Troubleshooting Electric A-Frame Trailer Tongue Jack, # JET-3555 Blowing Fuses

Updated 12/28/2012 | Published 10/14/2010

Products Featured in This Question

Stromberg Carlson Electric Trailer Jack - Drop Leg - A-Frame - 24" Lift - 3,500 lbs - White

(868)

$211.64

Leveling Scissor Jack Set - 24" Lift - 10,000 lbs - QTY 2

(468)

$115.01

Stromberg Carlson Electric Trailer Jack - Drop Leg - A-Frame - 23" Lift - 4,500 lbs - Black

(868)

$290.85

Question:

My JET-3555 keeps blowing fuses when I try to operate the lift. It acts like there is a dead short somewhere but dont see anything. So I want to be able to manual work the lift can you advise how to do this or what could be the problem why my hitch keeps blowing fuses. Thank You

asked by: Alan

Expert Reply:

You should be able to manually crank the Electric A-Frame Tongue Jack, # JET-3555, up and down by removing the rubber plug on the side and inserting the manual handle or a properly sized socket wrench. Turn clockwise to extend the jack and counter-clockwise to retract it.

I spoke with one of our installers about the fuses blowing. He stated that the power wire could be shorting to ground or there could be an internal component that is shorting out. Make sure all ground connections are made to a clean and corrosion free metal surface.

He also stated that if the tongue weight on the trailer is too high, The current used by the jack to lift beyond its capacity could be causing the fuses to blow. He recommended taking all of the weight from the jack by lifting the trailer another way, like with a scissor jack, # JSC-24, for example.

Then try raise the powered jack up and down to see if it blows fuses when no weight is on it. If it does, there is a short somewhere. If it does not blow fuses, then the tongue weight is too high for this jack and you will need a higher capacity jack like the Stromberg Carlson # SC63VR, rated at 4,500 pounds. The SC63VR also has circuit protection that will shut off the jack when it draws too much amperage.

expert reply by: Michael H

Gary

12/26/2012

One obvious possibility is that the extension is binding or bent, or both. This would put a lot of strain on the motor and cause it to pull too much amperage and blow fuses as well. I have this problem with my unit and have to replace. My fault, the trailer rolled as I was unhooking and bent the down tube. Next time, I set the chocks myself. An expensive lesson to learn. On the first day I owned it no less.

Patrick B.

12/28/2012

Good points. There are other cases where over-extending or over-retracting will overload the motor the same way a bent tube would. A lot of users will mark the tubes with a paint pen or scribe so they know where to stop the travel.