I’ve heard the electric jack stories from many RVers. I can tell by the sound of the hydraulic pump that it is under stressed. It should last for a very long time. The drill motor backup drive is absolutely clever, yet simple. Great video.
Sean and Christy, congratulations on finding such a talented technician/fabricator to repeatedly bring your Airstream up a level! I am so looking forward to having him do our solar and few other things for us in the near future. I have been following him since your solar install. He is just brilliant.
Yet another great video... so, for the story, in March while my girlfriend was away, I started to watch your channel. Learning that RVing is not only going to a campground and stay there but the opportunity to see North-America. The images of the National and State parks, Alaska and British-Columbia just sunk. Today (as of Friday) we own our first RV. A nice little Bambi 16ft. It came with solar, rock guards and Michelin LT tires. Can't wait to get it. Thanks for teaching us that RVing will create memories. Now, I got to watch videos about what we need to get started!
I installed a Hi-Power 3,500 lb electric ball screw jack on our 2004 33ft Jayco trailer when we took delivery. It has never had a problem in 16 years but the reason the H&H engineering product hasn't, it was Made in USA. You get what you pay for.
You bought the best trailer you could, so this is excellent. You'll only mention high cost once, and then just use it. You think about stuff that doesn't work every time you use it.
Interesting, thank you. Most people with experience/scars working on and with hydraulic equipment would suggest sleeves around the hoses to provide some chafing and UV protection. Safe travels!
If nothing more than the cheap split plastic wire loom material you buy at Auto parts places. I used it to cover the LP hose from the regulator to the hard plumbing.
Few up on a farm lots of hydraulic tools. Only makes sense to use the best power available. I just wish I'd thought of it years ago. Skinned more than one knuckle. Thanks it is awesome
Really great setup. I have had elec jacks on several travel trailers. Never had a failure but you could eat lunch in the time it took to raise or lower with an elec jack. I no longer own bumper pulls and will never own another one since i bought a fifth wheel few years back. That hydraulic jack is the way to go.
Very nice upgrade. I have the original with the wood pulp gear. It works but... I would recommend that he plan for Airstreams include not using the battery box.
Wow that is really fast for a trailer jack. Having a manual override in case the pump fails is great but if there is a hydraulic leak (reservoir/hose leak) the jack would not be operational. One way of addressing being stranded in a remote area due to a hydraulic leak is storing a Harbor Freight trailer jack (item # 44066 under $30 and 12.7lb) in the RV if you have space and tools to replace the jack.
I was shocked when you showed the inside of that tongue jack and it's nothing more than the cheapest nylon gears on the planet. And we're lifting the back of our trucks with that thing! Just shared your video but I think this might be the next upgrade on our own travel trailer. Thanks for sharing and great job as always.
That's one of the best upgrades that I've seen in a while. The fact that we've been relying on electric motors to lift the tongue is kinda silly in retrospect, and I'm honestly not surprised that you've had so many failures. I've always wanted one but was always too cheap. Now, I'm glad that I was and also have to hope hydraulic becomes the new standard, or Ronnie figures out how to mass produce them.
@@airstreamnutsandbolts Is there an industry standard that items like a jack are built to? (in the line of engineered obsolescence). Perhaps the bulk of travelers do not do the amount of traveling as do Sean and Kristy that use electric jacks. Perhaps one replacement is built into the durability standards that no one will mind?
Great idea! Ours AS is only 8 months old, still have the manufacturer’s warranty and we purchased additional so when he finally gets to mass producing them we’ll probably be out of warranty and ready for one. BTW, we’re just north of Yellowstone, had a fire in Gardiner 4 days ago and burned down 4 buildings...Rosa’s, pizza place (sorry Sean) and 2 others.
Y'all are spoiled. When I was a kid I'd have to set up our pop-up with a hand crank. Both for the tongue and the top. That was until my dad rigged a motor for the top crank. I miss that pop-up some.
