Tongue jack does not work using battery

[BDutts]

Hi All, recently our tongue jack has stopped working on battery power. It works fine when connected to 7-pin or shore power, so I'm assuming it's just the battery. It's about 2 years old so I'm not sure how long they're supposed to last but would it be as easy as replacing the battery? When I tested it, I was only getting 10.8v. I'm pretty sure that's not good. There have been times when the solar converter does not charge the battery though and I've had to go through the steps to disconnect the battery, solar, etc. to reset it. Apologies for the long post but I'm pretty new at this and not sure I know the right questions to ask. I consider myself pretty tech savvy/handy so I'd rather learn how to fix something rather than pay someone to do it. Thanks in advance!

 

[Riverbug]

Welcome to the forum. 10.8V on a 12V battery is dead. Depending on how often it's been allowed to fully deplete, it's likely time for replacement. Swap it out and it's almost certain your tongue jack will work on battery again. Might consider swapping for a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery rather than lead acid (flooded or AGM). Take a look at something like Epoch or similar. These days, look for features like low temp and high temp cutoff, under and over voltage protection. Only the cheapest options will not have these features these days. With an LFP battery, you won't have to worry about drawing it down too far and causing damage (don't leave it at 0% for long though). You might want to just read up on them a bit to get a feel for them. You can check to see if your converter charger is lithium compatible. If not, you still won't be disappointed with upgrading to a lithium battery even if you do not upgrade the charger. It just won't charge to 100% but you'll still get more usable energy from the battery, and not cause degradation with deep discharge cycles, and it will last many years compared to lead acid.

 

[Wileykid]

You can always take the battery to any auto parts store and have them load test it to see what condition the battery is in, but at 10.8V, most likely dead. Having a good battery is important not only for your jack, but more so for the emergency braking system that relies on it.

 

[BDutts]

Welcome to the forum. 10.8V on a 12V battery is dead. Depending on how often it's been allowed to fully deplete, it's likely time for replacement. Swap it out and it's almost certain your tongue jack will work on battery again. Might consider swapping for a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery rather than lead acid (flooded or AGM). Take a look at something like Epoch or similar. These days, look for features like low temp and high temp cutoff, under and over voltage protection. Only the cheapest options will not have these features these days. With an LFP battery, you won't have to worry about drawing it down too far and causing damage (don't leave it at 0% for long though). You might want to just read up on them a bit to get a feel for them. You can check to see if your converter charger is lithium compatible. If not, you still won't be disappointed with upgrading to a lithium battery even if you do not upgrade the charger. It just won't charge to 100% but you'll still get more usable energy from the battery, and not cause degradation with deep discharge cycles, and it will last many years compared to lead acid.

Thanks! I was already considering Lithium as a replacement, just need to make sure my charger supports, which I think it does (there is a Lithium option when cycling through battery types).

 

[Riverbug]

Thanks! I was already considering Lithium as a replacement, just need to make sure my charger supports, which I think it does (there is a Lithium option when cycling through battery types).

Even if your charger doesn't support lithium, you can still use until on a lithium battery until you're ready to upgrade it.