tongue jack switch???

[Dennis and Melissa]

After a long trip, while hitching Ollie back up to the truck for the drive to the storage unit, the tongue jack stopped working! 🤪

After a bit of panic, I noticed that it would go down, but not up.

Then I noticed that if I gave it a bit of help, it would, in fact, go up.  Then it started working again (so long as I gently mashed the ENTIRE switch up).

I am assuming this is the electronics IN THE SWITCH giving out.  Anyone ever replace one of those things???

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

Anyone ever replace one of those things?

Yes, there was just a thread on the wiring of the jack switch (link below). And these switches go bad regularly. What you described is very likely a switch that needs replacing.

Also, everybody should carry a simple spade jumper like pictured below. The Oliver has many toggle switches installed and this simple jumper can be used as a temporary override. I had a brake pedal switch go bad on a Class-C which would not allow me to move the auto trans gear selector out of park. We were stuck right were we had parked.

I used a jumper like this to bypass the switch which allowed us to drive an hour or two into the next town to get this common replacement switch at Napa. They also would likely have a replacement toggle switch for the jack. Nice little tool to have handy. I made one when we had the brake switch failure and have carried it with ever since. Used it once when the Oliver had a bad water pump switch under the pantry which allowed the switch under the bath vanity to work.

 

[SeaDawg]

12 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

assuming this is the electronics IN THE SWITCH giving out.  Anyone ever replace one of those things???

Yes. And we carry a spare. And, a spare for the rear jacks, too. 

It is possible to raise and lower all the jacks manually. And, I'll also mention that it's slow and not so much fun.

Our 2008 trailer is now almost "old enough to vote", and has lived outdoors its whole life,  so replacing exterior switches due to corrosion, is not entirely a surprise.  Just can be inconvenient. Jd's jumper could be a helpful small addition to our tiny spare parts kit. 

With a newer trailer, you might just want to check to make sure you have enough battery power to the switch. The jacks draw a lot, quickly , and I've found over the years that a low battery (i still have agms) can cause a temporary failure. 

Edited June 11 by SeaDawg

[Dennis and Melissa]

Thanks for the feedback.

Took me a while to get around to this, but I think it was just loose wiring.  Fingers crossed. 🤞

[Dennis and Melissa]

Years ago, I had a friend with a class A.  When I asked him what his ownership experience was like, he said: "Imagine picking up your entire house and shaking it for hours.  That's what happens every time you drive down the highway.  Eventually everything breaks."

I kept that warning very much in mind when we were purchasing our trailer.  But I guess even Ollie's wires aren't immune to road vibration. 

[srthomsen]

On 6/10/2025 at 8:20 PM, SeaDawg said:

With a newer trailer, you might just want to check to make sure you have enough battery power to the switch. The jacks draw a lot, quickly , and I've found over the years that a low battery (i still have agms) can cause a temporary failure. 

I"ll drink (in moderation of course!) to that.  I try to utilize the park power when availaable to raise and lower when needed.