Gilbert Jagot LOL 😆 Yes we’re all spoiled in a way these days. This rig has air conditioning! 😅. However, I might add that this rig has a tremendous tongue weight. I think even a manual jack would have been better than the one installed at the dealership.
I am not an Airstream owner. I just enjoy watching your content. But I have to say, with your truck upgrade, battery and solar upgrade and now your jack upgrade, oh and the restoration, you have one of the best outfitted (for functional) I have ever seen. I seriously doubt anyone, myself included would spend the cash to upgrade any other model of travel trailer that you have. Makes me seriously second guess selecting anything other than an Airstream.
Now if you could just have remote control that you could operate from the truck cab, along with a good resolution backup camera, you'd have an awesome setup for solo camping. BTW my electric Jack failed this weekend in the middle of a rainstorm with a tornado warning out. Another example of when a remote controlled, hydraulic Jack would be great. Love the pimpin' Sean. Keep it up.
Cool idea! Sorry to hear about your jack failure. I have been there and feel your pain! I am excited about the new setup and will report back in the future. Thanks!
For full timers and nearly full timers like you, this hydraulic upgrade looks like a win win. Not only is it fast and strong, but it definitely cleans up the front of your tongue's "appearance".
The speed at which it raises and lowers the trailer is terrific! If you can use a hydraulic ram to lift a Caterpillar bucket a travel trailer is no problem! Now I am going to look into this for my trailer, which isn’t an Airstream. It’s simply a hydraulic ram. Seems like a great idea. Thanks for sharing. Typical power tongue jacks are trash.
Wow. Nice idea!!! Updating our rig almost always involves putting in something better than what died, so this is a natural. And I’m liking how that goes up and down so quick too. Nice Trek pun too, Bones, I mean Sean.
Great idea, but not sure there is sufficient protection to keep the tongue up if a hose leaks or cylinder bypass leak occurs. Looks good and is very fast though. I guess someone has to be first! ;-)
Old Dirtbiker in the 70’s my uncle had an outboard bass boat with a manual hydraulic tilt/trim system with a small pump lever to make it work from the driver’s seat. I can see something like that working real well with this concept.
Larry Be. I’m sure the manufacturer would disagree but my opinion is that they were too small for the weight of the trailer. But the dealer sold us the same size unit each time. The first two jacks just froze up. You couldn’t even raise the trailer with the hand tool. The fuse would blow immediately. And they are very slow
Had a set of Quadra Mfg. jacks put on a Class C years ago at the factory and it was probably the best investment I made on that vehicle. If this setup is only a fraction as good as what my Class C setup was, it is a great investment and the Quadra folks are great people to work with.
Even though I own a class A, I always get lots of great ideas from watching y'all. I have electric levelers on my Phaeton that I absolutely hate, because if the system ever gets us level, it's by accident. So I definitely need to talk to that company in Alabama. Always great to watch craftsmen like Ronnie and Vinnie.
You may want too make a Metal box to cover the hydraulic tank underneath the current box so some debris flips up and smacks that plastic tank it might punctuate it
Really neat upgrade, but the question I have with these is why it is so common to have power actuated tounge jacks in the US... I think you can't even buy powered jacks here. The hand crank is the way to go and it lasts like forever. And if it ever fails you looking at two digit costs to replace...
This is the best thing in a long time this is a game changer. Yes it cost more but this will probably never fail. Thanks sean i got to build me one awesome take a bow 👍👍🛠🇨🇦🇨🇦
Great video & idea! I'm wondering if you have burned out so many jacks because of your weight distribution hitch. To unload & attach or disconnect the bars, your jack is lifting both your trailer and the back end of your truck. Is that more weight than the jack was designed for? Not being negative or judging, just thinking....
Have you considered putting some kind of protector on the piston ram? A good rock ding on that thing as you travel down the road will certainly chew up the seals in the cylinder and lead to leaking. That said, this is a really nice development - I'd expect some company to run with the idea into mass production. Who wants to bet it'll be Lippert?
