New tires....

[DreaminBig]

DH and I have been discussing it, and decided we are going to put 4 new tires on the trailer.
We live in a TINY town (5,000) and in fact, just got us a WalMart Supercenter (I refer to it as "the mall")
This being said, we do not have any sort of big rig or trailer-type tire center within probably close to 75 miles. We do have WalMart and a couple tire shops in town. SO, we thought the smart thing to do would be to jack up 1 side of the trailer, take the 2 old tires in, and buy 2 new tires--have them balanced, put them on and then do the same for the other side.
My question is....what in the world do we jack this thing up with? I dont think we should be using the stabilizer jacks to lift the wheels off the ground, but dont know how it should be done. I defer to the experts, please....

[mel s]

Originally Posted by DreaminBig

DH and I have been discussing it, and decided we are going to put 4 new tires on the trailer.
We live in a TINY town (5,000) and in fact, just got us a WalMart Supercenter (I refer to it as "the mall")
This being said, we do not have any sort of big rig or trailer-type tire center within probably close to 75 miles. We do have WalMart and a couple tire shops in town. SO, we thought the smart thing to do would be to jack up 1 side of the trailer, take the 2 old tires in, and buy 2 new tires--have them balanced, put them on and then do the same for the other side.
My question is....what in the world do we jack this thing up with? I dont think we should be using the stabilizer jacks to lift the wheels off the ground, but dont know how it should be done. I defer to the experts, please....

DreaminBig
Bottle jacks come in many different capacities.
They are available at most Walmart stores): Bottle Jack - Walmart.com
And at Harbor Freight: Bottle Jacks at Harbor Freight Tools
Mel
'96 Safari

[timetogo]

I use a 4-ton floor jack between the tires at the spring hanger. I don't jack the axles or the springs.

[HR2004]

I would not and do not put the jack under the axle.. you can put quite a dent in it. I had access to the frame rails and used a jack stand to support while I packe my wheel bearings. You might look at those bearings and brake shoes while you have the wheels off. Here is a video on how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5ZhZBSY7hI

[BrentB]

My trailer requires a bottle jack and about 8 inches of wood under it to jack it up by the frame. Also had to get 12-ton jack stands as they are only ones tall enough to support it.

[DreaminBig]

OK...thanks guys! I will show all this info (including the video) to the DH and we will just plan on making a whole day of it. I never realized what a project it would be!!

[TDI-Minnie]

I took mine to Discount Tire. They did a great job with hand tools out in the parking lot. If there isn't one in your town, just make an appointment at the closest one. Maybe combine it with a camping trip.

[roadhawg]

Originally Posted by TDI-Minnie

I took mine to Discount Tire. They did a great job with hand tools out in the parking lot. If there isn't one in your town, just make an appointment at the closest one. Maybe combine it with a camping trip.

I received the same great service from a just a local tire and wheel shop here in town. They used their equipment and I was in and out of there in about thirty minutes with four new tires. If I may offer a suggestion to the original poster, if you want to make a day of doing something useful, take your trailer to a safe spot and practice changing a flat tire on it. IMHO, it doesn't sound like you're prepared to do that if the need ever arose.

Safe travels

[Vallance]

To "Roadhog" How Do you jack up a trailer to change a flat ? - another newbie......

[DreaminBig]

Well, I kind of assumed that if we jacked up each side to get new tires, that would also educate us in how to jack it up to change a flat. We'd be basically "changing 4 flats" when replacing 4 tires. No?? The DH, in fact, DID change a flat last summer...but we worried about the difference in doing that, and having the trailer jacked up for what may be 2-3 hours by the time we can get our tires bought, thus the question about jacking it up for the sake of going to buy new tires vs a quick tire change. Thanks!

[Zac808]

What about backing the trailer up to a curbed drop off. That way you could hang a the rear set off the curb. Then do the same with the front. Use a wood stack up to build a ramp to drive on and off curb. Just another option.

[roadhawg]

Originally Posted by Vallance

To "Roadhog" How Do you jack up a trailer to change a flat ? - another newbie......

I can only speak for myself because everyone's trailers are different, but when I need to swap out one of my trailer tires, I simply use the bottle jack that came with my Tundra to lift the axle with the flat. I know people say you should lift the frame and not the axle, but I only lift the tire about a half inch off the ground and thus far, haven't had any problems at all. I also went to Lowe's and invested in a quality torque wrench and socket that I keep in the truck and that makes the job so much easier. Changing a flat on my trailer takes me about ten minutes.

I hope this helps

[roadhawg]

Originally Posted by DreaminBig

Well, I kind of assumed that if we jacked up each side to get new tires, that would also educate us in how to jack it up to change a flat. We'd be basically "changing 4 flats" when replacing 4 tires. No?? The DH, in fact, DID change a flat last summer...but we worried about the difference in doing that, and having the trailer jacked up for what may be 2-3 hours by the time we can get our tires bought, thus the question about jacking it up for the sake of going to buy new tires vs a quick tire change. Thanks!

I apologize, I should have been more clear in my answer to your original question. I didn't mean to insinuate that you didn't know how to change a flat. I only meant that it sounds like you don't have the right equipment to do it, but maybe I misunderstood. You also mentioned that you didn't think it was a good idea to use the stabilizer jacks to lift the trailer off the ground and you're absolutely right. Most stabilizers aren't robust enough to support the full weight of a suspended trailer and if you attempt that, your next project will be removing the stabilizers from the trailer and using a bench vice and a sledge hammer to straighten them out again. Ask me how I know that... lol

[sprayman]

i would consider looking in the next town/city for a tire dealer.

they should have whats needed to change the tires and make life simpler and

safer for you.

Jim