Jacking (tire change / bearing repack) question

[goliwagmo]

We've had our trailer a year now. Luckily I've not had to do this to change a flat tire but since I'm considering re-packing the wheel bearings I've been looking at how to jack up the trailer. From looking at other postings on iRV2 I gathered that I would place a bottle jack under the square plate that attaches the axle to the leaf springs. However, on my plate there's a rivet that sticks out right in the middle of the plate (right where I would put the top of the bottle jack). I certainly don't think I would want the jack pushing up on that so I'm guessing I need to fashion a small wood block that would have a recess to clear the rivet and put the block between the jack and the plate. I'll cut the wood block so it fits squarely between the four corner bolts holding the axle to the spring. For good measure, I'm thinking I would put a recess in the wood block to capture the top of the bottle jack as well. Am I on the right track?

[oldnotdead]

Please don't forget a jack stand for safety.OND

[bigeasy]

There is a ramp you can buy where you drive one tire onto the ramp and the other one is in the air. This is the safest wway to do it. It's also good to have because you will have a flat one day and most roadsides are soft soil where your jack would sink.

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goliwagmo We've had our trailer a year now. Luckily I've not had to do this to change a flat tire but since I'm considering re-packing the wheel bearings I've been looking at how to jack up the trailer. From looking at other postings on iRV2 I gathered that I would place a bottle jack under the square plate that attaches the axle to the leaf springs. However, on my plate there's a rivet that sticks out right in the middle of the plate (right where I would put the top of the bottle jack). I certainly don't think I would want the jack pushing up on that so I'm guessing I need to fashion a small wood block that would have a recess to clear the rivet and put the block between the jack and the plate. I'll cut the wood block so it fits squarely between the four corner bolts holding the axle to the spring. For good measure, I'm thinking I would put a recess in the wood block to capture the top of the bottle jack as well. Am I on the right track?

Yes, that would work just fine. I also carry a ramp (see post #3) that's invaluable for roadside emergencies.

Rusty

[BuckHardy151]

One could drive a tire up onto some wood blocks, then use a jack or build up more blocks to support unit. Then knock blocks from under tire. When done, let jack down or knock blocks down with a hammer.

[Conquest102]

Your plan is right on track the only thing you didn't mention was the size of the jack you are using. I would recommend 2 to 3 times the the GVW just to give extra margin for safety. I use a 12 with a 4 ton back up.

[wa8yxm]

One thing to consider is that wherver you put the jack this is going to affect the pivot point.. So the trailer may wish to tip forwrd or backward.. Now forward is not bad (tong jack should hold it) but back can be a PITA.

I will third jack stands..

[Ray,IN]

Safest point is to place the jack under the frame just fore/aft of the wheel. Once the tire is off the ground place a jack-stand beside the jack. Cleaning, inspecting, and re-packing the bearings is a messy job but not hard.

[goliwagmo]

Well, everything seemed clear until that last posting. If I jack up on the frame, then the wheels and axles are suspended by the springs. I'm going to have to jack up a lot further to get the wheel off the ground than if I jack under the spring. Jacking under the spring seems more logical, but I do have a concern about the fact that the spring sits directly behind the wheel and so I'm going to have to reach behind the wheel to operate the bottle jack. I'm also going to look into that ramp that everyone's been mentioning. Not sure how that works.

[wingnut60]

My trailer grosses at 17400lbs, and several times I have used my 8 ton bottle jack to lift the wheel/tire using the spring mount plate, particularly when I was changing from 16" to 17.5" wheels. It definitely is a harder chore to lift on the frame due to the suspension drop. You can use the wood block between the jack and the pad--the 'rivet' should be a locating pin and you won't hurt anything but the wood block by placing it against the pin--it will simply make an indention in the wood around the pin.
A 2x4 in good condition should work, if it will fit between the jack and the pad.
Joe
And a jack stand should ALWAYS be used nearby on the frame to prevent the trailer from dropping if the jack slips. Chocking wheels, or staying hitched, will prevent the trailer from moving.