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03-19-2019, 02:08 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Oak Harbor
Posts: 127
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Rookie Move
OK, I haven't been RV'ing that long but I still should have known better.
I was moving my trailer around, cleaning and getting ready for the season. I thought I put the tongue jack all the way up. As I was backing I heard a scrap and a thump. I went to the connection and saw the jack was bent. I tried to raise it and heard it binding so left it alone. I did extend it to take the pic.
It's an electric jack that came with the Cougar. I don't know if they are specific to the brand or universal to any trailer.
Do I have to replace the entire unit or can I just get the tube and replace that part?
Thanks.
p.s. No camping this weekend I guess. Wife isn't happy with me.
__________________
2018 RAM 2500 Crew Cab 4X4
2021 Cougar 24RDS
USN (retired)
Retired Law Enforcement
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03-19-2019, 02:16 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,995
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If it were me, I'd go to the nearest RV store and buy a jack (same as the one on the trailer). Hitch up, remove the three bolts, pull the old jack, install the new one and keep the old one for "spare parts". Sooner or later you're going to have a shorted out switch, a motor that got wet and stopped working, etc. When that happens, you'll already have the spare parts on hand....
To answer your other questions, You can probably buy the extension tube, but chances are it's special order, will take 2-3 weeks to arrive and likely cost as much or nearly as much as a new jack.
The other question. They're all "pretty much interchangeable" as the three bolt holes where the jack mounts to the A frame are "universally drilled". So, for the most part, any jack will fit any A frame.
Don't beat yourself up. If we were sitting around a campfire and freely talking about past experiences, I'd bet that almost everyone here would have a similar story. Some even more expensive and some more frustrating than yours..... It happens to all of us, sooner or later.
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-19-2019, 02:20 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Okanagan, BC
Posts: 916
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Have not done it to my travel trailer, but have done it to the boat trailer and a utility trailer. At least they were cheaper jacks.
__________________
2010 Cougar 30RKS
2015 GMC Sierra Max Trailer
"Drinks for 6, Dinner for 4, Sleeps 2"
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03-19-2019, 02:34 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,286
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I replaced the jack on my trailer, it was pretty easy. Like John said it’s just 3 bolts. There is only one electrical connection, the hot wire. Just make sure if it is not already fuse protected, add a 30 amp fuse if the wire is going straight to the battery.
While the jack was off, I took the opportunity to repaint the tongue. I cleaned off the surface rust with steel wool and painted it with rustoleum spray paint. It went on easy and still looks good a year later.
__________________
Mike
2017 F250 6.7 Powerstroke FX4 crew cab
2016 Hideout 24BHSWE (27 foot TT)
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03-19-2019, 02:37 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Oak Harbor
Posts: 127
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Thanks for the quick replies. I'll swing down the local camping store in the morning to see if they have one on hand. Wife wants to go out this coming weekend so maybe I can save the trip and get her to make me some cookies while we are out there.
__________________
2018 RAM 2500 Crew Cab 4X4
2021 Cougar 24RDS
USN (retired)
Retired Law Enforcement
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03-19-2019, 03:56 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Anchorage
Posts: 610
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Been there done that last year got the same jack sourced from the factory where they make them. $150 mistake for me. Happened to me when I dropped the bars on my WDH hitch for tight manuvering. I lowered the jack to take tension off the bars and forgot to raise it. Don't beat your self up. the factory jack was a lot less expensive than the aftermarket and I salvaged all the good parts Real easy to swap out. $99.00 sure beats like $300 which is what I would have paid localy.
http://www.fastecindustrial.com/amkt/default.html
I had to pay like $50 shipping to Alaska so it will be less expensive for you. They ship UPS out of Knoxville TN. If you have a floor jack and jack stands you can use those for the weekend.
__________________
Mike
2016 Ford F350 CC 6.7 4x4 SRW (Ghost Rider)
2017 Cougar 29 RKSWE (The Tumble Weed)
Connected by a Curt 15K WDH W/Sway Control
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03-19-2019, 04:39 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Oak Harbor
Posts: 127
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ADQ K9,
Wish I had saw that about 30 min ago.
Camping world did have one that matched. So I got one from Amazon for $140 that is similar. The one you have the link for is the exact match.
Oh well; Amazon said here by Thur with free shipping. Now to make reservations and finish preparing.
Thanks.
__________________
2018 RAM 2500 Crew Cab 4X4
2021 Cougar 24RDS
USN (retired)
Retired Law Enforcement
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03-19-2019, 04:52 PM
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#8
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,995
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On Saturday, sitting in the campground with a refreshing adult beverage, this will all be a distant memory.... Stay focused on the weekend !!!!!
