Leveling Jacks Swivel Jack - What Happened?

Our TD had its first significant trip (2+ weeks) in our care in the first couple weeks of April: from NC to central TX to visit friends in Austin and to view the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8. I'll probably post more about this trip in other threads but here I want to see if the vast experience of the CI community can tell me what happened to the crank on my swivel jack (I think it's the original part, a RAM MJ-1001B).

On one particular day the Z-shaped crank seemed to have become deformed in transit, at the elbow near the post. This did not appear to happen gradually over time -- I observed after a 250 mile segment that the other elbow (i.e., near the handle) started to scrape the post as the handle was wound to raise/lower the jack. Scraping was absent just 1 day prior. The jack was still usable, although it carried risk of some bruised knuckles. On a subsequent drive segment, the crank seemed to deform even more, to the point where now there is too much interference (see photos) for the crank to turn.

Some notes:

1) the deformation/damage occurred while the jack was properly stowed horizontally on the TD hitch. During this transit, there was no sound or bump or other indication of impact, and all other trailer connections (safety chains, breakaway, 7-pin, propane tank and mount) seemed intact and solid.

2) the holes where the crank attaches to the post do not appear to be damaged. The bevel gear assembly within the post engages smoothly and spins properly (but I can't go a full revolution around anymore), and does not display any obvious damage or excess play.

3) when on the road, I use a bungee cord to secure the crank elbow near the handle thru the top of the propane tank to the frame on the other side -- this is just to keep the crank from swinging freely. This pull force is indeed in the direction that would lead to deformation of the other elbow, but the crank rod seems to be solid metal and I would thought should be able to handle this pull, which doesn't seem excessive to me.

The attached photos illustrate the current condition of the crank:

Crank-A = top view of the (stowed) jack, with the deformed crank resting atop it. It's obvious that the crank won't go around anymore. The yellow bungee is stored in a hole in the jack mounting plate. When the TD is being towed, it is hooked thru the top flange of the propane tank (a heavy object, of course) to the frame on the other side.

Crank-B = front view almost directly along the post, and with the crank elevated so that its Z-shape is fully face-on for the camera. The deformation of the crank at the near-post elbow is pretty obvious.

So, here my questions:

1) what might have happened??

2) I'm open to recommendations for a replacement swivel jack. My garage is level, but I would not mind something that provides some smoother swiveling.

Thanks in advance!

 

Was the jack handle hanging low enough something passed over on the road dragged on it?

Thats all I got.

 

Your attempt to protect the crank handle may in fact be the reason it was damaged. I made the same mistake of using a bungee to hold the handle up from hanging down and possibly being damaged from road debris etc. What it does by holding the handle up, is put it the path of the TV's bumper when turning while backing up. A little too sharp of a turn, and the bumper of the TV will come in contact with the handle, which doesn't have the strength not to bend under that kind of pressure. You may be able to bend the handle back out enough to use it, but it will be weakened, and if it doesn't break off this time it probably will the next. Don't ask how I know.
I think it was Cary who clued me in that the handle can safely hang down while towing without worrying about debris damage, and in that position it can't be damaged from a sharp backup turn.

If you would like to just replace the crank on your current jack, I found that replacement cranks are available here for a reasonable price: https://www.homedepot.com/p/CURT-Re...nd-Handle-for-Side-Wind-Jacks-28923/205631685
I bought one of these to replace mine, and it was a pretty easy fix, and worked fine. I let my crank hang free now, and no more damage to it has happened since.

 

I’ll add my vote to the guess that the handle got squished between the tow vehicle bumper and the frame of the camper when backing up.

 

Send photos of the rear left back end of the tow vehicle.

 

Lol, pictures...

Heh. Welcome to the club.
You dont want to see the creases in my bumper from backing in too far and misjudging the trailer tongue height...one is left from tent trailer before the CI...
Slow learner...

 

No picture, but a confirmation that yes, there is indeed a new circular dent on the left side of the TV bumper that wasn't there present prior to the trip. The dent is shallow, but this seems to be good evidence for the plausible scenario advanced above.

There is an oddity about this dent: I measured its location at approx ~10 inches from the location of the hitch ball, which suggests that the handle must somehow have been positioned *forward* at impact (so approximately rotated 180 degrees from the situation in Crank-A). It looks strange to me -- but I can't completely rule out trying to bungee'd (or bunglee'd) it in this way.

Another friend of mine volunteered an alternative explanation -- that the handle was pointing downward and made impact with the undulating road surface at high speed. This would likely have produced a high impact force, but inspection of the black plastic handle doesn't reveal much damage.

 

I think you will find that when you are ready to tow, if you crank the stand all the way up so the wheel is firmly held in place so it's fender can't bang against the side of the tongue rail, and the crank is allowed to hang down, it will move freely enough so that if something like road debris hits it, it will just move back & forth with the pressure resulting in little if any damage. But, if it is held up with a bungee, it is already at the end of it's up travel, so can't move up, and can't move down because of the bungee, so is held firmly in place as it meets the bumper during a sharp backing turn, making it take the full pressure. My turn was sharp enough to push the handle through the bumper cover, so now there is about a quarter sized hole there to remind me not to use the bungee any more.

 

I can only add to what was said above. My Subaru rear bumper has a dimple that lines up perfectly with my crank.

There is a whole section in this forum where things like this are discussed ... the camper's confessional. I've had to make a trip to that box a couple of times