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Power Hitch Pole

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    Posted: 07 May 2012 at 12:07pm
Did a search but came up empty handed - - maybe used incorrect search criteria ?

Anyway     ...I am looking for a power hitch pole that is a direct drop-in for the manual crank model that comes with the Pod trailer. I am not looking to drill or modify the trailer in any way - - just to replace the crank.

Has anyone made that swap ? and if so    ...what is the name/model.

Thanks in advance   ...

MJ
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 12:56pm
Try searching with "electric trailer tongue jack"
 
We bought this one. No bells or whistles . . . just up and down. It was an easy install:
 
 
-- Steve

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2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Footslogger03 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 2:09pm
Originally posted by Ratdog Ratdog wrote:



Try searching with "electric trailer tongue jack"
 
We bought this one. No bells or whistles . . . just up and down. It was an easy install:
 
 
-- Steve


===============================

Thanks for the quick reply Steve. Just finished reading all of the user reviews. As always    ...there are happy and unhappy campers. The one potentially negative comment I saw (and there were a few like this) was that the unit isn't very well sealed and the internal parts tend to rust, causing the motor to fail.

Just curious   ...how long have you had yours ? and have you had any issues ?

The price is certainly reasonable. I was going to see if Forest River or my dealer sold one but there's no doubt the price going that route would be considerably higher.

Thanks in advance,

Mark J
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 3:14pm
Mark - Can't really answer your question. We only used the camper for a couple of months after I installed it. It's been sitting in outside storage since September and we'll be taking it out in a couple of weeks so we'll see then. I do have the business end where the motor is covered so we'll see if that helped.
 
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2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Footslogger03 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 3:46pm
Originally posted by Ratdog Ratdog wrote:



Mark - Can't really answer your question. We only used the camper for a couple of months after I installed it. It's been sitting in outside storage since September and we'll be taking it out in a couple of weeks so we'll see then. I do have the business end where the motor is covered so we'll see if that helped.
 
-- Steve


===========================

Fair enough. We got our Pod out of mothballs this past weekend and relocated it next to the garage - - that's when we made up our minds to look into the power hitch pole.

From what I can see there are 3 bolts and a wire that runs from the motor to the battery. Is that correct. Reader reviews indicated that it takes about 20 minutes to install. I'm pretty handy so not concerned. Just want to get as much info up front as I can.

Will probably go ahead and order the unit this week. We have our first "shake-down" trip of the season Memorial Day weekend and I'd like to have it on by then.

Thanks again    ....

Mark J
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 4:10pm
Mark - Yes, just pull the 3 mounting bolts from your current jack and put the electric jack on using the same holes and bolts. Then run the wire to your battery. As I recall (can't remember it too well), the end of the wire was bare so I had to put my own fitting on there to connect to the battery terminal.
 
BTW, we had only used our pod with the manual jack for one season when I took it off. We were going to put it in a garage sale but when I picked it up to put a price tag on it the crank and crank gear fell out. It did not look like an easy fix at that point so I pronounced it as unusable and threw it away. Had we used it a couple of more times, I think we might have been stranded somewhere unable to get the jack retracted. What's nice about the electric jack is that you get a hand crank back up tool in case your battery goes dead or you have some other electrical or mechanical issue.
 
You might check out the electric jacks at Camping World before you make your final decision. They have some nice ones. I went bargain basement with ours.
 
-- Steve

Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Footslogger03 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 May 2012 at 7:56pm
Originally posted by Ratdog Ratdog wrote:



You might check out the electric jacks at Camping World before you make your final decision. They have some nice ones. I went bargain basement with ours.
 
-- Steve


================================

Steve     ...checked out Camping World and to my surprise, the one they sell as their "entry level" jack is the same one you bought (essentially) on Amazon. Only difference I see is that the model at Camping World has Chrome caps on the sides that house little lights that shine downward - - and for all that they charge $100 more than Amazon.

I think we'll be going the Amazon route. Thanks again for your input.

Mark J
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Footslogger03 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:10am
Steve    ...thought of one more question for you. Can you use a regular old ratchet wrench and socket to manually crank the power hitch or will only the handle that comes with it work ?

Thanks again   ...

Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom and Carol Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:18am
We were on an extended trip last summer when I felt the side crank tongue jack binding.  We kept the truck connected that last night and replaced it with a top crank when we got to our destination.  I think we were lucky not to get stuck.  If I used it more often, the electric jack would be the way to go.
Tom and Carol
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ratdog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:19am
Originally posted by Footslogger03 Footslogger03 wrote:

Steve    ...thought of one more question for you. Can you use a regular old ratchet wrench and socket to manually crank the power hitch or will only the handle that comes with it work ?

Thanks again   ...

Mark
 
Not sure, Mark. Our rpod has been in storage for 9 months but, if I remember correctly, you cannot use a socket. I believe it's female, not male. Also, I think it's square not hex. I could be wrong about that but that's what I recall.
 
-- Steve

Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)
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