Electrical Check-up

[Bob Landry]

In the process of replacing my electric tongue jack, I got to looking around the battery and associated wiring and where everything connects around the tongue area. I found that all of the terminals and connections were corroded and in most cases, the corrosion had wicked up under the wire insulation. I ended up cutting the wires back to clean wire and putting on heat shrink crimp on connectors and battery lugs covered with adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. My Outback is only 5 years old, but the wiring exposed to the elements was really in bad shape. Might be a good time to check stuff like that with spring and the camping season right around the corner.

[sourdough]

Part of my seasonal "get ready" routine is prettying up the batteries. Also get to look at them when I check the water levels every 3 months or so.

[edward]

In the process of replacing my electric tongue jack, I got to looking around the battery and associated wiring and where everything connects around the tongue area. I found that all of the terminals and connections were corroded and in most cases, the corrosion had wicked up under the wire insulation. I ended up cutting the wires back to clean wire and putting on heat shrink crimp on connectors and battery lugs covered with adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. My Outback is only 5 years old, but the wiring exposed to the elements was really in bad shape. Might be a good time to check stuff like that with spring and the camping season right around the corner.

I think, in this case you need to run a negative wire to the battery. The tongue jacks actually run off the battery, not from the vehicle. I have experience using utility trailers for years with electric jacks. Once I happened to seek expert advise from the professionals, the Shock Doctors orillia (https://www.theshockdoctors.ca/electrician-services/). Some dealers say that it will work if the battery is low or dead when 7 round plug is connected to the vehicle. I have powered the jack from the 7 pin when the battery has been too low to operate the unit. By the time I picked up the trailer the battery was discharged. Plugging in the 7 pin allowed me to use the power jack.

[Bob Landry]

There is no neg wire from the jack, only a positive. The jack gets ground through the frame. I don't like that but it is what it is. I replaced the neg cable from the battery to the frame and also sanded the paint off around the connections so the star washer could get a good bite into clean metal.

[chuckster57]

I think, in this case you need to run a negative wire to the battery. The tongue jacks actually run off the battery, not from the vehicle. I have experience using utility trailers for years with electric jacks. Once I happened to seek expert advise from the professionals, the Shock Doctors orillia (https://www.theshockdoctors.ca/electrician-services/). Some dealers say that it will work if the battery is low or dead when 7 round plug is connected to the vehicle. I have powered the jack from the 7 pin when the battery has been too low to operate the unit. By the time I picked up the trailer the battery was discharged. Plugging in the 7 pin allowed me to use the power jack.
As stated, power tongue jacks only have a positive lead, and are grounded to the frame. When your plugged into the tow vehicle, as long as the charge line is active, you have voltage for the tongue jack. The jack lead is either directly to the positive terminal of the battery or the positive in the junction box, so in either case the power is being supplied by the tow vehicle and the trailer battery is bypassed.