Help With Changing a Tire

[darkstar]

My wife and I are planning our first road trip in may in our Coleman Carmel.  I know about most of the maintainence and checklists I should go through, but I haven't a clue about how to change a flat tire.  The owner's manual  gives a page number to turn to about fixing a flat, but the page has not a word about it.  Can anyone clue me in on how and where to place the jack?  Do you stablize the pop-up some way before starting?  It seems apparent to me that you can't just put a jack under it and raise it up; it would be too unstable.  Do you use the dolly jack?  I would very much appreciate any help and advice. Thanks!   Brady

[TroutBum]

My first choice would be to get a can of fiix-a-flat.  Just make sure you check pressure after you fill the tire, chances are it will be overfilled.  

I have not yet changed a tire on my PUP, but I have changed many tires out from under boats (I worked for Hyde Boats for two years as a boat and trailer builder). Here is what I would do.

1.  Put your TV parking brake on
2. your hitch should have enough play to pivot the couple of inches it will take to change the tire, so leave it hooked to the TV

If you do these 2 things the PUP shouldn't shift.

3. Put the jack under the axel preferably.  I think you could probably use the chassis frame, but I wouldn't and I have an offroad framed PUP.

Test this out at home before you leave to make sure you can find a solid lift point with your TV's jack.  You might need to get creative with a block of wood between the axel and jack if you have an odd shaped jack.

4. Lift PUP until Wheel spins freely

5. Remove lug nuts

6. remove/replace tire

7.  Hand tighten lugnuts

8.  Lower PUP

9. Fully tighten lug nuts.

I would stop and re-tighten your lug nuts after 5 miles or so.

[flyfisherman]

Brady - you would want to chock the camper wheels to prevent it from rolling during the jacking process. Should you already be hitched to the tow vehicle then the parking brake would be set and the tranny in park if automatic.

Always jack the popup camper from the main frame (you could very well bend the axle if trying from that location). I use a 2-ton hydraulic bottle jack I bought from Wally-Mart ($9.95).  Should the camper have leaf springs, you will want to place the jack just behind the shackle at the rear of the spring ( where it attaches to the main frame), and lift from that point on the main frame.  All this will be just to the rear of the camper tire. Remember to loosen the lug nuts (or bolts) on the camper wheel before you jack the weight off that wheel.


Fly

[AustinBoston]

Overall, a great post,  Just a few nits to pick.

My first choice would be to get a can of fiix-a-flat.  Just make sure you check pressure after you fill the tire, chances are it will be overfilled.

That depends on a number of factors.  My trailer tires are 13" and are supposed to be inflated to 65 lbs., two cans of fix-a-flat won't come close to reaching 65 lbs.  Some pop-up tires are pushed to the limits of tire technology, and fix-a-flat is like a bandaid.  Fix-a-flat may work in a pinch, but not a good idea for a long-term fix.

1.  Put your TV parking brake on
2. your hitch should have enough play to pivot the couple of inches it will take to change the tire, so leave it hooked to the TV

If you do these 2 things the PUP shouldn't shift.

It would take me no more than 30 seconds to also chock the other trailer tire.  Cheap insurance.

3. Put the jack under the axel preferably.  I think you could probably use the chassis frame, but I wouldn't and I have an offroad framed PUP.

Fleetwood/Coleman prefers the frame; Dexter says "never lift by the axle."  Besides, my axle is round, and my bottle jack would not stay securely under it.  But if you can safely do so, lifting by the axle means less total jacking.

Test this out at home before you leave to make sure you can find a solid lift point with your TV's jack.  You might need to get creative with a block of wood between the axel and jack if you have an odd shaped jack.

Checkling things out at home (or under controlled circumstances) is always a good idea.  Nothing worse than discovering (in the middle of nowhere) that your jack just won't work, or your lug wrench doesn't fit!  This always happens when there is no cell phone service.

4. Lift PUP until Wheel spins freely

4. Begin jacking, but do not lift wheel off the ground.
4a. Loosen all the lug nuts on the tire to be changed.
4b. Continue jacking until there is room to move a fully inflated tire on again.

5. Remove lug nuts

6. remove/replace tire

7.  Hand tighten lugnuts

8.  Lower PUP

9. Fully tighten lug nuts.

I would stop and re-tighten your lug nuts after 5 miles or so.

If you have aluminum wheels (most pop-ups do), tighten them again at 100 miles.  Lugs on aluminum wheels need to "seat" and will seem to work themselves loose when first put on.

Austin

[Buzz]

I carry this jack
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950523000&subcat=Lift+Equipment

[flyfisherman]

But if you can safely do so, lifting by the axle means less total jacking.

Austin

I have serious doubt if you could get a hydraulic bottle jack under an  axle when it had a flat tire, especially close to the hub where the U bolts secure it to the spring (with 12" or 13" tires).  I know for sure it would not with my Starcraft axle and 12" tires ... And my bottle jack only stands something like 7 1/2 inches tall.



Fly

[AustinBoston]

I have serious doubt if you could get a hydraulic bottle jack under an  axle when it had a flat tire, especially close to the hub where the U bolts secure it to the spring (with 12" or 13" tires).  I know for sure it would not with my Starcraft axle and 12" tires ... And my bottle jack only stands something like 7 1/2 inches tall.

