the solder joints which look good. After some trial and error I found that if I started to hand crank it and then hit the power switch the motor runs in both directions, but from a dead stop it acts like it's dead. My lead acid batts lost some acid over the winter so they have been topped off and are charging now - thinking perhaps there isn't enough voltage to start it from a dead stop. I even tried hooking the electrical to my tow vehicle with the motor running and still won't run without giving it help. Let me know if you have run into this or have ideas - thanks for your help!
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Replies:
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 5:39pm
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Did you check the ground connection? A resistive connection on either pilarity could cause the voltage to drop too low during motor start.
Also, spray everything that moves with wd40 to lubricate it, or if you see corrosion try PB Blaster to get that loose. Then run the jack up and down all the way several times getting it started by hand cranking if needed. Basically youre trying to clear any corrision out of the jack and getting it lubricated. If you still suspect weak connections get a multimeter, disconnect the battery, and use the ohmmeter function to see what the wire resistances are in both the plus and minus legs. If none of that works you probably need to plan on buying a new electric jack. Or just use the manual jack and consider it a bit of arm exercise.  ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: hiker39
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 5:48pm
| Thanks for your help offgrid - I'll grab the multimeter and some WD40 and see if I can get anywhere. If it gets replaced it will be with a manual jack for sure! |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2022 at 7:20pm
Our 11 year old manual jack on a 177 still works great every time rain, shine, snow, sleet. Pretty dependable so far. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 7:22am
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We had something similar happening, so I removed the Jack and found there is a star washer on one of the three bolts that was fairly rusty, cleaned it up and seemed to do the trick work fine after that. ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: john in idaho
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 10:13am
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Remember -- a battery loses water by evaporation, not acid. So don't add any acid- just water. An d distilled water is best. A 50 cc syringe or a turkey baster is a precise way to fill the battery, and your battery may have a Fill to Here mark. Takes a lot more than you think it will if the liquid is just covering the plates. the curve on the front of some pods makes filling the batteries a real exercise, but necessary . You need a voltmeter. And a flashlight . And maybe a third hand.
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Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2022 at 11:33am
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I would also get a multimeter to check the voltage right at the motor, or as close to it as you can get. It sounds like you might have a low battery, or possibly a high resistance connection. If the voltage to the motor goes way down when you try to operate the jack, then it's likely the high resistance connection. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: hiker39
Date Posted: 02 Apr 2022 at 4:59pm
Was able to do a deeper dive today and was somehow able to get it working properly - at least for now. While I didn't use a volt meter I am fairly certain a resistive connection was the issue. Here's what I tried and what eventually worked... Visually inspected the wire from the battery to the jack - looked good. I cleaned all the connections at the battery - still had the issue. The 30amp fuse holder between the jack the battery had connections that looked corroded so I tried to clean but eventually removed it completely - spliced it with a quick connect and still had the issue. Removed the top from the gear box and repacked with grease - still no joy  . The only connection I could not check were the two wires going into the motor. I was working to remove the motor but I would need to remove the gears to get to the mounting nuts - not up for that. So as a last resort I expertly  jiggled the wires leading into the motor and now it's running like it used to. I did more jiggling once it was running good and I can't get it to fail now. I don't hold out much hope of that fix lasting one it get jiggled on the road but who knows. I'm keeping the manual jack handle handy. BTW - I used distilled water to top of the batteries but thanks for pointing it out - my description could be a bit more spot on. Also - I'll be adding that fuse back in for safety. Just wanted to eliminate it as a possible cause for troubleshooting purposes. Thanks for all the help!!
