| Sysop: | Amessyroom |
|---|---|
| Location: | Fayetteville, NC |
| Users: | 27 |
| Nodes: | 6 (0 / 6) |
| Uptime: | 38:46:16 |
| Calls: | 631 |
| Calls today: | 2 |
| Files: | 1,187 |
| D/L today: |
23 files (29,781K bytes) |
| Messages: | 174,060 |
Okay, like a dumbass, I tried giving my tow vehicle a litte gas
then tapping the brakes to jostle the hitch into dropping fully
onto the ball. Of course the tongue popped off and dropped to the ground--continuing forward to ram the top of the tongue jack into
the liftgate of my Acadia. You may recall that this same liftgate
was replaced a year ago after I backed it into a telephone pole.
In any case, the liftgate works fine, but it took a lot of coaxing
to get the (Lippert) Smart Jack to operate again. When it did, it
didn't sounded good--with some grinding noises. The shell was
broken as well in a couple of places.
A freelance RV repairman met me at the storage unit, and we pried
off the shell to see what was up with the guts of the jack. We
found that one of the bolts holding the motor up into the gearbox
had detached. Though a connecting piece had also been bent in the
process, the jack worked fine once we put it all back together, so
that's a huge relief. Yay!
After a bunch of onlime searching and a call to Lippert, it seems
they don't sell replacment shell parts. Shit. So I guess it's
put the busted one back on and try to patch it up as best as I
can. Maybe epoxying pieces of plastic over the holes?
Any other suggestions? I can try to get pictures if helpful, but
this is essentialy what I have...
https://www.lippert.com/smart-jack-643589?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17427558902&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_rPGBhCbARIsABjq9ccy8ecoY9BKE8oiNtNcOztkA5yS_-H9i1k_NUYjPZ7ml-Py_Ck4f0AaAvJBEALw_wcB
FWIW, while searching I did come across a replacement motor, only
$1200. Yow!
Okay, like a dumbass, I tried giving my tow vehicle a litte gas---snip---
then tapping the brakes to jostle the hitch into dropping fully
onto the ball. Of course the tongue popped off and dropped to the ground--continuing forward to ram the top of the tongue jack into
the liftgate of my Acadia. You may recall that this same liftgate
was replaced a year ago after I backed it into a telephone pole.
On 9/19/2025 1:49 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
Okay, like a dumbass, I tried giving my tow vehicle a litte
gas then tapping the brakes to jostle the hitch into dropping
fully onto the ball. Of course the tongue popped off and
dropped to the ground--continuing forward to ram the top of
the tongue jack into the liftgate of my Acadia. You may
recall that this same liftgate was replaced a year ago after I
backed it into a telephone pole.
No good ideas on parts for it, sorry you learnt this lesson.
Was wondering if'n you got all moved to Nebraska yet?
On Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:52:27 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
On 9/19/2025 1:49 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
Okay, like a dumbass, I tried giving my tow vehicle a litte
gas then tapping the brakes to jostle the hitch into dropping
fully onto the ball. Of course the tongue popped off and
dropped to the ground--continuing forward to ram the top of
the tongue jack into the liftgate of my Acadia. You may
recall that this same liftgate was replaced a year ago after I
backed it into a telephone pole.
No good ideas on parts for it, sorry you learnt this lesson.
Was wondering if'n you got all moved to Nebraska yet?
Thanks, sticks. Yep, we're all moved now (see .sig).
Trailer is
in a new storage facility, actually an indoor slot with bay door.
It's a bit on the pricey side, but I got an intro deal that makes
it tolerable. I'm waiting to see what the cost ends up being once
the dust settles and will be ready to look for other options when
the contingencies of moving have abated.
Regarding the jack shell, I'm getting doubtful glueing it back
together will be a good option. Lots of the broken off pieces
from the initial incident were internal flanges (as well as some
bolt holes) that I didn't keep. So even if I get the shell
relatively whole, I'm guessing I won't be able to get it connected
to the head in a reasonably solid way. I plan to take the two
halves out to the trailer at some point and look at the options.
On 9/20/2025 9:26 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:52:27 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
No good ideas on parts for it, sorry you learnt this
lesson. Was wondering if'n you got all moved to Nebraska
yet?
Thanks, sticks. Yep, we're all moved now (see .sig).
That's a nice looking little town. Lucky you! Gonna make it
so much easier to go west cutting off a whole day of travel.
BTW, that's just a short distance away from where I got caught
in all the hail.
Trailer is in a new storage facility, actually an indoor slot
with bay door. It's a bit on the pricey side, but I got an
intro deal that makes it tolerable. I'm waiting to see what
the cost ends up being once the dust settles and will be ready
to look for other options when the contingencies of moving
have abated.
Indoor is not a bad idea in that area with all the storms that
roll through.
Regarding the jack shell, I'm getting doubtful glueing it back
together will be a good option. Lots of the broken off pieces
from the initial incident were internal flanges (as well as
some bolt holes) that I didn't keep. So even if I get the
shell relatively whole, I'm guessing I won't be able to get it
connected to the head in a reasonably solid way. I plan to
take the two halves out to the trailer at some point and look
at the options.
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get a new one,
keep the old one for parts, and just forget about it. Your
time is worth more than trying to save a few bucks. You could
always just put in an manual crank too, but I doubt you want to
go back in technology after having the electric one.