how to lift off tires

[allucinere]

We have a keystone challenger fifth wheel, with new to us tires. It is currently sitting in storage, and we wanted to take all the weight off of the tires, so they can last longer. I am hoping someone can recommend the best way to do this. I did see in my manual for the axle, that you aren’t supposed to put the jack stands on the axle tube or on the equalizers. That said, what would I need to lift this thing off its tires? And where would I put it? Thank you so much 

[busterbrown]

ST tires have a finite shelf life, be it stationary and load bearing in storage, stored off the trailer, or in active use. Oil dispersion from the rubber based compounds happens primarily while in use, giving the tire longevity. Personally, I wouldn't worry about unloading your trailer's weight from the tires as flat spots that occur will reshape soon after your first trip. Keeping tires clean, dry, and protected can help mitigate some environmental degradation. But not much. Expect to replace trailer tires every 3-5 years (on the shorter side for Chinese-based rubber).

I've read more than a few stories about how someone changed a blowout with a spare that was never used. Guess how far the spare lasted? My point is that tires degrade 10-20% (http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tires-expire-in-six-years/) every year. After 3 years, many tires will not handle the load on the axles. A catastrophic failure at highway speeds is something no one wants.

If you do need to jack up the the trailer to remove the tire, it's acceptable to place the jack mount directly under the u-bolts of the axle, not in the middle of the axle (or axle tube as you've already mentioned). Many will only lift their trailers directly from the frame rails, near the axles. To me, unless you have a commercial hydraulic lift, a floor jack or scissor jack introduces to much risk when using the frame. The height of the trailer frame puts limitations on these floor jacks.

[bsmith0404]

If you want to lift it off the tires, get heavy duty truck jack stands available at most auto parts stores.

I use a 20T bottle jack to jack my trailer. When placed on a stack of three 2x8s cut to 7.5" long and screwed together to make a solid base, the bottle jack has enough length to raise the 5er at the frame rail. You can jack yours up to get the tires off, measure the height you need for the jack stands and then go buy them. If you are set up on anything other than concrete, you may want to place a 2x12 under the jack stands for a solid base.

Personally, I leave mine on the ground and just lift it and rotate the tires a 1/4 turn every other month or so when sitting long term. I do have the jack stands that I use when removing the tires to have them balanced or buying new ones (not enough room at my local DT to park it in the lot). When using the jack stands, I also put the stabilizers down just for added safety, but that is only because I'm removing the tires. If I was just raising the 5er to get weight off the wheels, I wouldn't bother.

[itat]

Personally, I store my TT in an open field with the tires covered and resting on concrete patio slabs. I agree with others that there's no need to get the tires off the ground.

To my knowledge, all ST trailer tires are now manufactured somewhere in Asia. Even the best brands. So I take stories of "China bombs" with a grain of salt. That being said, I would recommend ST tires, including the spare tire, be changed at 5 years old regardless of mileage. You can determine when the tires were manufactured by the DOT code.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

[WaltBennett]

Everything that's been said about ST tires is why I have LTs on our Montana. NO tire is all that great after five years though. Their made that way because with typical driving, they should be worn out by then. So called 'rubber' valve stems won't last past then either. Problem for a TT or 5er owner, average yearly mileage is much less than what would wear them out in five years. I'm talking about actual tire age, and not how long one has had them on a wheel - look at the DOT required 'born-on' date stamp to figure the real age out.

We've been on four major trips since buying our Montana and putting on new Firestone Transforce LTs. They've still only got probably around 30 to maybe 40k miles on them and have well over half their tread life left - but they'll be five years old next fall and I may replace them before our next trip.

[notanlines]

Itat, I read your little comment "So I take stories of "China bombs" with a grain of salt" and a slight smirk crossed my face. Keep on towing on Trailer Kings and Power Kings and the like; you and Geico will up close and personal.

[bsmith0404]

Itat, I read your little comment "So I take stories of "China bombs" with a grain of salt" and a slight smirk crossed my face. Keep on towing on Trailer Kings and Power Kings and the like; you and Geico will up close and personal.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't take anything that can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage with a grain of salt, especially when there seems to be a trend and a common denominator.

