new2diesel
Graham, WA
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Joined: 02/03/2006
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I need some help on my decision. Electric Jacks for the new camper I'm going to buy, adds an extra 1000 bucks to the price. I'm thinking that I can finally have that portable generator, I've been wanting so bad, instead. I've owned a palomino brocno 1251 with manual jacks before. It usually only took about 15-20 min to load and unload using a cordless drill. This new camper is pushing 3000lbs, might be to much for my cordless. Are the electric jacks worth it?
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VE7EDL
Port Coquitlam,British Columbia,Canada
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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I have never had manual jacks but i can't even imagine my camper without electric jacks. It is easy to offload at your site or at home, I would say it is worth it. I would even spend an extra bit for the cordless electric.
2004 GMC 3500 D/A LLY Duramax Crew cab LB
2004 Corsair 10'4" Slide
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goldendagger
moving
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Joined: 08/21/2003
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if i could only have one, it would be the gen..... but that doesn't mean the electric jacks wouldn't make it eaiser.....
who left the light on? is it me or are we leaning downhill. where did the dog run off to
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jwolff
Pasco, Washington
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Joined: 01/28/2008
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I think it depends on how one camps. Myself, I stay at parks mostly with my little ones so the generator is little use to me and I would rather have the jacks. But, if one stays out in the middle of nowhere quite often and the camper stays on the truck alot then the jacks are not as necessary. You gotta look at how you use your set up. Good luck, John
John
2001 Ford F350 dually, crew, 4x4, 7.3
2007 Arctic Fox 990
1995 Champion Bass Boat
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magic43
Brookhaven, Ms.
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Joined: 07/28/2004
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I'd hate to do without both, but honestly thinking about your situation, get the generator. Then use a CORDED drill, probably 1/2" slow speed (not cordless) to raise and lower the TC. Just plug it into your new generator. You can upgrade to electric jacks later.
magic43
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seldomseensmith
Flagstaff, AZ
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Joined: 09/18/2006
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Like an earlier post, I would consider your use of the camper. If you are like me, once the camper goes on in the spring, it stays on 'til the fall. Spending $1000.00 for a convenience that gets used twice a year would not make much sense to me.
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samsontdog
Sac. Ca summer, Yuma Az winter
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Joined: 08/06/2002
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I have owned several TC without EJ and I hated cranking them up !! Even at Home with elect drill it was still a pain. I now have elect jacks and what a relief to just push buttons to load or unload. Takes just a few min now. I also have a 34 ft TT and to me it is like cranking the TT up without a elect jack . Will never have another TC without EJ
samsontdog 
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gm412
Belmont, CA
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Joined: 05/22/2008
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I take mine on and off a lot. Would not be without electric jacks. I can remove and/or put on my camper in less than 10 minutes. Without electric jacks I could not come close to that. But then again I could not do without my generator. I would find a way to get both or wait until I could afford both.
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kohldad
Goose Creek, SC
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Joined: 07/20/2004
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As mentioned, decision should be based on how you use it. I load/unload a lot and would love to have the electric jacks because so. However, I can go for four or five days boond docking before recharging the battery and the truck will do that in four or five hours of driving, so a generator isn't much use. Let's not forget that where I boon dock and could possibly use the generator, I wouldn't think about running it and disturbing the quiet that I traveled so far to find.
Photo Albums (Congaree NP added 12/09/09)
2004.5 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad-Cab SRW CTD 6-spd
2004 Lance 815
1982 CJ-8 Scrambler - going, going, anyone
Loving wife, two horse crazed teenage daughters, two horses, two cats
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kcabpilot
CA
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Joined: 04/07/2008
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15 years with a 3500 lb Lance and manual jacks. As said, depends on you. I never take the camper off at a campsite. It goes on the truck at home when we are setting off for a weekend or two week vacation and it stays on until we get back home. When I take it off I lower it onto a couple of 32 inch high sawhorses that are rated for 2000 lbs each. I don't put the full weight of the camper on the sawhorses but share it with the jacks, it's rock solid stable and when comes time to load again I only need to do about 5 cranks, pull out the horses and back the truck in. For retracting or extending the jacks to ground I use a little 12v cordless drill.
Of course it helps to have a nice built in generator so you don't have to deploy and pack it up everytime you want to go somewhere. When we go camping I see no reason to remove the camper from the truck unless I need to go pick up a yard of drain rock for some reason - like that's gonna happen on a camping trip 
1994 Lance 990 on 1997 F350 PSD Dually "Rhino Haunches"
We also have a 'truck' that FLYS
Our recent camping trips
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