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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03-20-2019, 12:59 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Germantown, TN
Posts: 6,330
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Brother, you have not scratched the surface when it comes to these type things. This will be one small chapter in your future book of "Let me tell you what happened back in…."
__________________
Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
2018 Mobile Suites 40RSSA
2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
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03-20-2019, 08:39 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Sun City
Posts: 168
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My best remembered "oops" was when we first took our motorhome out for its virgin camping trip. Our 100# white Labradoodle felt that his job was to supervise. He did this by standing on the appropriately named doghouse up front and look out the windshield. Well, as we were leaving we pulled into the circle to the dump station. Everyone was staring at us as we pulled around. I assumed it was because they were looking at the big dog inside. Nope. When it was finally our turn to dump, I got out and walked around the front of the motorhome to get to the dump controls -- it was then that people were staring, not at the dog, but at the TV antenna I had left extended on the roof!!
After that I got one of those red "Remove Before Flight" tags at an airshow and started hanging it from the antenna crank handle!!
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03-20-2019, 10:41 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Brisbane Australia
Posts: 708
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I live on an island in Moreton Bay. The bay is fairly shallow, and we have a saying about people who go boating in the bay.
There are skippers who've run aground in the bay, and there are those who lie about it.
I think it's probably true with the tongue jacks.
There are RVers who've dragged the jack, and there are those who lie about it.
Me? No, I've never dragged the jack ...
Oh, wait ...
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03-20-2019, 10:50 AM
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#12
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,686
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Salty, as the others have said "it ain't no big deal", and, the good thing is that they are easy to replace (if you have a couple of jacks).
At least it wasn't your stabilizers. Trying to break camp in a hurry due to incoming rain and put brain in idle I guess. Got everything ready, backed the truck up and started dropping the tongue on the ball. Kept hearing creaking and popping so finally decided it wasn't the suspension making and stopped. Stepped back and there they were; the front stabilizers buckled. I was a very unhappy camper. At least they would retract to some sort of semblence of they way they should. That was a $6-700 mistake that should have been avoided....now, it's a memory (albeit somewhat embarrassing!)
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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03-20-2019, 11:12 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Fairfax
Posts: 507
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Not me, but my dad successfully rearranged the entry steps on a $300k Class A when driving through a toll booth with them out. And this was after he had logged probably 60k miles in the RV, plenty experienced.
Toll booth was fine - a guy with a forklift at the state fair grounds straightened out the steps quickly enough.
There was also that time when we opened the RV door facing south on the PCH up in northern CA. Wind grabbed the door, tore it from hands, busted its brace and slammed it into and broke the RV mirror.
These things do happen - just a part of life.
Oh, and later in life, my dad accidentally put the arm of a back how through the side of his TT right before they were heading out for a 3 month trip. Trailer was already loaded and everything (was clearing ice/snow from driveway to leave WY and head down to AZ). That trade-in was an easy sell for the dealership haha.
__________________
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali Diesel DRW (Crew Cab | 8 Ft bed | OEM Puck System | Curt Gooseneck Ball for OEM Puck)
(OLD) 2018 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Diesel (Crew Cab | 6.6 Ft bed)
2019 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 3740BH-R Fifth Wheel (Onan 5500W LP Generator | MORryde SRE4000 Suspension | 3x Cross Members | Sailun S637 ST | Reese GooseBox 20k 2nd Gen)
(OLD) 2018 Keystone Hideout 28RKS Travel Trailer
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03-20-2019, 07:00 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 779
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To chime in with the best “oops!” I have ever witnessed. Two summers ago on Father Day.
It was a Class A that had parked in a grass spot, sunk in the back end a little due to rain over the weekend and his A/C dripping down the drivers rear corner of the motor home. We had all heard the campground owner tell him on Saturday that when he was ready to leave on Sunday, to let the owner know, and they would help him get out. MH guy didn’t pay attention (was in a really bad mood?) on Sunday, and got in the MH to “get himself unstuck”.
Left his pickup parked 6’ away in front of the MH, and our truck was across the road in our campsite directly in front of the MH also. He proceeds to put the MH in forward, floor the gas pedal, and - sit and spin the rear tires. I have not heard an engine whine as that one was doing, repeatedly. Yes, as his truck is parked right in front of the MH. Our jaws dropped, and that’s when the chairs and people appeared in our campsite, and I moved our truck just in case. Next, forward didn’t work, so he did the same in reverse. MH no move. Next he tries forward - reverse a few times, like when stuck in a snowdrift. Managed to dig the rear end in up to the axle. BTW - he had never retracted the leveling legs either before trying to leave his site. No matter what, that MH wasn’t going anywhere. That was when he finally quit. Had to call a tow truck out of Rochester on Fathers Day for an $800 tow, just to move him all of 10 feet out onto the road.