Now, THAT is a clever idea. I’m an engineer by trade, and you had me from the second sentence... a hydraulic system will be far more reliable over the long term.
The speed alone would be worth it not to mention it isn’t ever going to break! They really need to get the price down on it though. Looks like if it had some more movement it might just lift your rear wheels on the truck off the ground! Would be good if you need to change a rear tire! LOL!
I’d love one. I’ve blown I don’t know how many fuses on my Airstream jack. In Canadian dollars though, it really is cost prohibitive. Still, something to consider when there more made available.
Looks great, good luck with it. Question. In one shot I saw the hydraulic storage tank hanging down unprotected. Does the final install have some sort of protective box around that plastic container? All it would take is one little pebble hitting it the right way and you’ve lost your hydraulic fluid. Unless it’s protected of course. Happy trails to you
I’m looking at a three point system that would attach to the axles on each side and the tongue jack. Since the weight of the trailer is already supported by these points it should theoretically work. It’s a work in progress
I have 2 trucks with lift gates that use those cylinders I would suggest Ronie protect the hydraulic oil reservoir better that will probably be where it fails if ever ,the reservoirs crack overtime it’s only plastic, maybe have a spare reservoir with you in the future or Go to a steel reservoir
Nice! I'm glad you found a jack that really works for you. This could be the start of a very good business for your friend. Just don't ship the work off to China. Lol.
Just a side question, but why do you remove the weight distribution bars before backing into a site? I loosen the anti sway bars but that's about it. What am I missing?
We always loosen the antisway, and sometimes remove the bars. The trailer seems more nimble & responsive with the excess hardware removed. Plus, removing the bars shifts more weight to the rear axle which translates to more traction on the rear tires. If the campsite requires a "jack knife" type of turn, I'd prefer to have the bars off. I think that's considered the best practice, but often it is not necessary.
As always great video, I wonder if it could be made for a 22ft HiLo which already has a hydraulic system for the trailer its self, there is room in the battery box for what looks like the hydraulic system. I wonder what that would cost installed? Getting tired of cranking.
On the topic of removing your WD bars before backing into a campsite: when/where do you typically stop to do this? The process is gonna take a bit of time on our TT, (lowering the tongue foot, raising the tongue, removing/stowing the bars, and lowering the tongue/raising the foot). I had not heard of this advice before this video, and i haven’t found it in your towing/backing videos for newbies! Please provide more info on optimal timing & location in order to not inconvenience others checking in or in the campground. Thank you!
Hello and a big thank you for the enjoyment all of your videos provide to so many of us! Perhaps in a future “Airstream Upgrade” video you can share something about the undercarriage lights I catch in some of your videos. I would like to know how you guys did it because you always do things first-rate. My apologies if I missed it - but I’ve been hooked on your vids a long time and don’t think I missed. Thank you once again and stay safe you two! Al (25’ Cloud in Michigan)
How loud is the pump? I know the recording mic can be sensitive to certain pitches, but as I may need to replace my jack too, I do not want to take on a ear piercing motor whine that will disrupt the campground. If you show up at 9 PM to a camp ground would you feel OK with the noise level of that motor or is it just as loud as most electric jacks? That still cause me to feel like a heel if I get there too late or need to spend more than a few minutes running it.
Hey guys, is there any update to this? I need to do this with my own airstream is there a kit out yet? I noticed this video is fairly old but I really do not want to buy another Jack I’d rather replace it with this set up and how has it been for you guys thus far
5:06 is that the hydraulic reservoir tank ? Is it always exposed to the rear of the tow vehicle ? If so, maybe a piece of sheet metal on the front to protect from rock / debris strikes. Great upgrade though !
All the money you have spent on replacement of that jack and less not forget the propane cover. You will be money ahead for sure! Good move. Airstream will probably steal your idea... Lol 🤠
