tandem tire changing ramp

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by BG19

Try Trailer Legs... fantastic innovative product. I have a pair (2 total legs) for my 14k tandem 5th wheel. Have only used them once... but that's all I needed to be a true fan. They are a little more expensive but nothing crazy... and when you're stuck on the side of the road, even just once, it will be worth it. You should also double check your lugs nuts to see if your sockets fit... and to be sure you don't need thin walled sockets. I can't change my tires without thin walls. Safe travels. bg

https://www.amazon.com/TrailerLegs-w...omotive&sr=1-3

One of the 'reviews' on this product suggested to NOT use these on gravel. When pulling off the road to change a flat tire, the ground more often than not will be unlevel and uncertain, this does not look like a safe product to be using when attempting to change a flat tire on the side of the road. The 'reviews' suggest using this product for 'Storing' your unit on flat hard surfaces, to get the tires off the ground to 'save' the tires' from flat spotting (?) ..... 'Storing' is very different than man/women handling a flat on the side of the road. imo... od not use this product for changing flat tires... unsafe... imo.

[BG19]

Anytime you lift a trailer on the side of the road, it's dangerous. Thinking otherwise is foolish. This product is routinely used for both purposes; while in storage and for changing flats. I would simply repeat that I've actually used the product and am not expressing an opinion ("imo") based on views written by others. With proper caution for any roadside procedure, this is a solid, easy to use, and amazing product.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by BG19

Try Trailer Legs... fantastic innovative product. I have a pair (2 total legs) for my 14k tandem 5th wheel. Have only used them once... but that's all I needed to be a true fan. They are a little more expensive but nothing crazy... and when you're stuck on the side of the road, even just once, it will be worth it. You should also double check your lugs nuts to see if your sockets fit... and to be sure you don't need thin walled sockets. I can't change my tires without thin walls. Safe travels. bg

https://www.amazon.com/TrailerLegs-w...omotive&sr=1-3

Question: Are these safe for use on torsion axles? I'm skeptical. Nowhere on their website do they show them being used on torsion axles.

[BG19]

That I do know know

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by BG19

That I do know know

Assume you meant to say "do NOT know."

[BG19]

Yes sir. My mistake. I do not know

[RangeMaggotBob]

I like the concept, but don't know if it will work on my RV. Can anybody with an 8289WS tell me if they've used it? Thank you.

I've always just planned on using a bottle jack in-between the wheels, but haven't had to try that yet. Has anybody used this method? Thanks.

[PatrickY]

Great info in this thread.


I've read reviews on several bottle jacks from Harbor Freight, Lowes, Home Depot and Tractor Supply and for every one good review there seemed to be one bad review. Leak down, blown seals, not working out of the box, worked the first time but not the next …


I certainly wouldn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere and find that my jack was junk.


I looked at the Trailer Aid+ … seemed like a simple solution for a somewhat reasonable price. But I read a couple of reviews that said the ramp cracked or shattered. It could be that the user was simply "uneducated" and overloaded the Travel Aid - but being rated at 15,000# that seemed unlikely. It also could have been used in frigid temperatures and the plastic might have been brittle, no way of knowing.


I also took special note of the inability to use it on soft roadsides or in mud without having some type of weight dispersion/anti-sinking addition (read as a wooden plank of some sort).


Then I found an old thread from 2016:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...-101948-4.html


OC's post (#72) has a simple, VERY inexpensive solution (unless you count the tools he used to make it). His shop is much nicer than mine, so rather than building a ramp on edge, I'm going to use 2x10s "on the flat".


The problem with OC's diagram is that the overall length is 29 3/4" - the distance between the center of one tire and the leading edge of the other is only 25" on my rig, much like rockfordroo's setup diagrammed in post #29 here (second page of this thread ).


OC's diagram indicates 1" of rise for every 2.5" of lateral travel (15" overall travel, 6" rise). rockforroo's diagram indicates a 1" rise for every 4" of travel, although he's going up a square edge instead of OC's constant slope.


Does anyone have any suggestions for me as far as spacing between "landing pads" for my 2x10 ramp?


What I mean is that I was going to lay the first plank down and put the second one 4" to 6" back. My planks will have 45 degree "bevels" so it won't be a square step up, but I need to keep the overall length under 25" so that the good tire goes up quick enough so that the "bad tire" doesn't start riding up the first part of the ramp.


In other words I need to get the good tire up as quickly as I can and still have a large enough platform at the top to stop and sit on while not letting the bad tire hit the leading edge of the ramp.


Any suggestions?

[rockfordroo]

If I'm following your question correctly:

OC's ramp (basically a TrailerAide) has a steeper rise than my Lego's did. Since my Lego's worked for my tire separation, the steeper ramp of the TrailerAide should also work.

In other words, anything steeper than my Lego's is good, but I would not go any LESS steep than my Lego's, especially if your separation is less than mine.

[PatrickY]

Thanks roo (is it ok if I call you roo? Do you prefer Mr. roo, or should I stick with the formal rockfordroo?)

Less than an hour - 30 minutes measuring and marking, 15 minutes of cutting and screwing (the wood).

Overall length is 28", top "platform" is 20" (approximately 3 1/2" of space front and rear of the tire's footprint) and total rise is 4 5/8", each "step" is roughly 2 1/2".

This was a 77" piece of 2x10 that I had in the garage (I must've used 19" for who knows what).

I don't know how well it shows in photo 3, but the rear tire is fully inflated and between 1 1/2" and 2" off the ground. Also in the 3rd photo I've circled my "spare" camera - the backup/rear monitor system I bought came with two cameras. One is mounted on the upper rear of the 5er, for the other I bought a 25 foot trailer wiring harness kit and tapped into the 4 pin on the TV.

