Change a Tire on a Journey Trailer

Your RV’s tires are its basis – they should be cared for and guarded if you wish to get pleasure from protected, easy journeys. However tire blowouts are an unlucky actuality of RV life, so it’s good to know find out how to change a tire on a journey trailer. 

We’ll present recommendations on tire adjustments for single and dual-axle journey trailers, however first, a phrase on find out how to get assist whenever you’re damaged down on the facet of the highway. 

Good Sam Roadside Help is designed that will help you overcome tire blowouts and different roadside points. In the event you’re new to RVing, we extremely suggest enrolling on this service, as performing sure emergency companies whereas parked on the facet of the highway may be extremely harmful. And when you don’t do them accurately, you are able to do extra hurt than good. 

Change a Tire on a Single-Axle Journey Trailer

Technician Tip: At a service middle, technicians will use each the body and the axles as lifting factors since they’re on flat, stage concrete and may entry all sizes of jacks. On the facet of the highway, you’ll probably have a small bottle jack, and there might be no assure of the pavement situation (or the bottom on the facet of the highway). 

When altering a tire on the roadside, place the jack beneath the axle as near the spring mount as doable. 

Then observe these steps to alter a tire on a single-axle journey trailer: 

1. Fastidiously increase the unit barely so you realize it received’t sink or tip, and place wheel chocks on each side of the tires that stay on the bottom. 
2. Break the lug nuts unfastened on the tire to be modified. 
3. Elevate the trailer utilizing the jack till daylight is seen beneath the tire (2-3 inches off the bottom). 
4. Place a jack stand beneath the axle subsequent to the jack and decrease the jack gently till the axle rests upon the jack stand. Confirm you possibly can nonetheless see daylight beneath the tire. Jacks are for lifting; jack stands are for working. The jack may be left in place if it isn’t in the way in which. In the event you don’t have a jack stand or wheel chock, you can put down your stabilizer jacks solely to stabilize the unit (NOT TO LIFT) whereas your jack is left in place.
5. Take away the lug nuts, swap out the tire, and reinstall the lug nuts finger-tight. 
6. Examine the tire strain within the new tire and regulate as wanted. 
7. Elevate the axle with the jack sufficient to take away the jack stand, then decrease it till the tire touches the bottom sufficient that it can not flip. 
8. Tighten the lugs in a star sample in three phases: 20-30 foot-pounds, 50-60 foot-pounds, after which to the ultimate torque advisable by the producer, usually 90-120 foot-pounds. 
9. Totally retract and take away the jack and chocks. 
10. Retorque as required by the producer (each 10/25/50 miles or 25/50/100 miles, and so on.)

Technician Tip: In the event you solely have one spare tire, we extremely suggest continuing on to your nearest tire store to get a alternative for the blown tire. Your spare must be used for emergency functions solely. 

Tire Dimension Description

When calling native tire outlets to inquire about spare tire availability, know your rim diameter and tire measurement to expedite the method. You’ll want a tire matching your current tire measurement, which is printed on the tire’s sidewall. It’s going to look one thing like this: ST225/75R15.

Right here’s what these letters and numbers imply: 

ST = Particular Trailer

225 = Tire width in millimeters

75 = Peak-to-width facet ratio

R = Radial tire

15 = Rim diameter

Change a Tire on a Twin-Axle Journey Trailer

For dual-axle trailers, the method of eradicating the blown tire and putting in the spare is actually the identical. The distinction lies in your choices for elevating or jacking up the trailer to take away the blown tire. 

Utilizing a Tire Support is the only and quickest technique, supplied you solely have a single blown tire on one facet of your trailer. The Tire Support eliminates the necessity for a bottle jack to carry your trailer and a jack stand to relaxation the axle on whereas altering the tire.

A Tire Support permits you to drive the remaining good tire onto an elevated cradle so your blown tire is off the bottom. Whether or not you again onto the tire assist or pull ahead onto it relies upon largely on which tire is blown (i.e., pull ahead onto it if the rear tire is blown; again onto it if the entrance tire is blown). 

You’ll nonetheless want to interrupt the lug nuts unfastened for the tire you’ll change whereas it’s on the bottom. From there, you possibly can pull up onto the tire assist, which cradles the great tire. It’s nonetheless a good suggestion to put wheel chocks on each side of 1 tire on the alternative facet of your trailer for added security. 

Then, observe the identical procedures to swap out your blown tire for an identical spare: 

1. Take away the lug nuts, swap out the tire, and reinstall the lug nuts finger-tight. 
2. Examine the tire strain within the new tire and regulate as wanted. 
3. Pull slowly off the Tire Support till the alternative tire touches the bottom sufficient that it can not flip. 
4. Tighten the lugs in a star sample in three phases: 20-30 foot-pounds, 50-60 foot-pounds, after which to the ultimate torque advisable by the producer, usually 90-120 foot-pounds. 
5. Pull fully off the Tire Support. 
6. Retorque as required by the producer (i.e., 10/25/50 miles or 25/50/100 miles, and so on.)

As soon as once more, it’s sensible to accumulate a brand new tire as quickly as doable so your spare can return to being what it’s designed for – an emergency possibility. 

Listed here are just a few extra sources that will help you care on your RV’s tires: 

Do you will have any ideas or methods for altering a tire on an RV? Share them together with your fellow RVers within the feedback beneath.