Recommended Jacks for Tire Change

[Weberpa]

Hi,


Wondering if people had any favourite jacks for changing trailer tires. Seems like a lot out there but I wonder about the quality. Our trailer weighs in around 6000 pounds fully loaded.


thanks,
Paul Weber
Salem Light 171RBXL

 

[Larry-NC]

Well...

Hi,


Wondering if people had any favourite jacks for changing trailer tires. Seems like a lot out there but I wonder about the quality. Our trailer weighs in around 6000 pounds fully loaded.


thanks,
Paul Weber
Salem Light 171RBXL

Well, you'll only be lifting one side of it and some weight will be on the hitch or jack so a 1-1/2 or 2 ton jack would be sufficient.

Figure out how you are going to lift the trailer. If it has Dexter Torsion axles, you will need a jack with a lot of extension since it has to be lifted on the frame and the wheel drops down for the first several inches of lift.

If it's not a Dexter Torsion axle, it can be lifted right on the leaf spring, behind the tire, and much lift is required.

Many people use "bottle jacks." I feel more comfortable with a jack with a bigger base.

Just a few things to consider...

 

[Bob K4TAX]

Typically one only jacks up one side or wheel. So of the 6000 lbs, part of the weight is supported by the wheels on the opposite side and the tow vehicle hitch or tongue jack.

Out trailer has a GVRW of about 7500 lbs. For that I use a 4 ton bottle jack along with the necessary wood blocks to get it in correct position, fully retracted, to prevent the base of the jack from being pushed into the ground.

Since our TT is a dual axle trailer, I position the jack on the frame between the two wheels in order to lift one side. Be sure to CHOCK, fore and aft, the wheels on the opposite side. Loosen the lug nuts, (you do have a proper lug nut tool don't you?) before completely jacking up the wheels for clearance to remove the flat tire and install the spare.

Bob

 

[Reverse_snowbird]

Some people have had success with a Camco Trailer-Aid Plus - Tandem Trailer Ramp Provides 5 1/2" of Tire Lift. https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1
We bought a similar one after we had a flat and only had a bottle jack available. Never got to use it though.

 

[Larry-NC]

Won't work on Dexter Torsion Axle

Some people have had success with a Camco Trailer-Aid Plus - Tandem Trailer Ramp Provides 5 1/2" of Tire Lift. https://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Aid-...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1
We bought a similar one after we had a flat and only had a bottle jack available. Never got to use it though.

The drive-on crescents WILL NOT WORK ON DEXTER TORSION AXLES. The two wheels are independently suspended. Raising one off the ground will not affect the other (on the same side) at all. It must drop and drop until it won't go any further. That's a lot more lift than most of the drive-on types provide. And of course they are useless on single axle trailers, too.

Conventional leaf-springs-with equalizers axle pairs are the target for this design. When one wheel is raised, the other drops, but only by a limited amount.

 

[D W]

True, you don't need a big capacity hydraulic bottle jack as you are not lifting the entire rig. But, keep in mind that smaller say 4 or 6 ton jacks lack the mechanical efficiency of larger hydraulic jacks as the smaller jacks have less difference in the size of the primary piston and the ram piston. This makes pumping harder. I carry a 20 ton bottle jack to alleviate effort. I also carry a Libre 5 ton scissor jack because a few years ago I had a road hazard flat and the tire casing was well shredded. I could raise the trailer, but the suspension left the bad tire and axle close to the ground. Unable to get the spare on. So, I now have the scissor jack to place under the axle and can use a 1/2" drive electric impact wrench with a 3/4 socket to raise the axle up. It lifts the suspension, not the trailer. I learned my lesson.

As far as Trailer-Aid Plus goes, it does not work with torsion axles and it won't work with conventional suspension if the axles are too far apart.

 

[Palinduff]

On a tandem I use a vehicle ramp or a block and either back up or pull forward onto it to lift the other wheel off the ground.

 

[Qwkynuf]

The drive-on crescents WILL NOT WORK ON DEXTER TORSION AXLES. The two wheels are independently suspended. Raising one off the ground will not affect the other (on the same side) at all. It must drop and drop until it won't go any further. That's a lot more lift than most of the drive-on types provide. And of course they are useless on single axle trailers, too.

Conventional leaf-springs-with equalizers axle pairs are the target for this design. When one wheel is raised, the other drops, but only by a limited amount.

The linked product is not the "drive-on crescents" (those are for leveling, not for lifting) It's a ramp.

I have the linked product and it works perfectly well on my dual-axle Flagstaff 21DS (Rockwood 2104s) with Dexter TorFlex axles. I used it last summer to remove the wheels for axle bearing maintenance, so I am certain they would work for a single flat tire on a dual-axle trailer.

It is far more stable and less finicky to set up than any jack solution I can think of.

