sir, thank you for taking the time to make this video. i really appreciate the help. saved me some time getting past diagnostics and onto repair. thank you again. the video is high-quality and comfortable to watch.
Thank you so much Eric! Trust me, it means a lot to me hearing you say what you did. When I do videos like these, I really try and make it so anyone can watch and do it themselves. I don’t like to skip parts and leave the viewer guessing, even though it can make it more lengthy. I hope your fix goes well and if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask. Hopefully you caught your problem in the early stages. My repair lasted this past camping season with no issues, but the water damage was too much and eventually rusted out the worm gear (it was bound to happen for how long I let it sit without being fixed). I’m working on buying a new jack and making it waterproof right off the bat. I appreciate your support and comment! Take care my friend.
Excellent video, showed me exactly what the problem is with my same model jack. My question is..where were you able to order the circuit board and switch? I can't seem to locate them in my search Thanks
Hey Ron! Thanks for reaching out! So it’s in the video for the info. (Towards the middle of the beginning). I couldn’t find it either but all you have to do is call that 1-800 number and tell them what you need. It was super easy and pretty inexpensive. Just watch it again or try and find that spot, but it’s in there :) let me know if you need anything else! Thanks my friend and welcome to the channel 😎
Morning Todd! I do not have the part numbers from what I can remember but I can look after work today. All I did though was call that number and told them what my model was and to have them send out a new board and switch. I’m pretty confident that should work for you. I tried looking online at other websites and couldn’t find the board anywhere. The switches however can be bought off Amazon and such. Like I said, I’ll check tonight for ya. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Sucks about it not working. Totally get that :)
Hey Eric, this isn’t Todd and I’m not sure if he went through with this, but when I called that 1800 number on the jack and talked to the guy. He knew exactly what I needed and probably has the best prices. The board is tricky because the old one I took out and new one had no info on it. The switch however is pretty common and used on all kinds of models. I just looked it up on Amazon and found a bunch of different replacements incase ordering it from FIC didn’t work out. I’m glad it did though and FIC came through with everything I needed :) good luck and if you do get PN’s, let me know, so I can pin that comment!
Thanks for this video. My jack is the same model, but it must be a later version. My circuit board was potted with resin. My switch and light were fine, but the up position of the switch failed intermittently. It was apparent that water got in as you described. There was a coating of green corrosion on top of the resin potting. That corrosion was apparently causing a short between terminals. I cleaned the circuit board and all is well again. I added some silicone under the rubber plug to keep water out in the future. I should only need to remove the plug in an emergency and I am less likely to have an emergency if the jack is sealed. Thank you.
Awesome Brian! Thank you for the update on your situation. I ended up having to replace the whole thing here recently. The water damage in the work gear got to be too much and rusted shut. Locally it's super easy to replace but having said that, I'm glad you were able to fix yours! Thanks again for the comment and support :)
Explained very well. Question: my inline 30amp fuse that goes from jack to battery keeps popping and is melted can I replace the whole cable? Or do I have to split and replace just the inline fuse connector?
Hey #1StealFish! That's a great question and it's one that I can't diagnose properly over a computer. Something is definitely going on where you are blowing the fuse consistently and that's a problem. It sounds like you have a short somewhere and you may have to follow out the wire and see if anything else is wrong with it. But as you stated, you can definitely replace the wire and the fuse holder if you choose. That shouldn't be difficult. My jack, if I remember correctly, doesn't have a fuse between the jack and the battery, so I'm not really sure. Sorry if I wasn't any help but like I said, it's hard not being able to see what's truly going on. I do have a question though, with the jack disconnected, does your battery system work without any problems? If so, then possibly your jack is completely shorted and needs replacing.
