Urgent: Electric Jack stopped working

**Bailey'sMom** · 07-13-2018, 05:32 PM

Hi all

I just closed up my trailer and my electric jack was working. I hitched up and backed into my garage. I tried to lower the jack and the electric jack is not working at all.

It worked 10 minutes earlier.

THOUGHTS????

It doesn't work whether just on battery or even when i plugged back into electric.

Did I blow a fuse? Where is the fuse on the electric jack typically located?

**Kidkraz** · 07-13-2018, 05:39 PM

On my rig the fuse is just after the battery connection, but there is a fuse inside the rig at the power breaker control panel. Not knowing how your jack is set up; I had to add a dedicated ground for my jack. I didn't have one when I initial installed it and the frame ground would cut out every know and then. Work one minute and not the next time.

**Bailey'sMom** · 07-13-2018, 05:44 PM

When you say just after the battery connection do you right by the jack itself?

I added pics. Looks like the ground (or what I believe to be the ground) is ok.

**Bailey'sMom** · 07-13-2018, 06:27 PM

Opened it all up and swapped fuse inside and that was the problem.

Now....I only had on hand these Bussman mini fuses. It is 30amp but why is it so much smaller than the one shown on the right in picture? I will pick some of those up but can someone tell me the difference?

**Kwantau** · 07-14-2018, 07:38 AM

More than likely you had a bad ground between the swing hitch and the battery ground. By installing a ground bonding strap between those two hitch parts and you will not have that problem again. At the moment you are relying on pivot points of the swing away hitch to give you a ground which at times goes bad thereby losing your jack. By your picture it shows that your ground attachment is right near the jack. I had the same problem years ago and by installing a bonding strap never had it again.

**Bill** · 07-14-2018, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey'sMom

Now....I only had on hand these Bussman mini fuses. It is 30amp but why is it so much smaller than the one shown on the right in picture? I will pick some of those up but can someone tell me the difference?

Sara -

Though they are physically different, there is no electrical reason for the difference. The smaller fuses were undoubtedly invented to make it possible for car manufacturers to use a smaller fuse box in the car's electrical system. After all, a car can easily have 30 fuses, and in a small car, that can be a problem.

So just buy proper assortments of both mini-fuses and normal size (ATC) fuses, and be done with it.

Also, as has been mentioned. adding a separate ground wire or strap from the jack to the trailer frame is a good idea, especially since you have a swing tongue. The ground connection on the jack is the heavy wire with the yellow-covered terminal that is bolted to the base of the jack. You should add a similar cable from the same location on the jack's base to a similar bolt in any frame location that is behind the swing tongue hinges. I know you don't like electrical work, but this is all ground, so there is no danger of any kind.

Bill

**Bailey'sMom** · 07-14-2018, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

Sara -

Though they are physically different, there is no electrical reason for the difference. The smaller fuses were undoubtedly invented to make it possible for car manufacturers to use a smaller fuse box in the car's electrical system. After all, a car can easily have 30 fuses, and in a small car, that can be a problem.

So just buy proper assortments of both mini-fuses and normal size (ATC) fuses, and be done with it.

Bill

Good to know. Got a bunch of sets of mini fuses from when my mom moved and we cleaned out the garage. Oh my the things my Dad had in that garage. He had parts for everything.... I knew these would come in handy.

Now if TM could just locate the fuse box at the front entrance somehow... that would make times like this much simpler.

But all is good now and i am heading out for a much needed 2 week trip to the northwoods with my sister. Going to be fabulous if we can just lose all the humidity.

**Larryjb** · 07-14-2018, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bailey'sMom

Now if TM could just locate the fuse box at the front entrance somehow... that would make times like this much simpler.

Might be a crazy idea, but what about using a higher rated fuse in the panel, and then wire in a correctly rated fuse in line right at the power jack? This way, if a fuse were to go, it would be easy to change out in the event that your trailer is all closed up.