CHANGING A TIRE ON THE ROAD

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[span]    [/span][font face="comic sans ms" size="3"]This hasn't happened to us yet, but I am currious if there has been anyone who had to change a tire on the road? What issues did you have if any?
[span]    [/span]Did you use a scissor jack under the frame between the axles, rapid jacks, trailer aids, those wheel buddies or whatever they are called?
[span][span]    [/span]I[/span]t might be valuable info for us all.
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[hdrehder]

Got a screw in the tire last weekend. Repair didn't hold. Had to change to spare in the campground. Drove onto three leveling blocks to raise the adjacent tire. Easy switch from there. The spare is hard to get out. Did that, for safety, before raising onto blocks. Glad that it happened to us in the campground rather than on the highway.

We have the 14 inch off- road wheels. Tires are hard to find. Took Discount overnight to get it in.

[sam]

When I first purchased my 13QBB I tested it with my car jacks on hand. Nothing fit. I went to Farm and Fleet and purchased an adjustable hydraulic jack and tested it to see if it fit. I also carry a few pieces of 2x6 if I need to raise it up a bit further. Camplite staff indicated that I just need to put it under one of the main supports. I noted that the lug wrenches in my vehicle did not fit the nuts on the camper so I purchased an inexpensive tire wrench with the correct size. Testing with the new jack and lug wrench was successful. I highly recommend testing before you need it.

Note: getting the spare tire back under the camper is not straight forward. I was able to do it my self when I tested it by using two "ratcheting" straps to lift the tire up and hold it while I installed the screw to hold it in. (Camplite installs the spare while the camper is on its side.) Alternatively I recommend that you have the people who fix or replace the tire put it back. They are bigger and stronger.

I also purchased an inexpensive torque wrench. The tires are sensitive to the correct torque. (It seems to be a small tire issue.) I also check the air before I start out and inflate the tires to their cold maximum. I carry a small electric pump. Milage and tire ware seem to be very sensitive to proper inflation.

Last but not least, if your camper has bias ply tires watch them and replace them with radial tires as soon as needed. My radials seem to ride better. I believe that Camplite as switched to radial tires on there current line.

[david]

This procedure works in a pinch. Disconnect your TV and lower the tongue jack a bit. Then lower the fore and aft scissor jacks on the side with the flat. Tighten the jacks up until the wheel begins to lift, more aft than forward. Finish with tongue jack so that it levers the wheel off the ground.

David

[pinstriper]

If you have two axles, put a 4-6" block down by the good tire and pull the trailer up onto it. The flat will lift off the ground as well and you are good to go.

Do this AFTER you get the spare off the bottom of the trailer. You don't want that block to shift under the trailer while you are under it. That would be prudent advice with any jack, too, by the way.