Good video. I have the same jack. I see where some people are turning their jacks 90 degrees so that the tailgate will come completely down, although their jack was another brand. Do you think we could do the same to our jacks? Would make loading truck much easier. Thx
Hey thanks for the comment man! I appreciate the view and support. As you answer your question, I’m not sure. I don’t think ours can be rotated 90 degrees. I actually didn’t even know that was a thing until you said something so I went and looked it up. That’s a pretty good idea and feature some jacks have. That problem has always sucked. Thanks for the insight. I’m actually going camping this weekend and will be on the lookout for this. Maybe I’ll find a brand and let you know! Thanks again my friend! Really cool if you!
Hey Scott, the only way I found one was calling the manufacture direct. I had a phone number on the jack itself that I called. Other than that. I don’t know. Maybe try contacting your RV centers Part shop. Sorry if this didn’t help. I know it can be hard finding stuff. Maybe I just got lucky with having the phone number.
You’re absolutely correct Better Days. Many people have pointed out your statement. I just simply missed it when I recorded this, but I assure you, it’s really not that difficult. Once the screws are removed, a gentle pry will split the halves. The only difficult part about that is the switch plate. This is siliconed/gasketed in place and also needs some light prying. Once those are both worked, it simply comes apart. I hope this helps and some others have recently wrote some write ups about this in there comments. Have a great day :)
I'm going to save this video for the future. Came here to see if I could rotate the head 90°. Doesn't look like it's possible. I put a 5 gallon bucket over the jack, hopefully it will extend the life of the powerhead.
Hey Ed! I hope things are well. Yea I don’t think this jack can be rotated 90. I remember looking into it before and had trouble finding info. Anyhow, I hope yours never gets water in it. Super appreciate the comment and support my friend :) thanks
Yes Jack! I muffed on providing directions on how to remove the cover. I really do apologize for that. It’s not too difficult though, you just remove all of the screws and then gently pry to two halves apart. You may get some resistance from the switch plate area because it’s silicones in there, but it’ll come out. A fellow viewer Brian Standing, just commented an excellent post about how he took off the cover. Please check it out and see if that helps. Thanks again for commenting. I really do appreciate it
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I had difficulty, but that’s because one screw wasn’t out all the way yet. Question, is it possible to bypass the switch by touching the necessary wires together? I have power to the switch, but no further.
Hey Jack! Ok cool, glad you got it off. As for bypassing, I’m sure you could. I’m not sure how yours is wired, but I’m assuming, if you have power at the switch and nothing after, then maybe just try and take where you know you have power and touch it to the other side of the switch. I’m pretty sure, the trailer would just go down or up depending on which one you hit. It sounds like your switch is bad? But then again, I’m not entirely sure. Hmmm…
Great video 👍 My power tongue jack had the same problem. Followed your advice and now mine works. Did notice that board on my hitch jack was like the one you bought. Did not need the ground jumper for my issue. Was lucky and only needed to clean it up with contact cleaner and grit paper to remove corrosion. Ordered the weather cover and using a bucket for now till it comes in. Thanks for the advice!
This is great Don! Thanks for sharing your comment that this helped you. It’s a shame we have to deal with it but it’s also good knowing that we can fix it. Thanks again for the support and I hope you have a great rest of your day 💪😎👍
Hey Torrey! Yea I think so, once water gets in there, it’s hard to make it work again. It’ll get locked and then useless. I wish they made these a bit more robust. I can already tell that mine from before got too much water and I can tell that the gear is getting bad, even though the electronics work great.
Hey, thanks for this video. When we got back from a recent trip I noticed that our jack light was full on all the time! I do keep mine covered all the time we are at home, so I was pretty sure water wasn't the problem. But, your video showed where the circuit board was located and I was able to unplug the led light through the rubber cap on top without opening the whole thing up, thus turning off the light. Since my trailer has a very bright light that shines onto the jack area I don't need the jack light. Thanks again!
This video should serve as a warning to others! I opened my jack up. There was some corrosion on top and lots on the bottom of the board. I cleaned it up with Alcohol, soldered a few bad solder joints, sprayed the backside with battery terminal protection spray, painted the top side of the board with the same spray, drilled weep holes into the plastic base, and elevated the base with a stainless steel washer. Regarding the bad solder joints, water could enter the thru holes that were not filled with solder! Trying to find a solution to keeping water passing thru the manual override plug. In addition I bought a jack cover on Amazon. I'll tell you how it went in three years...... I just had to replace my trailer plug as it was shorting out and draining my batteries!
