Dealer Training Article (Tongue Jacks)

Power Up Your Sales: The Ultimate Electric

Tongue Jack Guide for RV Aftermarket Professionals

Raymond Padgett

When a customer comes to you for a new tongue jack, they are thrilled with the purchase. In most cases this will be a replacement for a jack that failed them. And jacks never seem to fail at the most opportune of times.

This guide is built for resellers who want to provide clear, confident advice for their customers. Whether their towing a travel trailer, utility trailer, cargo hauler, or a decked-out toy hauler, this article breaks down everything you need to know—from weight ratings to brand comparisons to real-world buying advice.

After studying this training document, you will:
Understand when and why customers need an electric tongue jack
Know the key features and competitive advantages of different brands
Be able to recommend the right SKU instantly
Handle objections confidently
Upsell and cross sell naturally

What Is an Electric Tongue Jack?

I know we don’t have to tell you that an electric tongue jack is a powered lifting device mounted on the A-frame of your trailer. Instead of manually cranking the trailer up or down to hitch or unhitch, you simply press a button and let the motor do the work.

Customers love them because they are convenient, fast, safe and don’t require muscle to operate. Key Functions include:

Raising and lowering the trailer for hitching and unhitching
Leveling the trailer front-to-back at the campsite
Reducing physical strain and time spent cranking
Providing a stable, powered lift for heavy trailers

Choosing the Correct Weight Rating

This is the part where many customers get confused—and where retailers can shine by educating them.

Electric tongue jacks are rated by lifting capacity, not total trailer weight. So, how do you determine the lifting capacity needed?

Start with tongue weight: Typically, 10–15% of the trailer’s total loaded weight. Example: Trailer GVWR: 7,000lbs would mean a tongue weight of 700lbs – 1,050lbs

Hitching Capacity for hitching:

Even some dealers don’t know that the jack is used during the hitching process to do more than get the coupler off the ball. They are also used to lift the rear of the towing vehicle so the customer can hook up the weight distribution hitch.
Dynamic Loads: This may include getting the jack out of mud or odd situations.

“Retail Rule of Three” dictates taking the tongue weight and tripling that figure for your tongue jack capacity.

2,000lbs: Tongue weight of 666lbs or less. Small utility trailers, lightweight campers
3,500lbs: Tongue weight of 1,100lbs or less. Mid-size travel trailers, cargo haulers
4,000lbs: Tongue weight of 1,333lbs or less. Tongue jack of Heavy travel trailers, toy haulers

Key Features to Look For

Retail customers often don’t know what features matter. Here’s the breakdown.

Lift Capacity: The most important feature. As mentioned, bigger is always better.
Travel Height: Most jacks offer 18–22 inches of standard travel. More travel means easier hookups o n uneven ground.
Drop Leg: A drop leg reduces the amount of powered travel needed, making the jack faster and more efficient. In addition to standard travel, a drop leg provides additional travel. Typically 5.5” of additional travel. Turning 18” of travel into 23.5” of total travel.
LED Work Light: Perfect for nighttime hookups or early-morning departures.
Weather Protection: Features such as powder-coated housing, sealed switches and water-resistant motor covers.
Manual Override: If your battery dies, you’ll be glad you have it.
Footpad vs. Wheel: Footplates offer stability. Wheels are not recommended for heavy trailers.

Picking The Right Ultra-Fab Tongue Jack

Deciding on the best Ultra-Fab tongue jack comes down to reviewing the chart below.

How Ultra-Fab Helps You Sell More Tongue Jacks

Ultra-Fab goes out of way to help you sell more tongue jacks. Typically, dealers sell what’s easy to explain — and Ultra‑Fab gives you real advantages customers instantly understand. Advantages like:

Fastest lift speed in the class (Exclusive to their Phoenix 4000 jack)
Quietest operation (Exclusive to both Phoenix Series jacks)
Longest warranty (Ultra-Series has the longest warranty at 5-years with the exception of the Phoenix Series at 10-years)
Only jack with a grease‑able screw rod (Exclusive to Ultra-Series jacks)
Better sealing against water intrusion

Knowing these features will make even a brand‑new counter person sound like a pro. But you don’t have to rely on your memory. Our best-in-class packaging has clear capacity callouts, fast‑lift messaging, warranty highlights, “Grease‑able screw rod” advantage, clean, bold visuals. And shortly there will be QR codes on all the jacks leading to a video highlighting the product and encouraging them to purchase from you.