I hadn't thought of that; OTOH, there are peopel who carry small floor jacks with them.

Austin

[TroutBum]

My bad... the large wheels on my PUP are the same pressure as my truck tires.

I forgot that small wheels take more pressure, not less

Oops

[wavery]

I carry this jack
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00950523000&subcat=Lift+Equipment

Be very careful with that floor jack. If the jack is not perfectly level or weight is not centered on it or the weight shifts, it may bend sideways and allow the vehicle to fall. I had one bend on me once, many years ago, while jacking up a boat trailer in my driveway. All of that jack's strength is verticle. It has very little horizontal tollerence. I thought that I had the jack pretty level too. It was lifting less than 1,500 pounds. The darn thing bent sideways and the trailer fell to the ground, with the tire off. I had a heck of a time getting that trailer off of the ground. That's my bad for not putting stands under the trailer :mad: .

I carry a 2 ton bottle jack in the car. I also carry a block of 4x4 that is cut just less than the max height of the extended jack so that I can block the trailer and get another bite with the jack to lift it higher, if need be.

Now that I am thinking about it. I think that I will carry a jack stand as well, from now on. Thanks for reminding me of that unpleasant experience .

[beacher]

My 2004 Fleetwood owners manual specifically says that if I get a flat, I'm to seek professional help!  My DW suggests the same thing occasionally, but it has nothing to do with flat tires!     It's probably because loosening the lug nuts without an impact wrench could be a bit of fun.  Without locking the wheel it will spin.  Using the electric trailer brakes to lock the wheels is what I would do in an emergency.

The Fleetwood manual also is very specific about NOT using a jack anywhere other than the main trailer frame.  Do not use the jack on the axle.  Do not use the jack on a cross rail.  Do not use the jack on the box body of the PU.  Do not use it on the rear bumper!

[ScoobyDoo]

Everybody has skipped one very important step. DRAG IT SLOWLY UNTIL YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM TRAFFIC!  A tire that won't hold air is not worth dieing for. If your jack won't fit under the frame where the suspension mounts, pull the flat tire onto a block. The tire shop I use charges double if you put fix-a-flat in a tire then bring it in, it smells like sombody puked in the tire.

[aw738]

Fleetwood/Coleman prefers the frame; Dexter says "never lift by the axle." Besides, my axle is round, and my bottle jack would not stay securely under it. But if you can safely do so, lifting by the axle means less total jacking.

I use a floor jack under the spring at the end of the axle just behind the wheel. On my PU the axle is on top of the spring, and the underside of the spring is flat. This puts no more stess on anything that it has when sitting on the ground. If the center of the spring will not hold the weight of the PU then we all have problems. This also gives me a little more reach with the jack.

[XJJoe01]

I had to do this last year when going camping.  What *I* did was pull over and stop at a food lion parking lot.  I used the bottle jack that came with my truck to raise the trailer enough to pull off the tire.  Using the leveling blocks, I placed this under the jack to make sure it was tall enough.  I replaced the tire with the spare tire on my trailer.  I did not disconnect the trailer from my truck.
 
Just make sure you have a lug wrench that fits your trailer's lug nuts.  Mine did not and I bought a star lug wrench from wally world when I bought the camper.  Also, my spare tire wasn't fully inflated.  So, I stoped a mile away at a gas station and filled it up.  As a side note, my tire was not fixable, so I bought 2 new tires from www.tirerack.com for about 100 dollars.  We are good for about 5 years now as far as tires go.
 
Leasons learned:
ensure you have a lug wrench
ensure you have a spare tire
ensure you have air in spare tire
and last, but not least...  This shouldn't be a big deal, don't worry, be happy!
 
 
Have fun,
 
Joe

[flyfisherman]

On my PU the axle is on top of the spring, and the underside of the spring is flat. This puts no more stess on anything that it has when sitting on the ground. If the center of the spring will not hold the weight of the PU then we all have problems.

According to Dexter Axle, who made your axle, they say you are indeed placing a stress on the main leaf of that spring, enough so that it could very well fail one day while your trucking on down the road.

Speaking from experience of having a leaf spring break while tooling down the x-way between 65 & 70 mph, I can very well tell you of the excitement that creates on a long, boring drive!  Although Dexter paid for the replacement, parts and labor (for two springs ... they say when you replace one to replace the other at the same time); in a long, long telephone conversation with the engineering folks, a sort of 30 minute question and answer period, the Dexter people say NEVER jack under the axle or spring. In fact, if they find out you did, that will cancle their warranty! (I don't say it ... Dexter says it). Now, I don't know if mine had ever been jacked under the spring (my axle sets on top of the spring, too), unless it would have been by the tire folks when replacing worn tires. In any event, Dexter was very adamant about it; and since I'm not fond of breaking leaf springs while out and about and many miles from home, think I'll go along with what Dexter and Starcraft both say ... jack the camper up from the main frame.


Fly

[Camper Ron]

Yes, I too read through the Fleetwood manual without finding where to jack the PU then found the correct jacking location in the Dexter Manual.  Hey Fleetwood, would you please put a reference to the Dexter manual in the flat tire section.  Or even better yet, stamp on the frame "JACK HERE ONLY".  That would take the guess work out of it.  Thanks.