[BrentB]

I just happened to run across this and hadn't heard of it before (the product) so I thought I'd post it for consideration.
http://www.irv2.com/blog/2016/02/trailer-legs-rv-tire-storage/

[JRTJH]

I just happened to run across this and hadn't heard of it before (the product) so I thought I'd post it for consideration.
http://www.irv2.com/blog/2016/02/trailer-legs-rv-tire-storage/

Things may change in "axle support thinking" in the future, but currently, Dexter, Al-Ko, and Lippert are the major axle manufacturers. They all caution against jacking (or supporting) the axles by the axle tube. These "Trailer Legs" do exactly that, support the axle, not by the spring shackle, but directly on the axle tube, inboard from the spring attachment. Maybe it's OK, maybe not.....

My thought, for whatever it may be worth, is that "risking a bent axle tube" at a cost of $1000 is a heck of a way to "save" a $75 tire.

So, it looks like a good idea (at first glance) but with use, it could lead to some pretty significant issues with alignment, axle tube damage and/or suspension problems... Then again, maybe not ????

[Desert185]

The way I look at jacking on the axle's spring ubolt is that it can't be any worse than the tire/axle assembly moving up and down during a tow. Afterall, all you're doing during a jack on that ubolt is compressing the spring enough to clear the tire off the ground. You are not lifting the trailer, which would be a much simpler process on the shoulder of a roadway than jacking on the trailer frame.

[JRTJH]

The way I look at jacking on the axle's spring ubolt is that it can't be any worse than the tire/axle assembly moving up and down during a tow. Afterall, all you're doing during a jack on that ubolt is compressing the spring enough to clear the tire off the ground. You are not lifting the trailer, which would be a much simpler process on the shoulder of a roadway than jacking on the trailer frame.

I agree with your logic and it's exactly what I do both on the side of the road and at home when doing maintenance on brakes, bearings and wheels/tires. The "axle lift" device that was listed doesn't use the spring/shackle to support the axle, it actually rides on the axle tube, inboard of the spring hanger. I would be concerned with that much weight placed at all 4 support points on the axle tubes for "winter storage"... maybe it would be OK, maybe not. It's definitely not the same as jacking the U-bolts on the spring shackle to change a tire !!!

[66joej]

I use an 8 ton bottle jack on the axle u-bolts after putting a piece of 3/4" plywood against the area. Have done this for years when servicing wheels/hubs with no axle problems. An electric impact works great for removing wheel nuts.

[itat]

Itat, I read your little comment "So I take stories of "China bombs" with a grain of salt" and a slight smirk crossed my face. Keep on towing on Trailer Kings and Power Kings and the like; you and Geico will up close and personal.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't take anything that can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage with a grain of salt, especially when there seems to be a trend and a common denominator.

To suggest that all tires manufactured in China or any other country are all going to blow up and cause damage is simply untrue. Many that do fail do so for reasons that can range from improper inflation to overloading to excessive maintained speed to accidental damage from running over something like a curb or large rock. They don't fail solely due to poor manufacturing. Some brands may be poorly manufactured but certainly not all of them. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the vast majority of ST tires don't fail within 5 years of the manufacture date which is when they should be replaced.

If you want to say that certain brands have an unacceptably high failure rate, that may be fair. The term "China bomb" is just an unfairly large brush to be painting all foreign made ST tires with.

[66joej]

I have to agree with itat's post above. I personally have had a total of 8 RVs. 3 - 5vers and 5 - TTs. All had "China bombs". Not one problem/issue. Mind you I did proper maintenance i.e. Inflation, speed, careful backing, replacement, etc. Don't know if it's just dumb luck or what.

[bsmith0404]

Yes there are some brands that seem to have a higher failure rate than others. They all seem to have one common denominator, made in China. Then there are other brands that seem to have a very low failure rate, they also seem to have a common denominator, not made in China. I maintain my tires very well and haven't had a problem. I also have seen RVs that have had a blow out. The amount of damage a tire causes is unbelievable. If I can minimize risk by changing to a better tire, or at least a tire with a better reputation, it's a small price to pay. To each their own, I'm not here to tell anyone how they should spend their money.

[itat]

...and there are likely decent tires made in China and bad tires made in countries other than China. "China bomb" is a generalization not based on any scientific or unbiased study. It may have more to do with the higher percentage of ST tires being manufactured there now.

My point is still that not everyone with Chinese made ST tires have had them fail. If there is an unbiased study published somewhere, please post a link.

We're getting way off topic here. My apologies to the OP for helping take it astray.