LOUD lci tongue jack --> Manual?

[cobrageek]

We have a new Rockwood Roo 23RS and it came with one of the cheap LCI tongue jacks. It is absolutely deafaning. My wife wants to wear hearing protection when we use the jack. In addtion, it's slower than one can believe.

Or old trailer just had a manual jack and I'm completely fine with that. My first thought was to use the manual override crank, but it's nearly as loud and way harder than it should be because you're turning the silly motor.

Is swapping this stupid thing out for a manual one as simple as 3 bolts, unhook the wires and slap in a $50 one from amazon? Is the bolt pattern standard?

Does anyone have recommendations of good manual jacks?

The dry tongue weight is 500lb and I'm guessing with stuff it's around 600-650 (haven't managed to hit the scales yet). Thanks.

[youroo]

Yes the bolt spred is same. By the way I have been (Breeding the LCI jacks) one of the offspring must have gotten away and your Trailer received it,Sorry! I call the littleoffspring jacks (LCI Retards). Youroo!!

[cobrageek]

Thanks youroo. These things seem really cheesy and there are tons of threads about all the problems so I wanted to replace it with something easy before it breaks and we go deaf.

One more question. What weight rating should I get? I know it needs to be above the tongue weight with a good margin but I also use it to lift up the truck to get the WD bars in place. So it seems like at least 2000lb would be good. What do you guys think?

Any brand recommendations would be nice as well. Our old trailer had a side wind setup and we liked it and are used to it. But I see a lot with top wind. Do people like those better?

[cobrageek]

Just went and took another look at things. The cheap-o is 3500lb and I'm sure that's more than sufficient. I think I'll want side wind because I'm afraid the top wind setup will hit the LP tanks as they are very close behind the jack.

What about length of the jack? The current thing says 18" stroke but many of the manual ones I see are not that long (assuming the information is provided. Any recommendations would be great.

[Steeljag]

Ours is loud as well, and I think getting louder. I'm going to replace it with a quality electric one. I do think there are different diameter sizes, you may want to measure before you order one.

[youroo]

There is a recent post about (Barker Jacks) they are made in the (USA) in Mich. That is what I have! Youroo!!

[sideout1961]

Hope this isn't off topic bit what exactly is raising the post on the jack? There is no teeth on the exterior of the post. I'm new to the whole trailer ownership so I'm still learning.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by sideout1961

Hope this isn't off topic bit what exactly is raising the post on the jack? There is no teeth on the exterior of the post. I'm new to the whole trailer ownership so I'm still learning.

The post we are on now is (Loud LCI tonguejack). Look for other posts for Barker jacks. Youroo!!

[mgargiullo]

They get louder for a bunch of reasons, but the reduction gearing in the system isn't well done and the thrust 'bearing' is a pair of washers that slide against east other. They are cheaply made. My manual crank sheared off, had to use the truck's spare tire jack to hitch up and get home. Look for the Barker thread for replacement.

[Triguy]

I also went with Barker after my LCI chewed itself up.

Cobrageek, specifically, I went with a Barker 3500 VIP for my 233S.

[cobrageek]

The Barker sounds good. But I really think my family would prefer a manual setup if we can find one.

The closest thing I've been able to find so far is a 5000lb version that extends 15". I can't quite figure out the length below the tongue on this one, but just by looking at it I think it's about the same as the current LCI which means it is around 2-3" shorter when fully extended. So I'd need to figure out some way to safely add more blocks. Ultra-Tow Side-Wind A-Frame Jack — 5000-Lb. Capacity, 19in. to 34in. Lift, Model# 50001067 | Trailer Jacks| Northern Tool + Equipment

Just found the measurements in their Q&A and it's 7" below the bracket which is exactly like the current one. So it has 3" less height than our current one and we use every last inch while hitching. We normally have it on a 2x6, so we'd need something another 3" taller. Maybe screw 3 2x6 blocks together?

Anyone use something like this? Is it any good? Valterra A10-0900 Red Trailer Tongue Jack Stand : Amazon.com : Automotive

Good idea to check the diameter. It looks like the current one is 2 1/4" in diameter, same as the ultra-tow unit.

[cobrageek]

Found my solution to the fact that the manual crank units have only 15" of travel:

BAL 29055B Tall Foot for 2000 lbs Tongue Jack : Amazon.com : Automotive

It's 7" from the bottom to the hole and the foot that's on the current unit is around 2" for that span. So this would provide a 5" lift. I may need to remove it when traveling, but that shouldn't be too bad.

[cobrageek]

Well, I decided to take the plunge and convert to manual with the extended foot. I bought the bulldog 5000lb model with 15" travel and the extended foot:
BULLDOG® 1700100317 - Weld-On / Bolt-On A-Frame Round Jack (5000 lbs Capacity, 15" Travel, Side Wind, 8.4" Bracket to Ground Retracted)
BAL 29055B Tall Foot for 2000 lbs Tongue Jack : Amazon.com : Automotive

I should get them later this week and will try to get it installed on the weekend and I'll let you all know how it goes and what I think.

[cobrageek]

There were some issues with the place I originally placed the order for the jack and I had to swtich to ordering it from etrailer (much better place to work with). I received it just before our long weekend trip and installed it when we got to the park before unhooking from the truck. Installation was simple, but the "tall foot" I bought had the pin hole in a different location than the jack shaft so it didn't quite work. I used a couple of big blocks to get the height. When I got home I drilled new holes in the foot at the right location. The weight is really taken by a "ledge" on the inside of the foot tube anyway so the pin just holds it in place but doesn't take any weight.

Overall it's a little tougher to turn than our old trailer that was 2/3 of the weight of this one, but that was expected. It's absolutely silent and is much faster when just trying to get the jack down to the ground which is perfect. Even my 12 year old can crank it up when pulling up the truck to try to get the WD bars in place.

I'm satisfied with the swap and my ears appreciate the change. The unexpected upside is that I can open the back of the expedition while connected to the trailer with the new jack because it is much shorter. It is definitely a bit more work than just holding a button, but with a desk job I can use the excercise :-).

[wreed735]

Where would I find the fuse for my power jack ?