Troubleshooting Weak Ground When Installing Ram A-Frame 3,500-lb Electric Jack

Question:

A couple of questions, this jack came with a circuit breaker to install on the black wire from the jack, does it matter if the black wire goes to Line or Load side? I installed the jack and got nothing, I then made a shirt ground from the battery negating to the toolbox the battery is in, I also touch the ground wire to a clean area on the trailer, I get the lights but no jack power, the lights go out when I hit the jack button, cannyou help? Thank You.

asked by: Jamil S

Expert Reply:

Your jack circuit breaker should be installed on the +12V wire that goes to the positive battery terminal.

If your jack lights operate but the jack motor does not this tends to suggest that your problem is a weak ground connection. Weak grounds can often pass enough power to allow some low-power-draw functions like lights to work properly but will not pass enough current to operate the power-hungry jack motor.

You can test this easily by applying your charged battery's power direct to the jack. If the motor functions in this way then you know you just need to make a stronger ground connection between the battery and trailer, and the trailer and the jack. Sometimes it helps to sand off the paint on the trailer's jack mount and on the bottom of the jack mounting flange to allow bare metal-to-metal contact.

expert reply by: Adam R