How to Wire etrailer Electric Trailer Jack

Updated 09/30/2025 | Published 09/07/2025

Question:

this seems a great replacement for a broken Lippert LC285318 tongue jack. However, my current jack only has a single postive wire coming in. I see this has both a positive and negative. This leads me to what might be a dumb question, but I want to be clear about how to wire it up. I wire the positive up to match what I have today coming from the positive on the battery, but what about the negative wire? The installation manual for the e23ZV says Install Ring Terminal on the trailer jack’s black wire in the same fashion. Use a self-tapping screw not included to secure the wire to the trailer’s frame. Can you expand on what this means? Does the black wire connect to the frame - just anywhere? Or is this saying connect it to the negative on the battery in the same fashion as the positive, and then use something to secure the wire to the frame so it doesnt dangle loose? Thanks in advance!

asked by: Chris

Expert Reply:

Hey Chris! The black wire on the etrailer Electric Trailer Jack # e23ZV is just a ground wire. Realistically you can ground it however you want but I would say running it to the frame with a self-tapping screw as indicated in the instructions is the best option. This means running it directly to the frame, the screw is not a secondary point to secure the wire. You probably already have a ground running to the frame at your trailer tongue, this is pretty common practice.

expert reply by: Robin H

etrailer Electric Trailer Jack Instructions
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Robin H.

9/29/2025

Hey Chris, did grounding the black wire to the frame work out for you? I'd love to hear how it went, as it could help others who are wiring their trailer jacks.