Troubleshooting Powered Trailer Tongue Jack

Published 08/27/2015

Question:

I have a Ultra fab 4000 Jack at present, the first froze up last winter, and I replaced it with the same one. Now im having trouble with it.. it acted like the motor was bad or wasnt getting enough power. the battery was fully charged, I even plugged the trailer in the truck to charge the battery as I was lifting. When I got home I check for a bad ground, everything was fine. Took the switch out had a bit of rust on it. attempted to toggle it while out of the hole, Nothing. when I put it back in giving up the jack started working fine. I dont want to get out some where needing it. Do you have any ideas, could the switch be going bad ? Also I noticed the husky only has one wire, where as the ultra fab has two. Where is the ground on the husky. Any Recommendations? Thank You

asked by: Dennis W

Expert Reply:

Some powered tongue jacks like the Husky Brute # HT87247 use the mounting flange that bolts to the trailer frame to make the necessary ground connection. Other jacks like the Ultra-Fab # UF38-944014 use a separate ground wire. Either way that clean bare metal-to-bare metal contact is essential for the jack to operate properly. A weak ground may allow the jack to function under some conditions but it is possible that it may not allow full current to reach the motor.

Switches certainly can develop internal corrosion. Sitting for the winter months, especially if this happens in a damp environment, or high summer humidity can lead to issues with electrical contacts. There are aerosol contact cleaners like Caig De-Oxit that can help to dissolve corrosive build up inside electrical contacts. You may want to try this on your existing switch, particularly since it seems to have reacted well to your removing and handling it. A good cleaning may remove the rust you noted and clean out the contact surfaces. Apply the cleaner and toggle the switch back and forth to work the solvent into the contact areas. It may be necessary to apply it and leave it a while to work, or to apply it multiple times to fully clean out the switch.

expert reply by: Adam R