Tires,punctures and how to fix

[johnmac53]

What is the general view on how to venture out on a trip, long or short, regarding "what to do when you get a flat tire"
1) Join a repair club
2) Take a spare tire
3) Take a spare wheel
4) have a spare wheel, jack, wrenches, air, lift etc to change yourself
Or any combination of the 4 choices.
I have planned to take an little worn old tire and have air for top up, plus that nasty special interlock wrench for one wheel nut together with 2 insurance rescue resources. Is that the norm?
Look forward to some good advice, thank you.

[Sky_Boss]

For me and my big DP...I'm using road side insurance to do all that. No way am I gonna tackle that kind of issue on the road. Even if it went flat in my back yard (which I no longer have. ) I would probably rely on professional sources to do the work. Heck...I don't have a torque wrench or jack big enough to do that part and don't want to carry them around anyway.

I suppose light TTs, smaller 5th wheels and maybe some class C and B owners might be more comfortable in some cases but I will let them chip in on that.

[britcon]

Depends on a number of things. Are you talking light pickup, small trailer, Class C, Class A ? For a lighter setup, if you are comfortable with jacking and manhandling a spare you could do it yourself. Make sure you have a good quality jack - not the little ones the manufacturers give you. For larger rigs, call a tire service or repair club.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by johnmac53

What is the general view on how to venture out on a trip, long or short, regarding "what to do when you get a flat tire"
1) Join a repair club
2) Take a spare tire
3) Take a spare wheel
4) have a spare wheel, jack, wrenches, air, lift etc to change yourself
Or any combination of the 4 choices.
I have planned to take an little worn old tire and have air for top up, plus that nasty special interlock wrench for one wheel nut together with 2 insurance rescue resources. Is that the norm?
Look forward to some good advice, thank you.

I carry an unmounted spare tire and a cell phone to call CoachNet.
Mel
'96 Safari

[GaryKD]

Hi johnmac53,
Welcome to iRV2 and the Newmar Owners Forum. Thanks for posting in the Newmar Owners Forum. I have all that you mentioned.
1. Roadside assistance is the first choice.
2. Depending on their answer and where the coach is located I'd consider changing the tire myself. I have changed 5 out of six tires on my coach. I have the compressor, air wrench, cheater bars, torque wrench and leverage bars.
3. I carry a fully mounted spare tire in the basement of the coach.

We were at a Klub rally and GS road service said they could not come out until the following morning. So I helped a Klub member change his tire. If one is in a safe and level location, has the time, the tools, mounted tire and a knowledge of leveraging weight, the job is a bit sweaty and dirty, but it is not rocket science.

If needed, I have a kit that allows me to plug the puncture, This would be a last resort to allow one to get to a truck tire store and have the puncture properly repaired.

[greezykid]

When I had a gas Newmar that carried a spare,I ended up changing it at 2:00 in the morning on a desolate road.Not a place I wanted to stay. Except for being in the weeds on the side of the road, and takeing my breath to get it from underneath coach it wasn't that bad.

[harleyman134]

I vote for road side assistance and spare, especially if the tires are an odd size. I have 295/80R22.5 and when I was shopping for new tires I found out most tire stores that service big trucks are not familiar with that size. If you didn't have a spare I suspect you would have a hard time finding the correct size tire in a timely manner, especially if you have a problem on the weekend.

[KJD]

Looking around for some wood to knock on........ I have been RV'ing since the 70's and I can count on one hand the number of times I have had a tire related problem out on the road itself. I do have Road Side Coverage though. I did have to call them one time when my MotorHome had a flat in the driveway. One of the valve stem extenters when bad and lost all the air out of the inside duel tire once....

[johnmac53]

Thank you all for your replies.
I guess I will keep one tire and a valve or two. I have an air pressure connection and a hose plus insurance through carrier and Sam. Having made all those decisions I hope never to use any!!!!

[hydro45640]

I carry a spare tire, no wheel. If I have a blowout I will call AAA rv for the change. My lug nuts must be torqued to 500 ft. pounds