lifting rv off tires

[Jim Jackson]

I've heard it's good to keep your tires off the ground while storing. big deal for me since it's stored in the back yard on the lawn. Is it worth the trouble?

[mikron]

Ask 30 people and get 40 answers. I asked tire expert and she said better to move tires once or twice a month. Tires need to move to keep all the oils and the rubber working. If you can't do that wood under is just as good as anything. Best tires don't sit in wet area or if wood under tires keep dry as you can.

[RJay]

The idea is to keep them dry. If stored on asphalt or concrete the tires will be fine, but since your storing the motorhome on the grass I recommend placing 2” x 10” x 2' under each tire and you should be fine.

[wa8yxm]

DO NOT USE the rig's leveling jacks to lift tires off the ground...

Now: some facts: I have heard things like "The suspension was designed to hold up the rig, not the tires and lifting them off the ground will damage things.. Fact: the suspension was designed to hold up thousands of pounds of motor home.. Lifting a few hundred pounds of wheel assemble will not hurt it at all UNLESS... that is, it's worn well beyond specs and needs to be replaced anyway.. If this is the case better you find it out with a jack than on the freeway.. WAY better.

Second: there is concern about the tires and ground interacting chemically.. Well. if you store it wheels down for say 10 years or so yes the tires will fail due to contact with the ground.. HOWEVER... You should have replaced them 5 years ago anyway and thus it's not a problem.

Finally.. The reason for my opening line....

The rig's leveling jacks are designed to hold up the rig.. NOT to keep it from moving side to side or front to back.. If you lift ONE rear wheel of the ground then the rig can move forward or back (Since the parking brake and locks are on the driveshaft) and turn your jacks into very expensive pretzles.

If you lift BOTH either front or rear wheels off the ground then a side wind can pretzel the jacks the same way.

However using other types of supports (Jacking the wheels up with, say a 12 ton air/hydralic jack and lowering them down on Jack Stands or on vapor blocks) is ok. No problem there at all.

Finally.. Do store the rig "jacks down" if you can... Park it, level it normally (If you are going to support the tires off the ground do that first) and level it.. Then if the manual calls for lubrication on the pistons like mine does.. Lube as instructed.

When you de-winterize in the sprint.. Re-lubricate as instructed first thing.. Then Unlock the door.

This way you can use the rig all winter for storage or as a guest house (if you have power) or whatever.. it's also a whole lot more stable in high wind when sitting on the jacks.. Plus you have taken some of the load off the suspension/wheels and such. BUT NOT ALL.

[Jerry J]

I've been told (Escapees Boot Camp - retired Goodyear engineer) to place barrier like place mats under the tires when on asphalt or concrete. Gravel or dirt is fine with nothing.
I park in the grass next to my house and park on boards so I don't sink into the ground.
He also doesn't use tire covers unless maybe in one place for months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJay The idea is to keep them dry. If stored on asphalt or concrete the tires will be fine, but since your storing the motorhome on the grass I recommend placing 2” x 10” x 2' under each tire and you should be fine.

[RJay]

Hi Jerry,
It would be interesting to hear what the engineer gave as a reason for not storing the tires on asphalt or concrete. The two common ones are that asphalt conducts heat and heat is not good for the tires. The second is that asphalt is petroleum based and can leach petroleum compounds onto the tire. Whatever the reason, tires spend their entire life on either asphalt or concrete and under more extreme conditions that can be found in a driveway. Tire manufacturers also recommend they not be stored near reflective objects like sand and snow. How practical is that for those who live in the northern climes. Storing the RV on the grass will cause tire ruts on the ground where water can accumulate. Asphalt and concrete provides drainage and a dryer environment and in the winter there's not much chance of heat damage or leaching of petroleum compounds as in the summer. That being said, slipping a place mat under each tire when stored on asphalt is simple to do if you think it will matter.


If the OP is storing on the grass the practical tire recommendations are:
Inflate tire pressure to 25% above what is normally recommended for the load.
Remove as much weight from the tires as practicable.
Raise the tires off the grass for proper drainage and drying.
And use tire covers.

[steelheadbluesman]

I figure my tires won't get a chance to have any of these issues, 'cause I'm gonna wear 'em out WAY before they can disintegrate!

[Jim Jackson]

Thanks all, I've been tire conscious ever since I realized that the tires on my recently purchased used rv were not Generals like I thought but Chinese Green
Ball tires. I've since put 4000 miles on them without a hitch. I wonder when
China will build a rv? Ha

[wa8yxm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Jackson I wonder when China will build a rv? Ha

They already do.. However it is not yet allowed to be sold in the US.

[Wanabee FTer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Jackson I wonder when China will build a rv? Ha

Here is a link to that story in the RV Industry sub forum.

[AFChap]

Quote:

If stored on asphalt or concrete the tires will be fine

Tire mfg'er recommendations in the past have indicated otherwise. I could not find a reference to that now off hand except for this on the Michelin site: "Also, some storage surfaces can cause tires to age faster. That’s why Michelin recommends placing a barrier (cardboard, plastic or plywood) between the tire and the storage surface." I have read precautions several times against long-term parking on concrete or asphalt surfaces due to moisture leaching one way or the other, and the protective oils in the rubber leaching out into the concrete. It is true that your car tires sit on concrete and/or asphalt most of their lives, but the difference is that they are driven much more often which keeps the oils in the tires "circulating" better, AND you car tires normally are worn out before they show appreciable deterioation from their parking surface. Regardless of what the tires are parked on, it is NOT good for them to sit in standing water for long periods of time. That is as good a reason as any other to park them on wood blocks that lift them slightly above the surrounding surface.

I use my leveling jacks to relieve some weight pressure from the tires in storage, but would not totally lift the rig off the ground with the jacks. If I felt the need to do that, I would use jack stands or something similar.

[johnsonjm209]

Just a thought, but what would be wrong with jacking the front end up enough to just rotate the tires a little then lower them. Do the same in the rear, then re-level the m/h? Wouldn't this resolve the "flat spot" problem?

Joe from Ct.

[Wayne M]

Besides what has been said, consider where you park. I'm in a storage unit. I don't put anything under the tires, yet, when it is parked there. We move it to revitalize the tires. However, I am going to be getting some 5/8" plywood because I have seen leakage from other motorhomes parked in the unit. We are covered, but no sides. Then, when it rains, the water and other fluids mix and flow all over the place. I'm sure that it could flow around the tires until the rain subsides. Considering that I believe that it would be good to get the tires off the surface.

Asphalt is petroleum based. Tires that sit on asphalt can suck up some of the ingredients and they can be detrimental to the longevity of the tire(s). Cement does not exhibit the same properties. Ever notice that the majority of campgrounds have cement pads?

[AFChap]

Whether a campground has dirt, asphalt, concrete or whatever pads has nothing to do with what is good or bad for our tires. They choose what is best for THEM based on customer expectation level, expense, and durability. A properly constructed concrete pad holds up much better to heavy vehicles and leveling jacks than asphalt does.

I ALWAYS use vapor barriers when we are parked on concrete for longer than 1 or 2 nights, and most of the time when on asphalt. And when we were storing before fulltiming, I rejected possible storage sites that had lasting standing water after heavy rains.