# How Do You Change/inflate A Flat Tire?



## 2outbacks (Jun 8, 2005)

I can't figure this one out. We have a flat, and we need to remedy that before this weekend (TT has been idle for 2-3 months)

How on earth do you fix it? We don't have any fancy jacks, just the ones that came with the car and truck.

I can't figure out how to jack it up to take the tire off. I know this can't be that tough, but I am stumped.

help, please! I have a new dutch oven that I need to get to a fire post-haste!


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

Stack you leveling blocks in front or behind the non flat tire on the side with the flat. Hook up the trailer and pull or push the good tire up on the blocks and it should lift the flat tire up off the ground.

Gary


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

What Gary wrote is exactly what I would do too. You can spend $50 on devices that accomplish this, but sit around the rest of the time with no use or you can buy a hydraulic jack that sits around too. But the blocks do good job. However you may find you need more than 10 of they Lynx Levelers, but IMHO you can never have to many of them when it comes to leveling a trailer let alone jacking one up to change a tire and they are light weight too.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The roll up method is simple and works if the TV is connected to the trailer but it would be a pain to hook it up just to do this method.

I purchased a pair of 6 ton bottle jacks and they work great to lift the trailer.


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## 2outbacks (Jun 8, 2005)

Fire44 said:


> Stack you leveling blocks in front or behind the non flat tire on the side with the flat. Hook up the trailer and pull or push the good tire up on the blocks and it should lift the flat tire up off the ground.
> 
> Gary
> [snapback]58531[/snapback]​


I knew there had to be a simple way! Thanks, guys.... once again.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

Fire44 said:


> Stack you leveling blocks in front or behind the non flat tire on the side with the flat. Hook up the trailer and pull or push the good tire up on the blocks and it should lift the flat tire up off the ground.[snapback]58531[/snapback]​


However, you do have to go up a *long way* before the flat tire comes off the ground (yes, the axle is supposted to be bent that way; looks strange though). Gravity and the spring cause the wheel with the flat to droop down quite a ways. If the trailer is on flat gound, you can overcome this with more blocks. If you are on the side of the road or on a slope there are lots of things that could go wrong, resulting in a "bad day". Safety first!

By the way, you have to get the wheel up far enough to accomodate the taller fully inflated spare. It's not enough to just barely get the flat off. And, if you don't have enough room to put on the spare, you can't just block it up one more layer without putting the flat back on and moving the trailer. You could, I suppose, use a bottle jack to lift up that axle (against the manufacturers recommendation, I might add) if you have enought blocking under the bottle jack and are comfortable positioning it underneath the raised trailer. Plan ahead!

Call me a whimp, but after changing a flat on level ground in front of my house, I decided that if it ever happened on the road I was calling for service. I did it once so I understood all the issues, but "never again".

Good luck!

Ed


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

LarryTheOutback said:


> You could, I suppose, use a bottle jack to lift up that axle (against the manufacturers recommendation, I might add) if you have enought blocking under the bottle jack and are comfortable positioning it underneath the raised trailer. Plan ahead!
> 
> Ed
> [snapback]58542[/snapback]​


To each their own but my recommendation to use bottle jacks never said to place them on the axle. That is why you use 2 of them. One in front of the front leaf spring and one behind the rear leaf spring. When the good tire is raised enough to come off the ground you know the flat tire is raised enough. Using 6 ton jacks from Wal-Mart (they come in nice little cases) they have plenty of lift. Yes you need blocking but no more then you would normally carry for leveling the trailer. As for calling a service, this is not always practical, some of us camp where there is no cell service and the nearest garage may be hours away. Be prepared and it is not a major chore. I was and managed to change a tire on my Outback in 20 minutes on the side of the road.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

ALWAYS be prepared to deal with it your self. If you can call for service great but as Andy said, will you have service?. 3 years ago my son bought a new cell phone in NJ for school in Wyoming. We drove him out. He lost service 1 hr into Pa and did not get service again until Nebraska. No service at his school in Wyoming. Don t believe what the company says about service.

I liked Andy s idea about 2 bottle jacks from a safety standpoint. I have used one and now I will get another. It is not like jacking up a car, the tires are close together and you are picking up half the trailer. If you are on a shoulder, remember what that passing truck did to you when you were doing 55 and he was doing 65. Now you are standing still on a jack and he is still doing 65.

John


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Lots of good ideas here, and I would like to throw out another...

I have always believed - and had the opportunity to put into practice just this morning with my Titan - if at all possible, it is important to find a safe place away from traffic, and loose shoulders, to change your tire. TT or TV

The added driving on the flat may cost you the tire, maybe even a wheel, but that is a small price to pay when compared to your life!









As always... Let's be careful out there!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

I would have to go with Andy on this
Its always better to be safe than sorry
Don't forget to put out behind TT some reflectors so motorist know whats up.

Don


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

I changed two flats (separate times) this summer on the side of highways. I used a single 6 ton bottle jack under the frame closest to the flat tire (bottle jack is too tall to fit under axle or springs) after raising the frame and supporting most of the weight with the big jack, I used the scissor jack from my truck to compress the springs and lift the axle. I would not try to life the whole weight with the scissor jack, not would I try to roll up on blocks on the slopped shoulder. This two jack method worked great with only one extra jack to buy and carry.

Jared


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

AAA


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

If I understand it correctly, your TT has been sitting for several months and than you notices a flat tire. I am assuming you already tried inflating it in place.







Tires can go flat just sitting around - bicycle, lawn trackers, snow blowers etc for example. Just inflate and go. If this is the case I would still check them with a pressure guage to ensure you do not have a small leak.

Changing a tire is always best done on solid level ground. The jack in your truck should be able to lift TT enough to allow you to remove the flat tire. I would always block the wheels on the other side to ensure the TT doesn't move.

Thor


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## Bubba-j (Feb 19, 2005)

Thor,
That's a very novel idea, and one some may overlook. When we have malfunctions with our equipment at work, I tell the folks to "go shopping" for the obvious things like popped CBs, a switch in the wrong position--and in this case--add air to inflate.

But, it could be flat for cause--still, great idea! Let's go shopping!

Bubba-J


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

That's a great question...

I will have to ask my wife how SHE would do this...as I tow the trailer and she takes care of the trailer.


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## BlueWedge (Sep 11, 2005)

When I changed my flat resently I used a 6 ton bottle jack. I read the manual before I did this and it recommends lifting on the frame behind or forward the wheel. Never the axle or springs. I blocked the bottle jack up a bit to reach the frame and it lifted it enough to remove a wheel. I did put it on a jack stand while getting the tire fixed.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

You like to live dangerously, don't you Jim!?









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

BlueWedge said:


> I did put it on a jack stand while getting the tire fixed.
> [snapback]58628[/snapback]​


So did I. I hear a lot in this forum about carrying bottle jacks, but never about carrying jack stands. Jack stands are essential (especially if you are going under the trailer) ... the bottle jack is just for lifting, not for holding.

Ed


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> I read the manual before I did this and it recommends lifting on the frame behind or forward the wheel.


Yeah, but when I lifted it up, it wasn't flat anymore! And I went to all that trouble.

Mark


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