Holy Win Bach! You’ve had the run around with your jack and I completely agree with you. It sucks when you spend all of this money and the one thing you shouldn’t worry about ends up giving you the most fits. Hopefully you can report back in 3 years that it’s good to go and you fixed everything. Until then… thanks for the comment and support. I hope you have a great day :)
Great video... I used your info to repair mine. They sent an exact replacement for the circuit board and LED light panel. The switch was slightly different but installed the same. Thanks!
Hey! I’d try and call the number (if there is any) on the jack itself. Or in your packet that came with the trailer. You can also try and call customer service by looking up the company. They usually offer replacements that are direct replacement. I hope this can help. Thanks again for reaching out :)
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I did call Harbor Freight customer service but they does not carry the a replacement parts for the Haul Master 3500 Tongue trailer jack. Thank you for answer my questions.
You’re welcome. Sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted it too. Hopefully you can resolve the problem in a timely matter. Either way, I appreciate you reaching out and the support.
I know Michael. I really apologize for that. It actually wasn’t that difficult though, just take out all of the screws, and then where the switch is, it may have a gasket that you just have to pry off and then boom, it’ll pop right off. I do appreciate the comment and support though and again, sorry for missing the mark on that. I hope you have a great weekend!
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser thanks! I did remove all the screws and tried to pry them apart, but was unable to and was worried that I would break it. I’ll try again using your suggestion. Have a great weekend.
@jetu8324 thanks and like I said, the gasket around the switch just holds it all together, but you can pry it gently and it’ll pop apart! Good luck and thanks for the feedback. It helps and I appreciate it! Have a great weekend as well. Feel free to come back if you have any questions :)
Same here. I called the FIC tech support to see if they have any tips because after the screws are removed the two sides do not easily separate. They said watch this video and reverse the procedure at the end during reassembly. I came up with two things to consider during disassembly. 1. the light cover needs to be removed first before the two side covers can separate after screws are removed. to do that leave one of the 4 light cover screws in part way as a lever to pull the cover off. 2. As you can see during the reassembly. the top switch cover snaps in place. So to disassemble, it requires some effort to remove the top cover from the two halves. Without breaking anything...
@mrlmlefty thanks D Jackson P for the comment and update. Yea when I made this video a while back, I totally screwed up and took the cover off without filming. I’m usually more throughout than that so my apologies for sure. You did good with your explanation. I remember it wasn’t too bad to take apart. For me the hardest part was the silicone that held the switch plate in place. I just had to be careful and pry the cover off which loosened the 2 halves. Thanks again my friend. I appreciate you. I’m also glad this video helped and I was surprised hearing that FIC actually referenced this video. That’s the first I’ve heard this.
Replaced the control board and switch on my etj3500 today (07 March 2024). My trailer is a 2021 flagstaff micro lite 22tbs. This video is wonderful. Two things to mention 1) the cost of the replacement parts has gone up and 2) my trailer has a ground wire between the control board and jack. Thank you.
Thanks David! I always appreciate the feedback and you are absolutely right. Prices go up and the way they produce these things may change in the future. I’m glad you got yours working again! Happy Camping my friend!
Hey Anatoly! Thanks for stopping by and asking that question. So I’m not sure. Best thing to do is to call and ask them if they will sell just the led strip or if it has to be the whole light assembly. I will say however, I noticed one light on all the time and that’s what led me to find out that water got all throughout there and shorted out everything. So maybe you caught it early enough where you can fix the issue with our having to do massive repairs. Hope this helped my friend and let me know how it goes :)
Hey Osvaldo! Thanks for coming by and supporting this video. As for the link, there actually isn’t any. You have to call the manufacturer direct for the replacement parts. There should be a phone number on the jack somewhere. Just call that and explain what you need… boom! Good to go!
Thanks very much. I have the same one and the led remains on. I was told a new Jack is the way to go. After watching your video, I’m going to have a go at getting the parts and fixing it myself. On another point; why would they make an electric Jack that’s out in all weather and not make it waterproof?
I agree Brian! It’s weird that it’s not weatherproof off the get go. As for this helping… that’s awesome. Mine still works just fine so that’s all good. I will say, depending how long it sat uncovered, there may be internally damage and rusting in the work gear that could develop over time. I’m starting to see that happen on mine. It’s still works, but I may even need to get a new jack here soon. But I’m cheap and will run it to the ground 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks again Brian and good luck :)
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser All winter. I have a trailer cover but it doesn’t cover the Jack and here in the PNW it rains a lot. This is the second winter in the rain and cold. A third winter was spent in the dry south. I’d much rather spent some money on parts and my own labour rather than buy a new Jack. I was told they don’t make parts for the cheap jacks that are OEM on trailers. Obviously, that was incorrect. I find that generally, the RV business tends to be on the sleazy side.
@brianstanding1609 I 100% agree with you on the rain here in the PNW and sleazy RV business’s. I’m a tinkerer and I like saving money like you, and from what I have found, you can almost fix anything with replacement parts, no matter what anyone says. I’m handy and cheap… a pretty good combo 🤣
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser just an update. I removed the controller and sure enough it was corroded. I have ordered a new one. $33.50 including an $8 and change delivery to a US address. If I had it sent it Canada, it would have cost more in postage than the part. My casing is slightly different than yours in that the light is activated by a rocker switch rather than push button. My Jack and light switches were not corroded. My Jack had a positive and an negative wire coming from the battery to the terminals, so I don’t have to worry about a ground. Rather than remove the positive wire which ran through a holder screwed to the back of the Jack and would have been very awkward to remove without removing my propane tanks, so I left half of the cover with the wire running through it attached and covered the Jack with a bucket until I get it put back together again. In getting the switch cover disassembled I ran into a few minor hitches. The screws were difficult to remove from the housing without some tapping. As it turned out, it was the light cover that was holding the two halves together. The light cover in mine is fairly thick and in prying it out, I was concerned about breaking the plastic cover. I found a slot in the bottom that helps to pry out the cover. The next was getting the switch plate to come lose. The installer had a dab of glue at the top which let go after some prying using a screwdriver in the top plug hole. My silicon seal was exactly the same as the one you pulled out. Although there is a channel running all the way around the switch cover plate, the silicon seal doesn’t cover the bottom portion of the cover. I will do what you did in the reinstall and use a tube silicon all the way around. I looked at the TrailerSphere covers on Amazon and they make one that is specific to a number of different jacks including the FIC version 2 that I have but it is $95 Canadian. I have ordered a generic one and will see how that does for right around $20. My new electronic controller should arrive next week and I’ll cross the border to pick it up. Fortunately, I live close by. I’ll use some silicon spray on the Jack shaft and hopefully it’ll be good to go for a long time yet. I’m not sure how to attach pics here or I would.
@brianstanding1609 wow Brian! What an amazing and detailed Post! It looks like you’re taking your time and doing it the right way. As for my video… I know it’s not perfect but the intention was to get someone going in the right direction to get theres fixed. And trust me, I know you’re not dissing the video, I’m just saying that, you’re doing it exactly how I want someone do to it. Taking their time and making adjustments according to their set up. So good on you and great job. I look forward to hearing how the rest of the installation goes. I hope this fixes your problem. It definitely should, unless the worm gear has other unforeseen issues. Other than that, if you want to send pictures, that’s great but I’m not going to post them anywhere. RU-vid makes it hard to share information like that. That’s why I love when people comment. This is what makes us learn better ways of doing something. Anyhow, my email is stoneycreeksparkchaser@yahoo.com if interested in connecting via that avenue. Again, thanks for the update and amazing job so far!!!
This happened to me but water actually got down into the motor. Totally shot. Was headed out for a trip and just went and put a whole new jack on and bought a cover. Pretty crappy design.
Hey Tim! Yea man… I was actually out recently and I think my jack finally crapped out. The new circuit board and switch worked great, but I think whatever water that did get down there eventually ruined it. I had to manually jack it up and down. So I’ll be in the market for a new Jack soon. Totally agree with you that it’s a bad design, but if someone has the same issue and they catch it soon enough, the new board and switch would be a good fix! Hey so I appreciate you commenting and stopping by my friend! I’ll see you around :)
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser Mine was so bad that the manual up/down was even frozen to where I couldn’t do anything with it. I took it all apart and the motor inside was rusted solid. This all happened over a 3 month period. Wheww. I am calling the number to see how much a new motor would cost and maybe have a spare jack. Thanks for the post!!
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser called them, $39 for new motor. I will say though that taking out the motor was a pain as you have to dismantle everything. Also a snap ring that bent upon removal.
Thanks Doug and I hope you can fix it. I forgot to mention in the video because I’m an idiot, but it wasn’t just the light that led me to replace the electronics, I couldn’t get it to go down. I could get it to move up, so that’s what made me dive further. I wish you the best of luck my friend. Message me with any questions Doug :)
@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I'm under warranty still with my rv. Just short on time before a trip at the end of the month. Depending what the dealership has to say I might just tear it down myself. I too had a so called waterproof cover over mine all winter. I knew I should have put a xl ziplock bag plus the cover over it. Thanks again for well filmed and explained how to video.
Appreciate that Doug. Yea mine is under warranty as well, but I didn’t feel like driving it up through the city, dealing with the warranty and then coming back. With diesel at its current prices it would of cost me a lot more… hahaha. So I just said the hell with it :) Take it easy :)
Hey Arnold! Man I’m sorry about that. From what I remember though. Once all of the screws are out (and there are many) you have to gently pop the switch cover off (it may be siliconed together and then you can pry the two plastic halves apart with a flat head screw driver very carefully. Or vice versa, halves first then the switch cover. Either way I don’t remember it being too hard to have them come apart. The factory just may of put silicone to keep them more tightly bonded together. I hope this helps and good luck with your repair. I hope it fixes it!
Thank you, with some trouble (and a screwdriver), I managed to open it. It was very tightly closed and, as a result, there was no corrosion or discoloration. Opening everything up, I removed the snap ring on the large gear on top of the jack shaft (that took some work and the ring got bent), but the gear still would not come off. In the end it didn't matter. I removed the tiny gear ithe corner. That removed the physical link between the motor and the jack shaft. Then I could operate the jack manually: it worked, and smoothly! So, it looks like the motor completely seized up. Bizarre. Any idea how that could happen? Last fall everything was just fine.
Hey Arnold! Wow you did a ton of work on your Jack. Even though you had all of that trouble, you seemed to diagnose it properly and get it to work again. I’m not sure how it would get like that. Water maybe wicked up through the bottom foot and got into the gearbox? That’s my only guess with that. Did the gears seem rusty? Was there a lot of grease still in there? Anyhow. I’m glad you got it working again and great job! I look forward on your update.
The gears didn't seem rusty. The only gears I couldn't see were the ones on the motor shaft and the one that it drives (attached to the little one I removed). That would have required taking the motor assembly off, and I didn't have the hex key handy. Besides, it was time to go home. So, it's either the motor itself, or the two gears I couldn't see.
Hey Janice. I just called the 1-800 number that was located on the jack and ordered it that way. I didn’t use the internet or a magazine. Just the number. They were very helpful and knew exactly what I was wanting to order. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment a support.
Hey Janice. Sorry about that, I misunderstood. So I just rewatched my video and at the 9:14 mark the number is posted. It’s 1-877-957-1501. This will work if you have a FIC Trailer Jack. If you have another branded Jack, then you’d have to look up that companies name and get their service number that way. Thanks again and let me know if that number still works :)