__________________
--Lynette
2019 F-350 diesel 4x4 CC LB DRW, not the mom taxi anymore...
2021 Alliance Paradigm 340RL
2016 F-350 diesel 4x4 CC LB SRW, mom taxi - sold
2014 Cougar XLite 28RDB - sold
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03-21-2019, 11:22 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Oak Harbor
Posts: 127
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vampress_me
To chime in with the best “oops!” I have ever witnessed. Two summers ago on Father Day.
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WOW!! I would have watched as well. That's why you should never do something while upset. You tend to do things that you regret later. Be it that spoken word, spent round or hole dug.
__________________
2018 RAM 2500 Crew Cab 4X4
2021 Cougar 24RDS
USN (retired)
Retired Law Enforcement
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03-21-2019, 11:35 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Fairfax
Posts: 507
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Oh, that reminded me, forgot the time my dad high centered the 42' Class A (2003 Beaver Marquis) at a little RV park in Golden, CO (about a week after he bought it). Was doing a 25 point turn to get into his spot and accidentally raised the tag axle instead of hitting the reverse button (Allison Transmission with a touch pad for changing gears) and dropped the rear end of the RV. Fortunately everyone around the park was extremely helpful and mobilized with jacks, pads, etc to help get him loose. That length RV should have never been at that park haha. I learned how to use JB Weld to reattach the side panels which all were bowed from dropping and popped off their frames lol. Awesome resilient aluminum though, could never tell anything happened once they were back off the ground!
__________________
2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali Diesel DRW (Crew Cab | 8 Ft bed | OEM Puck System | Curt Gooseneck Ball for OEM Puck)
(OLD) 2018 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Diesel (Crew Cab | 6.6 Ft bed)
2019 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 3740BH-R Fifth Wheel (Onan 5500W LP Generator | MORryde SRE4000 Suspension | 3x Cross Members | Sailun S637 ST | Reese GooseBox 20k 2nd Gen)
(OLD) 2018 Keystone Hideout 28RKS Travel Trailer
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03-21-2019, 08:59 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
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My current truck asks questions when the trailer gets hooked up. Is the jack up? and several other important questions. Lets see if that helps me. The last jack I ripped off was on a camper and cost about 1200 bucks.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
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03-28-2019, 07:34 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Young America MN
Posts: 372
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Told my self when this first appeared I would not put my oooops out there but.....
Went to city park in East Grand Forks (MN side of Grand Forks ND) where my wife is from. The park is located where there used to be beautiful old homes when I was stationed there in 1968. Then came the big flood and MANY where lost and the park was built. All this is building up to a totally flat as a pancake area that made me a lazy camper. It was so flat that I thought I would just pull the pin on the 5th wheel hitch on my way to lowering the front legs. Slow motion slide off of the hitch and crushed both sides of the truck bed to the tune of $8000.
Second day we where there I heard the same crunch and later saw a Ford F350 with the same truck bed design as my GMC.
Note to self: it is NEVER flat enough to unhook before putting the legs down!
__________________
39 foot Forest River Vengeance dragged by GMC 3500.
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03-28-2019, 07:40 AM
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#19
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Swisshome
Posts: 1
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Feeling your pain! The old man decided it was time to wash the Rig, he wanted me inside to check windows for leaks etc, and being the kind soul he is, he cranked down the manual corner scissor stabilizer things so it wouldn't be wobbly inside. .......as we were exiting the wash bay we heard a horrid noise - we'd forgot to raise them back up, bent both of the front ones so badly that they wouldn't raise. Took them off the rig, got to the next campground and he beat them back into shape with a hammer and a rock and a 2x4 for leverage.. Worked enough to make them operational, bolted back to the unit. Sheesh! We'll be getting home next week after 5 months on the road and will get some undamaged ones from an RV junkyard. Things happen - we've been RVing for about 10 years - every day is a new adventure!
__________________
Full-timing the West - with Guitars!
Silverado + Springdale 260BH
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03-28-2019, 08:21 AM
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#20
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Hilton Head Island
Posts: 78
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Time to replace, I guess.
My tongue jack has been very loud when going either direction for a year now. I also blew the fuse once, had to manually operate it, lost the rubber plug, and it rained on the way home wetting the internals. Now the switch is acting up, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Guess I should replace it before season starts. You think? Are there any on the market better than others, or are they all pretty much the same?
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