Troubleshooting the Lippert Electric Trailer Jack Part # LC285318

Updated 03/11/2025 | Published 06/23/2018

Question:

I replaced my old tongue jack with same Lippert jack. Light is on but jack does not move. Design is to connect to a little junction box on the trailer and then it connects to the battery by red terminal wire. do you know why it will not work? possible reasons?

asked by: Terry

Expert Reply:

There is only one wire that needs to be connected on the Lippert Electric Trailer Jack part # LC285318. This is the red 12 volt power wire that will need to be ran to the positive terminal on the battery. I cannot be sure as to how the junction box you have is ran but I recommend removing that from the equation and attaching it directly to the battery to see if it powers on. If it does then there many be a short in the wiring to your junction box. If it doesn't then this could either mean that the battery is dead, the jack is faulty or there is not a sufficient ground.

This jack grounds though the morning hardware so I do recommend that you make sure the mounting surface is free of paint or dirt. You can also try to run a ground wire from one of the jack's mounting holes to a bare metal surface on the frame. If the power is checked and the ground is secure then the jack may be faulty and will need to be returned but my guess is the ground or junction box you are using is not sufficient. Even though the light is one, if the power and or ground are not sufficient then the jack could fail to operate.

expert reply by: Conner L

Kendrick J.

5/13/2024

Conner, My jack seems to go really slow now even when plugged in. I end up having to use my manually to let it down or up. Do you know what could be causing this? It's a fairly new jack.

Edwin

3/8/2025

I have a fully aluminum trailer and only have one bar on my smart jack and it is not operating. On a aluminum trailer where is it grounded.

Jerred H.

3/11/2025

@Edwin When you say fully aluminum I take that as your frame being aluminum too. If this is true you'll want to tap into the ground on your trailer's 7-way or 4-way connector and ground your jack through it.