Changed Tire Myself!

[GaryKD]

Two days ago I checked the coach tires for PSI. The inside right rear was at 30 PSI. So I put 85 PSI in the tire and checked it the following morning. Tire was down to 78 PSI. I've changed a front tire, but never a rear and not an inside tire. Being a retired engineer, I need to know about all the details from bumper to bumper (the wife says it's a personality defect). So,,,,,I said self, lets change a tire.

1. Took the mounted spare out of the basement. Note: This is an excellent way to get rid of stuff you forgot you had. If I needed some of this stuff I would, most likely go buy it, cause I wouldn't remember I had it in the basement.

2. Got the compressor filled with air, the mother of all air wrenches connected, lug nut covers off, center hub cover off, etc.

3. Use the jacks to get the coach tires (right side only) off the ground.

4. Jack stands placed correctly under chassis.

5. Removed lug nuts. Caution, the air wrench can break one's wrists unless one is prepared for the torque.

6. Got the outside tire off the coach. Hmmm,,, I said, this is an opportunity to clean and protect both sides of the tire!

7. Got all the tire cleaning/protecting stuff out and thoroughly cleaned both sides of the tire and wheel. This ended up being more work than I thought it would be.

8. Went to get the inside tire (the guilty tire) off an it would not budge. It seemed to be "glued" to the self centering tabs. I was not able to budge the tire and it weighs about as much as I do. Well,,,,the largest muscles I have are thigh muscles. Under the coach I crawl and with one big push with both legs the tire moves. After that it wiggle, wiggle and more wiggle to get it off the self centering tabs. Tire is now off coach.

9. Examine tire and find nothing wrong anywhere on the tire.

10. Fill the spare tire with 85 PSI and reassemble both tires onto the coach. Getting the tires back onto the coach is a tricky maneuver. The coach needs to be just the right height off the ground to allow the wheel to go over the lug bolts and then over the self centering tabs. This required raising and lowering the jacks a bit.

11. Hand tightened the lug nuts. Got the air wrench and tightened all the lug nuts.

12. Back to the guilty tire. This tire/wheel was filthy. Since all the cleaning stuff was out, I went ahead and cleaned the tire and wheel. This was a miserable job. It took about 40 minutes to get through the black grime and down to the wheel. I used several hard wire brushes and cleaning compounds to finally cut through all the crud.

13. Since we are getting ready to go on a trip, I put the guilty tire back in the basement and will monitor it. If it continues to loose air, I'll take it to the local truck tire store.

14. Tomorrow, I'll check the PSI and tighten the lug nuts once again. I'll also recheck the lug nuts when we get to our destination (about 250 miles),

Once last thing to remember. Before lowering the coach, remove the jack stands! At least I know they can hold the coach up.

I learned that doing this on a level concrete pad is a bit of a pain, but doable. If I was along the side of the road in an un-level position, on dirt, it would be time to call Coach-Net.

That's how I spent my Friday morning.

[CoastieSCPO]

Gary........I'm worn out just thinking about what you did!

Seriously, I changed the inside dual on the class C that we used to own several times and what a nasty job it was, but never tires on class A's or diesels! Hope the guilty tire can be repaired..maybe its just the stem.

Bob

[Ken Roberts]

Gary, whew I need a nap ! I'll bet before you get 20 miles down the road on your upcoming trip some couple will pass you and the wife will say, "boy, that was a nice looking motor home" to which her husband will be heard to say,"yeah, but did you see how dirty that one inside wheel was?" Ken.....

[Jim Stewart]

Did you ever no that you're my Hero, you're everything, everything I want to be!

Oh wait, that's a Bette Midler song!

But no, that is some kind of job to tackle yourself. I'm impressed! I'm sitting here sweating and cursing thinking about it!

[FleetMan]

Gary,
Check out the Truck Wheel Dolly under Material Handling Equipment on the Northern Tool website, item# 145690. Once the wheels are loose on the studs/hub, this tool makes maneuvering them off and back on much easier. This one is rated at 150# but it should handle a 22.5 tire and wheel OK.

[Wayne M]

Gary,
What is your phone number in case I need you to change a tire? Experience is everything.

[RVDude]

I would caution you to get a torque wrench to tighten those lug nuts. Not even the "real service" guys air gun these babies on. I know on a K2 chassis the torque is 450-475ftlbs. You would be well advised to get yours properly torqued. I'll repeat again, an air gun is not a torque wrench. JMHO and probably that of your chassis manufacturer.

Congrats on tackling a bold challenge.

[Max Hubrich]

Gary,

Did you tighten the nut on the base of the valve stem? It's squeezing a rubber seal. Some of my small leaks were caused by these nuts, over time, becoming slightly loose. You can check it easily with soap and water.

When are you going to clean the inside tires on the other side? We all know that, for now, you'll be going down the highway with only half the job done-------------

Here is a link I think Fleetman was refering to. It's kinda expensive. I bought two similiar dolly's (one for a friend) for about $50 apiece several years ago and they do the trick and make the task a lot easier. I only use it at home-- on concrete, of course-- can't find the link now. If I can locate it I'll post it later.

[Bert_64]

Try soap testing the valve extension. Had the same problem and there was a leak in the stainless section. It took about 20 minutes for the soap to bubble.

[Max Hubrich]

I found a dolly for $50.

I researched my old posts and found the one I purchased was no longer available (it was more than 1 1/2 years ago).

As mentioned---- Please also check the Shrader valve core for tightness.

Good luck,

[FleetMan]

Max H,
Northern Tool has two truck tire Wheel dollies in their catalog, Check the item number for the one I indicated, It is the $50.00 item, not the high dollar item. A truck shop which changes many tires a day would be probably use the more expensive one but for us low volume users, the less expensive one should suffice.

[GaryKD]

Hi RV Dude,
Thanks for the torque wrench tip. FYI, my air wrench is rated for 550 FT LBS of torque. My specs call for 450 - 500 lbs of torque. I own and have used torque wrenches for many smaller tasks, I am clueless when it comes to something this large. I like having my own tools. Do you have a recommendation on how long the extension bar might need to be so I could achieve the torque. Or do they come with or do I need to purchase a torque multiplier. I may be over 6' tall, but I weigh only 167 lbs.

[Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43']

I agree with your wife.LOL Now we all know not to try it on the side of the road (or for that matter on a flat concrete pad). Coach Net is the answer.

Ronnie

[GaryKD]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies, support and tips. I'm printing the thread so I'll have the information.

I have the tool and checked the Schrader valve. Also, I checked both the nuts on the main and extension air valve. The extension and Schrader valve checks were done before the tire was changed. The nut on the main seal for the air-valve was done after the outer tire was removed. All were as tight as one could make them.

There is now a mystery with the guilty tire. I put 85 PSI in the tire and put it in the basement. This morning it still had 85 PSI in it! I will continue to check it, but could a tire leak air only when mounted to the coach?

With the recent jack problem and now this, it seems like it's my turn for the unusual problems.