Ultra-Fab also provides an in-line display that makes it easy to display the products. Not only does it have signage but also has shelf-talkers to garner attention to these products. And it includes trifolds on the Ultra-Series and trifolds for the Phoenix Series jacks. This makes merchandising easy and boosts conversion.

Related Products

Whenever you sell a tongue jack, you should include a tongue jack cover. It shields the jack from rain, snow, dirt, and UV rays to keep it working season after season. It keeps the head dry, clean, and sunburn free so the jack lasts way longer than the warranty. Ultra-Fab’s tongue jack covers are made from Oxford cloth which is known for its water impermeability, corrosion resistance and resistance to ultraviolet light. Slip it on, slip it off – faster than you can say “where did I put the leveling blocks?” Convenient drawstring for a better fit and cleaner look. And they include two strong grommets that hold safety chains when not in use.

Final Thoughts

Look — by now you’ve seen it all. You know why customers walk in frustrated, why their old jack is wheezing like a 30‑year‑old leaf blower, and why the bargain‑bin brands keep coming back on a tow truck. Ultra‑Fab tongue jacks aren’t just another SKU on the shelf — they’re the upgrade your customers *actually* thank you for. Faster lift. Quieter motors. Grease‑able screw rods. Real warranties. Fewer returns. More margin. And zero “my jack died at the campground” phone calls on a Saturday morning.

If you want to be the dealer who sells the good stuff — the dealer customers trust, the dealer who doesn’t get dragged into warranty purgatory — then Ultra‑Fab is the move. These jacks practically sell themselves, especially once you know the talking points, and now you do. You’ve got the features, the benefits, the comparisons, the objection killers, the upsells, the planogram, and the closing script. You’re officially dangerous.

So, stock up. Put them where customers can’t miss them. And then watch what happens when you offer a tongue jack that actually solves problems instead of creating new ones.

Ultra‑Fab tongue jacks: sell them, profit from them, and enjoy the sweet silence of fewer returns. Your customers win. Your margins win. You win.

Now go make the parts counter proud — and move some Ultra‑Fab Tongue Jacks.

Review Questions

1. What is the #1 customer complaint that indicates they need a new tongue jack?

(A) Slow lift

(B) Clicking or grinding

(D) Light stopped working

2. Which Ultra‑Fab feature directly reduces returns and service headaches for the dealership?

(A) Plastic housing

(B) Greaseable screw rod

(D) Louder motor

3. A customer says their old jack “sounds like it’s dying.” Which Ultra‑Fab benefit should you lead with?

(A) Quiet‑drive motor on Phoenix Series

(B) Bulk packaging

(D) LED light placement

4. Which Ultra‑Fab tongue jack series is known for the fastest lift speed and strongest warranty?

(A) Phoenix Series

(B) Ultra Series

(D) Budget Series

5.A customer has a 10,000lb GVWR trailer. Which capacity should you recommend?

(A) 2,000lb minimum

(B) 3,000lb minimum

(D) 1,000lb minimum

6. What is the correct dealer response to: “Why is this Ultra‑Fab jack more expensive than the one online?”

(A) “Because everything is expensive now.”

(B) “It’s not – you’re just looking in the wrong place.”

(D) “Let me check with my manager.”

7. Which competitor weakness is most important to highlight when selling Ultra‑Fab?

(A) Fewer color options & and a lighter weight

(B) Non‑serviceable screw rods & shorter warranties

(D) No LED light & battery power

8. A customer says they only camp twice a year. What’s the best closing angle?

(A) “Then you don’t need a jack.”

(B) “That’s exactly why you want one that works every time.”

(D) “Try lifting it by hand.”

9. Which accessory is the easiest upsell with a tongue jack?

(A) Slide‑out supports

(B) Footpads

(D) Wheel chocks

10. Which is NOT a benefit of selling Ultra‑Fab tongue jacks?

(A) Easier selling through great packaging & signage

(B) Customers stop calling with problems

(D) Ultra-Fab’s legendary customer service

Answer Legend

1. (C) Jack won’t lift the trailer anymore

2. (B) Greaseable screw rod

3. (A) Quiet‑drive motor on Phoenix Series

4. (A) Phoenix Series

5. (B) 3,000lb minimum

6. (C) “This one lifts faster, lasts longer, and has a real 5‑year warranty.”

7. (B) Non‑serviceable screw rods & shorter warranties

8. (B) “That’s exactly why you want one that works every time.”

9. (C) Tongue jack cover

10. (C) They are the cheapest