Electric Jacks ? anyone have positive/negative experience?

[goinoregon]

and if positive, any recommendation on brand, would be appreciated.
thx
greg

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I’ve had Attwood and HappiJacks on hardside campers, the only one to give me any trouble was the HappiJack. The electric motor on one jack would lock up after a prolonged period of not being used. When I called the factory, they immediately gave me a work around, so it was probably a well known issue. I do like the mechanical part of the HJ, it seems much better (gear ratio/smoothness) than the Rieco mechanicals on my pop up camper.

I guess I don’t trust either of the two electrics I’ve had, but they sure beat cranking a really heavy camper.

 

[Vic]

I had manual jacks on my old camper which was fine as it stayed on the truck almost full time. I did have the adaptor to use with an electric drill for the rare times it came off.

With the electrics on my new camper I'll usually drop the camper at a campground if I'm going to be touring the area for more than 3 or so days and they make the loading/unloading process so much easier. Happi Jacs and I service them with white lithium grease every couple of years and no problems so far.

-Vic

 

[goinoregon]

Thx for the intel guys. i will be gettting a ATC in the early spring. i live in urban PDX, and dont want to drive around the city with the camper, so i would like a convenient way to get it off the truck - by myself.
i am getting a shell, and will outfit interior myself - so figure i can 'splurge' on some things that make the whole process easier, and quicker.
thx again
greg

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Greg, the mechanical jacks will do the job.

 

[kimosawboy]

If you go electric, search out which of the companies have good customer service...More and more these days thats the deal breaker for me...

 

[goinoregon]

Greg, the mechanical jacks will do the job.

ok. i currently dont have the atc. but i figured running around with my drill motor would be time consuming. but apparently you dont think it adds a lot of time ?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

ok. i currently dont have the atc. but i figured running around with my drill motor would be time consuming. but apparently you dont think it adds a lot of time ?

The biggest time consumption was bolting/unbolting the jack to the mount. Running them up or down is pretty quick.

 

[ntsqd]

Our current camper came with Rieco electric jacks. The remote is a semi-PITA, but they mostly work well enough. I don't know that I'd have spent the coin to get them, but they do make R&Ring the camper much faster. The biggest reason that I don't know that I'd have opted for them is our camper is supposed to be on the truck full time.

Electric jacks do add a complication to taking them off when on the truck. Ours have no connector, they are hard wired. If there were a weathertight Anderson power pole bulkhead I'd change that, but I've yet to find one.

 

[PaulT]

Have you looked on the Powerwerx site for weather covers?
DC Power Products | Powerwerx

Scan down the page for the Anderson connector you need to protect.

There should not be a need for water proof connectors. The pickup bed location should be shielded from most water & spray by the camper itself.

Paul

 

[ntsqd]

I've seen these: Corrosion Proof Safety Boot for SB50 Amp Housings but what I'd want is something that would water-tight a two conductor version of this: Powerwerx PanelPole, Panel Mount Housing for Two Powerpole Connectors with a Weather Resistant Cover in the side of the camper when the jacks are mounted and connected. The jack's connector need not be water-tight, but the hole in the camper for the camper side of the connector needs to be sealed because where they come through the camper wall is exposed to spray from going down the road. Right now they employ a semi-labyrinth seal screw-on thing that I have little faith in.

 

[PaulT]

One approach might be to use some adhesive filled heat shrink tubing either by itself over one of the weather boots and down the wire for two or three inches past the end of the boot.

You could even use a smaller diameter tube for each of the two wires and also a larger diameter tube to cover the housing, and also, over the paired wires. Some of the tubing is heavier and tougher than the standard stuff for mechanical protection where it goes through the pickup bed wall.

Paul