The 4th photo is the camera on the ground perpendicular to the ramp so that I can see where the wheel is on it. This eliminates the necessity of having a spotter or getting in and out to see where I am on the ramp.

The 5th image is what I saw in the monitor - no chance of a spotter getting distracted - I am solely responsible, so unless a squirrel chasing a mouse carrying a peanut runs across my lap, there is almost 0% chance of driving off the ramp.

However, if I did this over again, I would make it a double sided ramp so that if by some stupid chance I overshot the top platform it wouldn't result in a "drop off" - it would be a down ramp, so I would be able to simply go the other way and get the good tire back on top of the top platform.

As far as the 2nd camera, I can also use it to "see" the receiver in the bed without removing the rear center headrest (and it "looks" over the edge of the tri-fold tonneau cover so I can see the pin/receiver connection.

Additionally, I can use a squeeze clamp and mount it to the awning arm on the "blind side" so that I can see what's going on over there when I can't see in my mirror.

"I've done so much with so little for so long that I feel that I am now qualified to do anything with nothing". (author unknown)

[moose074]

I own a trl mate like the reviews on the bottle jacks. It worked great the first time few times I used it. Then I upgraded to a 5th wheel worked well on original use after I put board underneath because it wasn’t high enough off the ground. Luckily I was at the house and had board available. Recently had my first blowout ever truck or trailer, while driving. I was lucky to be close to large empty lot. Got out my trailer mate and board to go under and my rear jacks in the way and it won’t fit between the two tires. I guess I could have drove forward over the bad tire then onto good tire. However I discounted truck pulled up far as I could and let leveling jacks lift trailer off ground.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by moose074

I own a trl mate like the reviews on the bottle jacks. It worked great the first time few times I used it. Then I upgraded to a 5th wheel worked well on original use after I put board underneath because it wasn’t high enough off the ground. Luckily I was at the house and had board available. Recently had my first blowout ever truck or trailer, while driving. I was lucky to be close to large empty lot. Got out my trailer mate and board to go under and my rear jacks in the way and it won’t fit between the two tires. I guess I could have drove forward over the bad tire then onto good tire. However I discounted truck pulled up far as I could and let leveling jacks lift trailer off ground.

You should have backed onto it instead of trying to fit it between the tires and pulling onto it.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by PatrickY

Thanks roo (is it ok if I call you roo? Do you prefer Mr. roo, or should I stick with the formal rockfordroo?)

Less than an hour - 30 minutes measuring and marking, 15 minutes of cutting and screwing (the wood).

Overall length is 28", top "platform" is 20" (approximately 3 1/2" of space front and rear of the tire's footprint) and total rise is 4 5/8", each "step" is roughly 2 1/2".

This was a 77" piece of 2x10 that I had in the garage (I must've used 19" for who knows what).

I don't know how well it shows in photo 3, but the rear tire is fully inflated and between 1 1/2" and 2" off the ground. Also in the 3rd photo I've circled my "spare" camera - the backup/rear monitor system I bought came with two cameras. One is mounted on the upper rear of the 5er, for the other I bought a 25 foot trailer wiring harness kit and tapped into the 4 pin on the TV.

The 4th photo is the camera on the ground perpendicular to the ramp so that I can see where the wheel is on it. This eliminates the necessity of having a spotter or getting in and out to see where I am on the ramp.

The 5th image is what I saw in the monitor - no chance of a spotter getting distracted - I am solely responsible, so unless a squirrel chasing a mouse carrying a peanut runs across my lap, there is almost 0% chance of driving off the ramp.

However, if I did this over again, I would make it a double sided ramp so that if by some stupid chance I overshot the top platform it wouldn't result in a "drop off" - it would be a down ramp, so I would be able to simply go the other way and get the good tire back on top of the top platform.

As far as the 2nd camera, I can also use it to "see" the receiver in the bed without removing the rear center headrest (and it "looks" over the edge of the tri-fold tonneau cover so I can see the pin/receiver connection.

Additionally, I can use a squeeze clamp and mount it to the awning arm on the "blind side" so that I can see what's going on over there when I can't see in my mirror.

"I've done so much with so little for so long that I feel that I am now qualified to do anything with nothing". (author unknown)

Call me anything but late for supper - LOL.

Looks good. You might want to try screwing a piece of wood up against the vertical end of the ramp that extends a couple inches above the top of the ramp. Then if you go too far back, you'd feel the tire hit that board and stop (at least if you're going slowly enough). My car ramps are built like this. Here's a pic of a set of car ramps with the rise at the end of the ramp:



BTW: Rather than saying "pic #1, pic #2," you can insert each pic into your blurb wherever you want. Write your blurb, then attach your pics to the post, then wherever you want a pic, go to that point in the blurb, make a couple of empty lines, leave your cursor in the empty space, then click on the down arrow next to the paperclip, and choose the pic you want; it will put it where your cursor was. It took me a few times before I discovered I could do this.

[moose074]

Originally Posted by 5picker

You should have backed onto it instead of trying to fit it between the tires and pulling onto it.

More than likely you are correct. I know I couldn’t place behind the good tire because the rear leveling jacks were to low due to the lean on the trailer. So my only option would have been place in front of the bad tire role over the jack mate and up onto the good tire. Of course I was in a hurry it was 3 pm small town Thanksgiving weekend 1 tire shop and no spare due to it being slashed. There might have been a better way but lifting the trailer with its own jacks worked