Failing Tongue Jack

[astrocaster]

Hi, Everyone,

 

The tongue jack on our Oliver no longer responds to the switch to raise the tongue of our trailer, and it sometimes is hesitant to lower the tongue. We are wondering if anyone else on the forum has had this experience, and whether anyone has had to replace the tongue jack. I am getting tired of having to use the hand crank to raise the tongue!

 

Thanks,

Steve

[SeaDawg]

Steve,

We had difficulties with our tongue jack switch a few years ago. It worked intermittently at first, then finally quit completely. Paul purchased a replacement switch and a new watertight boot, and installed them, and it's worked fine since. Perhaps the switch is your problem, as well.

 

Sherry

[ScubaRx]

Steve,

 

Ours too, failed after about a year of service. I knew it was the switch as it would work sometimes and other times not, depending on just how you jiggled the bat handle on the switch. I called the company and they sent me a new switch. I took this opportunity do make a mod that is ever so handy for us. Whenever our gray tank gets over half full we have to raise the front of the Oliver to make the shower drain properly. It's never a convenient time to raise the front when it becomes evident that it needs to be done (wet, cold, soapy, naked—you get the picture.) So I decided to extend the capability of operating the jack to the inside. I've enclosed some pics of the mod. I'll admit it was not the simplest thing I've done to her, but it is useful. Don't worry, probably that's all that's wrong with the jack on your Oliver. It's a simple fix.

 

Hope yours has worked out to the good.

 

Steve

[astrocaster]

Tom, Sherry, and Steve,

 

Thank you all for responding. Glad you haven't had any trouble with your tongue jack, Tom. And Sherry and Steve, thanks for encouraging me to look more closely at the switch. I took the cover off this afternoon and inspected the switch and couldn't see any obvious problem. After I reassembled everything, I found that if I press in hard on the switch when I toggle it to the up position, it usually will supply power to the motor, but it won't supply power, if I just toggle it in the usual fashion one toggles a switch. Therefore, it seems that the switch is the problem and I will need to replace it.

 

Steve, I see from your post that you got a replacement with from the company (I assume that you mean the manufacturer of the jack--H&H Engineering/Barker Mfg. Co--rather than Oliver). Sherry, it might help me to know if Paul also got the replacement switch from the manufacturer, and if not, perhaps he could recall the specifications for the switch. What seems unusual to me, looking at the switch on our jack, is that pin #6 has two spade connectors on it. None of the similar switches I can find online have two connectors like that.

 

Thank you for any additional information you can provide regarding the switch, itself.

 

Steve

 

P.S. Steve, your remote switch for the tongue jack seems like quite an interesting project. Thanks for including the pictures!

[ScubaRx]

Steve,

 

I'm convinced that the problem is just your switch. I'm pretty sure I got mine from the company that made the jack (funny I can't seem to remember.) I do know that any heavy duty DPDT (double pole, double throw) switch will do. That double terminal could be accomplished with a Y-connection for that wire as it only supplies power to the light.

 

Steve

[SeaDawg]

Sorry, it's been awhile since we replaced the switch, and we also looked a long time for the correct one. I think Paul may actually have found it at our local Ace Hardware store, but not positive. Could also have been at the marine supply store. We looked in a lot of places. Paul suggested the key words "momentary contact switch" if you're trying an on-line search.

Sherry

[astrocaster]

Steve and Sherry,

Thanks for the follow-up! I'll look locally for a heavy-duty DPDT momentary contact switch.

 

Steve

[bugeyedriver]

Steve,

 

I experienced intermittent tongue jack operation a few years ago, took out the switch and went to an "electrical gizmo place" to purchase another one. Put the new one in and have had no problems since.

 

Pete

 

ps The Wonder Egg has 63,000 miles on it and is still going strong! Oscar the Smiley Dog and I are currently in the Colorado Rocky MTS avoiding the Texas heat for a few months. Just joined Mountainborn and Butcherknife at their Camp Host gig at Columbine Campground northwest of Denver.

 

Woohoo!!!

[SeaDawg]

Are you still in the Rockies? Hope all of you are out of the path of the wildfires.

Sherry

[allenpamela]

Pete, I am jealous to see you have so many miles of fun on Wonder Egg. I image Sherry is close to that many miles of fun also along with Steve. Unfortunately, we only have 1200 miles on ours due to life getting in the way. Between aging parents and pets it's hard to get away, but we look forward to getting miles on our Oliver in the future. We enjoy reading the forum and it keeps us informed on future fix it issues and the beautiful places everyone is visiting.

 

Have a great summer and enjoy your many trips.

 

Pam and Allen

[astrocaster]

Thanks, Sherry, Steve, and Pete, for suggesting that the switch was the problem. I have replaced the switch and the jack now works fine.

 

I did discover one thing, though, that I need to share with you all: it is that--at least on our Oliver--the tongue jack is wired directly to the batteries, bypassing the 12-volt cutoff switch, and, perhaps, all fuses. I was surprised to discover this when I was in the process of installing the new switch. I had hit the button to disconnect the batteries, so there was no 12-volt power in the cabin, and I had unplugged the shore power, so I assumed that there would be no power to the switch. However, I happened to bump the toggle as I made the last connection, and the jack came to life! I could have been severely shocked, had I not been careful in the way that I handled the several wires and connections. So, I have learned that the battery disconnect switch does not disconnect everything, and the only way to make sure is to actually disconnect the battery yourself!

 

Steve

[SeaDawg]

We have an (original) inline fuse in our line from battery to tongue jack. Wouldn't solve all the problems, and has caused us a (few) extra problems, but it is at least a fuse between the battery and the jack.

 

Personally, I wish it had been set up as an inside switch, in line with the battery cutoff. Would have made a lot of sense. Steve's arrangement has a lot of promise.

 

Sherry

[astrocaster]

Thanks, Sherry, for mentioning that there is an inline fuse. I see it now, and I have found mention of it in the owner's manual we got from Oliver.

 

Tom, its interesting that you have been told by someone who should know that the front jacks on all camper are wired directly to the battery. Any idea why this is the case?

 

Steve

[DCKiefer]

Have had the same thing with the switch on the tongue jack and the side jacks. Dust gets into these switches from the road. If they start acting up I remove the switch and spray it with some electrical contact lubricant. This will help flush the dust out and clean the contacts.

[hellsbay]

I think it is a simple three-way switch and can be found at any auto supply store. I had to replace mine on the AS I used to own and that's where I found one.