Flat tire repair ????

[mskeyspirate]

So a quick question here about how you change a flat on the road. Now I know how to change a tire, my question is...what do you use to jack up that axle ? I have one of the ramps to drive up on which is supposed to elevate that second axle. However with my Passport and the wide spread axles, that number two axle does not raise enough to change that tire. So what do you carry to get that tire up off of the ground. Floor jacks are heavy, and add 30 lbs or so to the weight being carried. A small bottle jack will not fit under the axle, nor is it very stable. So ? What do you have in your truck should a flat occur ?

[German Shepherd Guy]

There was a great discussion on this on the list not long ago. Most folks carry a bottle jack and that is what I ended up getting for my trailer. I got a 12 ton but that is a bit of the German in me and a 6 ton was most often cited in the replies. The 12 ton has extra height. I also have the wide axels. 26RBPR.
Oak

[Ken / Claudia]

I have a bottle jack and so far only used it the driveway. I have 2x6 blocks cut to use as needed in the trailer and stack some up under the jack so it has plenty of height adjustment. I do the same for the truck and have used it on the roadside several times.

[locomech]

I have a 2 1/2 ton trolley jack in a nice little case in the back of my pickup. I have never had to fix a flat on my trailer so I've never used it so far. I also have a few pieces of 2 and 4x4 blocks in case the lift isn't high enough.

[Canonman]

So if you have the standard yellow Trailer Aid ramp, would another 2" raise it enough to work? I found using my 2x6 ramp (that is normally used to level the Cougar side to side) under the Trailer Aid worked pretty well. Trailer Aid also has the "Plus" version that is supposed to work with the separated axels. It's a couple of inches taller than the standard. Lucky for us we've only used this on a dry test in the driveway, but we can get the tire off the ground ok.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by mskeyspirate

So a quick question here about how you change a flat on the road. Now I know how to change a tire, my question is...what do you use to jack up that axle ? I have one of the ramps to drive up on which is supposed to elevate that second axle. However with my Passport and the wide spread axles, that number two axle does not raise enough to change that tire. So what do you carry to get that tire up off of the ground. Floor jacks are heavy, and add 30 lbs or so to the weight being carried. A small bottle jack will not fit under the axle, nor is it very stable. So ? What do you have in your truck should a flat occur ?

Read thru this thread and see if it helps....
http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums...ht=bottle+jack

[JRTJH]

Whatever "system" or "plan" you devise, be it "scientifically engineered" or "Rube Goldberged and ought to work", I urge you to do it in the driveway. Not just "walk around and surmise that it'll be fine" but actually, put on gloves, drag that new jack out of the sealed plastic bag and loosen the lugs on the tire/wheel, jack the axle (or trailer frame as you see fit), pull the wheel off the hub, lay it on the ground, study what you have, where it could be better, how stable the trailer is, what tools wouldn't work and what you had to walk back into the garage so you could finish the job.

Then put the wheel back on the hub, lower the jack, torque the lug nuts and then analyze the entire process again. After that, make any changes you think need to be "fixed" and/or put things away (with the gloves on top)....

The very LAST place you want to find out is that the lug socket for your truck isn't the same size as the trailer lug nuts or that you need a 2" extension to get enough torque on the socket with the tire "in the way" is on the side of the road where the closest 2" extension is at home, laying on the workbench, 300 miles "that way"......

[bobbecky]

Once you have the trailer raised up as far as it will go with a ramp, you could use a simple scissor jack to get the axle raised that last few inches, and they are pretty low to start with compared to a bottle jack. You will need to get it raised far enough to get the spare installed, so besides just getting the flat removed, it will have to go even higher before you're done. https://www.amazon.com/Scissor-Vehic...D9QP17G9JAHTQK

[mskeyspirate]

Thanks for all the input, going to the chicago rv show on sat this week. Would love to find a light weight floor jack. But all the input helps as always. Thanks !

[gearhead]

TrailerAid Plus and some lumber. 6 ton WalMart jack. Breaker bar. 4 way lug wrench. Harbor Freight torque wrench.