Power Tongue Jack Not Working

thedusty · June 01, 2017, 04:59:59 PM

This past weekend we used our 21BHS for the first time this season. The power tongue jack worked just fine on arrival and departure. Up and down...down and up. No problems at all.

When I get home from the trip, I parked the TT and removed it from the truck and then unplugged the tow power cable. When I go to lower the power tongue jack, it doesn't function at all. I connected shore power to see what would happen....still nothing. I removed the battery while connected to shore power just to see what would happen...still nothing. I then connected the trailer back to the truck while it's running and the power tongue jack operates again...but that's now the only way it works.

Is this a simple solution I just happen not to know or do I have a bigger problem on my hands? Thank you for any help you can offer...

gbpack · June 01, 2017, 06:23:00 PM

Could be a blown fuse (that happened to us once). The fuse for the power jack is not inside the trailer (not by all of the breakers and fuses in the breaker box). Rather, there is a small black plastic box under the front of the trailer in the middle. You have to slide under there on your back to get to it. It's a pain in the you-know-what, but you should check that. Not sure what size fuse it is. The thing that we did to cause the fuse to blow was having my finger on the "on" button too long (continuing to run the unit when it had already gotten to the bottom or after it had reached the top). If you keep your finger on the "on" button too long after it reaches the bottom or top, you can blow the fuse because the motor keeps trying to crank when there is nowhere left for it to go. Maybe the reason it works when connected to your running tow vehicle is that it gets power that way but not from any other source? Maybe all of the other ways the power comes to the jack (from the battery or shore power converter) have to pass through the fuse first.

thedusty · June 01, 2017, 06:59:33 PM

Thank you. I will check that out. I looked inside for a fuse and didn't have any luck...guess now I know why.

pjcd · June 01, 2017, 08:52:06 PM

For some reason, if I run my jack all the way down, the fuse blows, doesn't do it when lifting, go figure.

Jackson · July 09, 2017, 08:52:15 PM

Yup, will do it on retracting. Ended up having to manually crank up and down in Quebec where everything was closed for Canada day. 30 amp in line auto fuse and I now carry many spares along with 15s. I have two fuses for the jack. The first on the jack pigtail itself and the second at the power junction below the battery boxes which was the culprit. The initial fuse was OK and started looking for a possible bad power connection when I found the second.

pjcd · July 09, 2017, 10:09:32 PM

I keep a little ammo box filled essentials.

Merlin · July 11, 2017, 08:58:28 PM

Quote from: pjcd on July 09, 2017, 10:09:32 PM
I keep a little ammo box filled essentials.

What gauge?

pjcd · July 11, 2017, 10:21:27 PM

Just a plastic ammo box from Dicks, I think it was $7. I have multiple amp fuses, electrical tape, ss water hose clamps, you know little of this, a little of that

I just looked it up, its the Plano Shot Shell Box, I got it on sale a while ago.

thudd3r · July 12, 2017, 01:20:48 AM

Quote from: pjcd on July 11, 2017, 10:21:27 PM
Just a plastic ammo box from Dicks, I think it was $7. I have multiple amp fuses, electrical tape, ss water hose clamps, you know little of this, a little of that I just looked it up, its the Plano Shot Shell Box, I got it on sale a while ago.

i think he meant 12 ga