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Posted By: marwayne
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 2:53pm
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Did the conversion 11 years ago, still works as well now than it did then. https://postimages.org/">  ------------- If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd. |
Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2022 at 4:36pm
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Hate when that happens and you don't know the root cause. We had a similar thing happen after the first winter storage with the electric jack we installed on our 2017 179. We attacked it with WD40, checking connections, the whole enchilada. I manually cranked it and towed it home where, upon arrival it worked fine. My wife made a water repellant hood for the head of the jack to protect it from dust and the elements when the trailer is stored. Never had a problem after that. Not sure if that was the solution but we haven't had issues in the 2 years since then. Cheers ------------- Gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2022 at 4:21am
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Glad you (hopefully) have the problem resolved. But for others reading this thread it's not the best troubleshooting process to remove your safety systems temporarily. While troubleshooting is generally when you need them the most, too easy to short something while testing and trying to fix it. Most blown fuses I've experienced occurred during troubleshooting.
A better approach would be to use your multimeter to determine that you have continuity and low resistance across the fuse and holder and then move on to the motor while leaving the fuse in place to do it's work in case you have an oopsies poking around downstream. More than likely you jiggled something which cleared some corrosion that was adding resistance and keeping the motor from producing full torque, so it could move the screw jack once you started it by hand but couldn't start by itself. If you can get the tip of a wd40 can in there to inject that it might displace enough water to keep the corrosion from reforming for a long time. Working the screw all the way back and forth a few times and lubricating that will help as well. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2022 at 9:35am
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When you have electrical connections somewhere that gets wet, it is often advisable to use dielectric grease to keep the water out. When I had my airplane, I would use something called DC4 on any electrical connections that might get exposed to water. WD40 works OK, but it doesn't have a lot of sticking power. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: hiker39
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2022 at 11:13am
| I agree, I hate it when I don't nail the root cause. If/when it fails again I just go the same route as marwayne and convert it to manual - that conversion is awesome BTW. My last two TT's had manual cranks which never gave me one bit of trouble. The more parts, the more opportunities for failure. It's always good to keep things as simple as possible. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2022 at 5:42am
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+1 Manual all the way. It's no big deal cranking a little trailer like an rpod up and down a couple of inches.
Yes there are fir sure better water displacement fluids than wd40 but the aviation ones are special order items. Wd40 is pretty much in everyone's tool cabinet already and will usually work ok. Just spray it often, and give it a good squirt before winter storage. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: SC for Huskers
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2022 at 10:32pm
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Back in the day I maintained AT&T central office batteries and use "NO-OX-ID" on all the busbars. I also use it on all my Vehicle batteries and never had one problem. Amazon has it. https://www.sanchem.com/electrical-contact-lubricant.html ------------- Happy Traveling, Tom 2017 172pod 2011 F150 STX |
Posted By: Mooree
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2022 at 1:55am
| I have used these Quick Products's https://www.rvweb.net/best-electric-tongue-jacks-reviewed/ - electric tongue jack . I put 3 on my wheel house fishhouse to raise and lower to the ice. They are quiet and they do move a little slow but that's ok with me. Any other jacks in this price range will not be alot faster. Comes with nice circuit breaker..you do have to get the wire ends to connect to the battery but that's ok. These jacks are very nice in my opinion..and believe me..if they had any issue's with anything you guy's would be the first to know. |
Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 12:52pm
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@OG - Manual tongue jacks are usually okay until you need to crank up the trailer and the rear of the TV to hitch your WDH spring bars (especially on uneven ground). I know, I know. All you have to do is pull the trailer to level ground and then hook up the spring bars and sometimes that is not an easy option. An electric jack makes it much easier plus it is a must for folks with shoulder and back issues. ------------- Gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 20 Dec 2022 at 2:19am
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I never had a problem attaching my wdh bars on uneven ground using the manual hitch, but I don't have shoulder problems. For sure, if you do have a physical impairment by all means get what you need to deal with it. In that case I think I'd still chose a manual jack plus battery drill solution as that allows for manual backup, unless the drill would also cause shoulder problems.
------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 20 Dec 2022 at 9:35am
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The jack we purchased from etrailer has a manual crank for when there is a lack of power. We use a drill driver for the stabilizer jacks already so we have the socket needed to use the drill driver on the tongue jack should we have to. The electric jack is just a nice convenience that makes the overall experience enjoyable. It also helps my wife who performs the hookup duties when we leave camp so she can stay in practice should something happen to me. ------------- Gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |