trailer jack shaft wont raise

[ugabulldog]

I have trailer hooked up to my truck , manual jack, shaft won't "engage" and crank up (moves freely up/down by hand). Hopefully easy fix...??

 

[George2615]

I think the easy fix is going to be to buy a new jack and bolt it on.
Sounds like the worm gear shaft broke loose from the handle.

 

[ugabulldog]

I think the easy fix is going to be to buy a new jack and bolt it on.
Sounds like the worm gear shaft broke loose from the handle.

what causes this. normal wear and tear or something I might have done?

 

[adventure bob]

New jack. Either the thread color or the shaft is stripped. New jack is roughly $25 to $50 for a weld on replacement. Yours looks like a bolt on and can be had for about the same price with that bolt flange.

 

[ugabulldog]

Is it possible to jack up too far and release shaft from gears??

 

[adventure bob]

Yes and it usually takes out the top thread or two. You can take these apart fairly easy and check. If you take the handle off the mechanism should slide out the bottom.

 

[ugabulldog]

Yes and it usually takes out the top thread or two. You can take these apart fairly easy and check. If you take the handle off the mechanism should slide out the bottom.

ok, I will check, but you are saying it is not fixable, get a new jack?

 

[adventure bob]

For the pain and suffering of arguing with it, about $42 for the bolt on 5000lb version gets you a better jack and you can stop putzing with it. For my money Id simply replace it. The other method is to try to find internals for anything worn or stripped in yours. You'll spend more time doing that research than the $42 is worth. That's the calculus Id use to make the decision. If it was weld on and you couldn't weld, that may be mildly different, but not a lot.

 

[MMagis]

There’s no reason to jump to conclusions. It should only take a few minutes to diagnose. I had one where the pin connecting the handle to the shaft worked itself loose and out of position and jammed the whole thing. Now, replacing might be the easiest solution, but I’d remove the handle and get a better look first.

 

[George2615]

Up here in cold country I've seen water (snow and ice) get inside jacks like that and freeze up busting the nut the worm gear rides on but doubt that would be your problem.
As mentioned, take it apart first to see if it is a simple fix. Here's a 5K bolt on replacement for about $26.
Others are available at various prices.

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Pro-Series/PS1400600303.html