What Size Battery Should be Used to Power an Ultra-Fab Electric A-Frame Trailer Jack

Updated 07/28/2015 | Published 07/27/2015

Question:

In a previous question it was asked about the power wire size. Stated size is 10 gauge the fuse is a 20A slow burn. What is the Draw for the motor. What is the minimum size batter that would be required. Typical generic electric trailer emergency breakaway is a 12V 3ah battery. Would this battery suffice for the electric jack or would it need to be uprated to another 10-20ah battery or larger? I ordered this as it looks to be a good fit that I can use to hard wire in or use the plug as designed. Just need to make sure Im not going to hurt the wiring harness of my tow vehicle.

asked by: Ross

Expert Reply:

The 3500 pound Ultra-Fab A-frame jacks such as # UF38-944037 have a 25 amp circuit breaker to handle the draw of the motor so the battery will need to be rated at least that high which usually isn't a problem for 12 volt car batteries.

The slow blow fuse is actually a 30 amp. A breakaway battery will not be sufficient since the amp hour rating is too low. You really need an actual car battery.

expert reply by: Michael H