Troubleshooting Electric Tongue Jack That Gets Power But Does Not Operate

Updated 01/14/2019 | Published 01/11/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Stromberg Carlson Electric Trailer Jack - Drop Leg - A-Frame - 23" Lift - 5,000 lbs - Black

(893)

$357.85

Dielectric Grease for Electrical Connectors, 2 oz.

(1494)

$11.41

CTEK MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Universal Battery Charger w/ Pulse Maintenance and Backup Power

(98)

$199.99

Question:

Hitch is stuck up and will not lower. Button is getting power

asked by: Shellie

Expert Reply:

Electric tongue jacks like the 5000 lb-rated Stromberg Carlson # JET-5000 will draw a good bit of power when their motor is operating. It can happen that sometimes the jack will get enough current to light up the jack's high-efficiency LED lights and/or its power switch but not enough to actually operate the motor, in which case the included manual crank can always be used.

Most often the issue that prevents the jack motor from operating is a bad ground. This Husky jack uses its round mounting bracket to make the ground connection. The fix is usually pretty easy, just remove the jack and sand off both the bottom of the jack plate and the mating surface on the trailer. Removing the paint, primer, rust or dirt that could be in between those surfaces usually restores full power delivery.

Once you have cleaned off those two mating surfaces I suggest applying a layer of dielectric grease # 11755 before re-installing the jack. This grease blocks entry of moisture and contaminants that could again cause corrosion and block power delivery to the jack.

Also, if you have a trailer-mounted battery to power the jack make sure it is well-charged from an AC-powered charger like # CTEK56353 that is rated appropriately for the capacity of battery you are using.

expert reply by: Adam R