Troubleshooting Ground with Ultra-Fab Electric Trailer Jack

Updated 05/06/2019 | Published 05/02/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Hook Probe Circuit Tester

(65)

$13.35

Dielectric Grease for Electrical Connectors, 2 oz.

(1489)

$10.94

LCD Digital Circuit Tester

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$28.06

Question:

Back in 2015, I bought a camper and had an Ultra-Fab electric jack installed as part of the package. It failed wouldnt actuate. It was replaced under warranty. It failed wouldnt actuate after a few successful tries. It too was replaced under warranty. This new one worked for a few tries, but againit failed to actuate. The dealer replaced THAT one under warranty. This was all in the span of the first month I owned the camper. That, the 3rd jack worked fine. Last year, this jack started having the same problem as all the prior jacks. Sporadically it wouldnt actuate. Here at the beginning of its fourth season camping, I replaced the switch with a factory part and it works fineuntil this morning. AhI see it is again working just now. My thoughts aretheir switches must be junk which I hope you can verify or deny, or it is possible that throughout all these jack changes, the dealer failed to make good ground against the frame with each install? Ill troubleshoot that ground tomorrow. Would you expect I should apply lithium grease to the contact with the tongue once I get the jack off? Also, does anyone make a jack that is designed to be used with a cordless drill? My drill never fails and that is what I use to drive the Ultra-fab when it fails.

asked by: Edward

Expert Reply:

Most often when an electric tongue jack won't function it is due to a weak ground. The remedy is simple enough; sand off the bottom of the jack mounting plate and the top surface of the trailer that contacts the jack plate. Remove all paint, primer, etc until both surfaces are clean bare metal. Then apply silicone-based dielectric grease # 11755 to block water and dirt from entering the space between those surfaces and causing corrosion. Nine times out of ten the issue goes away.

It does seem odd that so many power jacks have failed on you. Yes, switches vary in quality and they can go bad but I expect a grounding issue is more likely than multiple jacks all having the same problem. I'd expect that a repeat switch problem would result in a product recall by the manufacturer. The switch can be tested with a circuit tester like # PTW2992 or you can do a bypass test by connecting battery power directly to the jack motor terminals to see if it functions without the switch in the circuit.

All power jacks have a manual option and your cordless drill is the perfect way to use it.

You will find many different opinions about the type of grease to use to protect the jack ground. Some say lithium grease works (while others say it can harden and be tough to remove). Others say petroleum jelly works fine. We recommend dielectric grease since it is intended for this type of application.

expert reply by: Adam R