home made power toung jack

[Jas]

I just bought my trailer a couple of weeks ago so the mod & upgrade budget is pretty tight. one of the things that I really want is a power tongue jack especially after having cranked the jack through the full cycle unloading the camper at the house. I'm one of those creative types so here is my cheap power jack mod.

1) go to lowes, HD or your local hardware store and buy a "5/8-11 unc coupling nut". its just a 3" long hex nut, the guy at the counter/aisle should be able to show you where it is.

2) go home and remove the handle on the manual jack.

3) measure up from the base to where the existing hole for the handle through bolt is and drill your coupling nut through the hex flats at the same spot & size.

4) slip the coupling nut into place and reinstall the original handle retaining screw or a linch pin if you want to swap between the handle and socket.

5) now get your power drill that has the 3/4" socket installed for the rest of your leveling jacks and run the tongue jack up and down as you see fit.

Note: if your drill isn't strong enough to actually raise the trailer itself, you can always put the old handle back on or use a ratchet to finish the job. this mod will at least cut down on the time between hitting the ground and stowing the jack for travel. Also, the hidden benefit is that the jack input shaft is around 9/16" diameter and the 5/8 nut fits nicely without having to drill out the threads.

[milzat]

Come on, Jas. When someone does something as intriguing as this, photos must be posted.

Post photos,
Post photos,
Post photos, please.

[Jas]

The weather finally broke so here are the requested pics. A few revisions though. 1) the 5/8-11 coupling nut is actually a 13/16" hex not 3/4". Sorry about that. 2) the 1/4" through hole is about 5/8" from the end of the nut.

Hope the pics help

[MtnGuy]

I like it !!!!

[MtnGuy]

Jas, how is the power tongue jack working ??

[Jas]

Worked like a champ! That 20V craftsman drill had more than enough power to pick the trailer off of the hitch, drop all 4 levelers and reverse the process when it came time to strike camp. I didn't need to use the ratchet or manual handles once. The best part was when I got home I still had enough left on that battery to reset camp.

[MtnGuy]

Thanks. I might do that mod soon.

[backin15]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

[old guys]

This is very intriguing. We have been looking at power jacks and they are quite expensive. What is your tongue weight and loaded trailer weight. Might have to try something simslar on our v-cross. Thank you. Old Guys

[Jas]

the final loaded trailer weighs just under 6,000 lbs with a tongue weight of approx 700 lbs.

Remember this: never underestimate the power of a resourceful idiot with tools!