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Power Hitch Pole

Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: Modifications
Forum Description: Mod your Pod....then post your pictures
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3195
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 2:00pm
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Topic: Power Hitch Pole
Posted By: Footslogger03
Subject: Power Hitch Pole
Date 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



Replies:
Posted By: Ratdog
Date 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:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power-Tongue-Trailer-Camper/dp/B003V59R0A/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2 - http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power-Tongue-Trailer-Camper/dp/B003V59R0A/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2
 
-- Steve


-------------

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


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power-Tongue-Trailer-Camper/dp/B003V59R0A/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2 - http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power-Tongue-Trailer-Camper/dp/B003V59R0A/ref=pd_sbs_auto_2
 
-- 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


Posted By: Ratdog
Date 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.
 
-- Steve


-------------

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


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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


Posted By: Ratdog
Date 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)


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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


Posted By: Tom and Carol
Date 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
R-Pod 177
2006 F-150


Posted By: Ratdog
Date 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)


Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:21am
Originally posted by Tom and Carol Tom and Carol wrote:

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.
 
We bought the electric jack because we both have bad backs. For those of you without lower back problems, bending over and cranking is not pleasant.
 
-- Steve


-------------

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


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date Posted: 08 May 2012 at 10:28am
Originally posted by Ratdog Ratdog wrote:


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


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

Again    ...thanks Steve. I was just thinking that since I carry a socket wrench and full set of sockets anyway it would be nice if I could "multi-task" the tool. Plus, the force required to turn the crank is low so a ratchet wrench would definitely work. I'll take a look at it when it arrives and see if I can figure out a way to make a 1/2" socket adapter for it.

Mark J


Posted By: marc515
Date Posted: 10 May 2012 at 3:44pm
One of the best out there is Barker VIP 3500.
We installed one on our camper last season, and it surely beats cranking


-------------
Best Regards,.....Marc & Joan
And....Tucker (our yellow lab)
2011 Heartland MPG-181
2011 Nissan Pathfinder
USMC 69-73
God Bless all our Men & Women in Uniform


Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 11 May 2012 at 8:20am
My two cents.  Just got our new 2013 171 HRE and had the dealer remove the original jack and replaced it with a Bal swingdown version with wheel attached.  About $55 on the web.  Also have a questionable back but tried it yesterday and very easy to crank up and down.  With the wheel attached, made it very easy to "jockey" into its parking space at our home.  We leave this morning on our maiden voyage.  Pics to follow.

-------------
Camper Bob and Camper Sue
Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 lb.) Mini Dachshund
2013 Rpod 171HRE (Pods-of-Luck)
2005 Chev. Tahoe


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 16 May 2012 at 4:33pm
My electric tongue jack came with a statement that it was 'waterproof'.  I decided that for the price, I needed to make sure that it wouldn't corrode.  My wife had some spare waterproof tent cloth.  She made a 'sock' with a drawstring.  I simply pull the sock over the jack motor head and pull the string taut and tie it up.  I only remove it when running the jack.  The sock also keeps road spray from hitting the motor head while towing.

-------------
tsunami


Posted By: Footslogger03
Date Posted: 16 May 2012 at 4:38pm
Ours arrived yesterday. Opened the box and layed out the pieces but haven't intalled it yet    ...mainly because I went out of town. What I did do was pry off the cover on top that allows access to the manual crank head and that compartment was totally full of grease. When I get home I am going to pull off the bottom half of the motor casing and see if there is ample grease there too. Might make a little gasket when I reassemble it     ...or just make a habit of disassembling and re-greasing each year.

We got the 3000lb model off of Amazon that was mentioned here earlier.

Mark J



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