FIC 3500 tongue jack motor stops

[blakei]

New TT, second time out, going to hitch up and the motor stops working. If I insert the hand crank and turn it a few times, it starts working again. Seems to always be in the same place, maybe a bad winding in the motor? (searched for similar issue but didn't find a thread)


I will definitely ask the dealer to fix under warranty, but wondering if others have had this issue? Also wondering if there is a "better" jack to replace this one if I need to. Tongue weight is about 1000 and need to lift the truck a bit, so I think 3500 lbs is a minimum. Thanks!


Have a video but can't seem to attach it.

[RogerR]

Could be a bad bearing or sticky spot on the gears. Before that I would double check that you have good wiring, fuse and ground. Many times a "bad" jack is really a bad connection or switch.

[blakei]

Thanks. I checked wiring and switches with my volt meter - all seemed fine. I hold the switch down, the jack motor turns to a point, then stops - if I keep holding the switch and turn the manual crank a couple of times the motor starts up again.

[mokurt]

You might be able to remove the motor head and try it with no load.any tight spots when hand cranking?

Yes there are better jacks.

[blakei]

Good idea, I could try to take it further apart. I think I'll see what the dealer says first before jumping in too deep. Also, may be easier to replace outright than tear it apart (and have extra parts after reassembly!).

[mokurt]

I see your close to me.
what dealer did you buy from?

[blakei]

Pan Pacific in Morgan Hill

[mokurt]

That's where we bought ours.

[blakei]

Dealer was eventually able to replicate the issue and they replaced the jack with a RAM branded item. Same capacity but operates much more smoothly.

[mokurt]

Good!