That said, I don't know if it would have enough lift in a spread-axle configuration. Also, it wouldn't help if both tires on that side were flat, but I don't have two spares so it's not that big of an issue.

 

[GolfingDave]

The drive-on crescents WILL NOT WORK ON DEXTER TORSION AXLES.

Works fine on mine. Lube my bearings and had to change out a leaking tire using the Camco Trailer-Aid Plus.

What I did learn though is if you only have the tow vehicle and need to use it to get your flat fixed it is best to put the spare on and take it off the Trailer-Aid Plus.

Only because hooking up the WDH spring bars is a bit tougher because of the amount of lift needed. I was able to do it and the camper was stable enough while I took the tire in for repair but the second time I had to do it I just threw the spare on and dropped it down.

If you don't need a WDH with your setup, disregard.

 

[Mokurt]

I use a floor jack.

 

[Aussieguy]

hydraulic bottle jack + pieces of 2x6 treated lumber I use for the stabilizer feet
stops the jack from sinking more in soft ground/gravel

Jacks come in all sizes for different weight trailers.

no torsion axle on the travel trailer
boat trailer with torsions was a PITA

 

[aceinspp]

On my V-Lite that had the torsion beam axles I just used two 2x6 boards and drove up on the blocks. Get just enough wheel lift to remove tire. Trailer had tandem axle worked like a charm. Had to do this more than once. Later RJD

 

[onetonford]

Wow you guys buy a jack I have found my vehicle jack works great for my trailer as my truck weighs almost as much as my trailer. But usually when I'm at home I use a floor Jack.

 

[Aussieguy]

I only bought the 2 x 6
I got lots of jacks to chose from... my truck jack works so I carry the one jack for both


but 5th wheel peoples just may need a bit bigger than my truck jack
bottle jacks are inexpensive and come in a lot of sizes


I even used a couple for timber testing
2000 # will break a 2 x 4

200 ton will break huge laminated beam
you aint lived until you see that happen!

 

[Chuck_S]

Harbor Freight 1.5-ton-low-profile-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump. Been using this for years to repack wheel bearings on my Roo 23SS. Don't recall if I raise both wheels at the same time or one at a time.

Be sure whatever jack you use will not only lift the wheel high enough to get it Off the axle but high enough to get the replacement wheel On! The smaller jack I previously used got the wheel Off just fine but the replacement was significantly larger 'cuz the tire had air in it! I discovered this laying in the gravel on the side of the Ohio Turnpike. Better idea is to check in your driveway!

Invoking Murphy's Law of Tools (that clearly states you won't ever need the tools you carry) this jack goes in the back of the truck when I tow the trailer. Same for the rattle gun for the lug nuts and little air pump.

-- Chuck

 

[ttevogt]

The drive-on crescents WILL NOT WORK ON DEXTER TORSION AXLES. The two wheels are independently suspended. Raising one off the ground will not affect the other (on the same side) at all. It must drop and drop until it won't go any further. That's a lot more lift than most of the drive-on types provide. And of course they are useless on single axle trailers, too.

Conventional leaf-springs-with equalizers axle pairs are the target for this design. When one wheel is raised, the other drops, but only by a limited amount.

That is not true. I have Dexter torsion duel axles and have used them to change tires many times. They work perfect, and you dont have to carry a jack just for the camper...

 

[WiTa]

I just ordered a cheap bottle jack on Amazon to lift my trailer of about 4000 lbs. Dexter tortion axles so lifted it on the small reinforced area of the frame right next to the axle. Had to use 2 blocks of 2by2 as base underneath the jack so to reach high enough. Not ideal but it worked. Next time I'll use a stack of planks with more surface area underneath one 2by2.
I'm surprised how small these bottle jacks are and how effortlessly they lift.

 

[MGD1961]

Harbor Freight 1.5-ton-low-profile-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump. Been using this for years to repack wheel bearings on my Roo 23SS. Don't recall if I raise both wheels at the same time or one at a time.

Be sure whatever jack you use will not only lift the wheel high enough to get it Off the axle but high enough to get the replacement wheel On! The smaller jack I previously used got the wheel Off just fine but the replacement was significantly larger 'cuz the tire had air in it! I discovered this laying in the gravel on the side of the Ohio Turnpike. Better idea is to check in your driveway!

Invoking Murphy's Law of Tools (that clearly states you won't ever need the tools you carry) this jack goes in the back of the truck when I tow the trailer. Same for the rattle gun for the lug nuts and little air pump.

-- Chuck

I’m with the small aluminum floor Jack club. If you have to carry something may as well be multi purpose. My floor Jack has gotten me out of a couple sticky situations

One time boondocking I had parked the trailer and went to town for supplies. Had not leveled yet. Once we got back the tongue Jack had sunk into the ground low enough it wouldn’t go high enough to get it back on the ball. Floor Jack to the rescue!

 

[Aussieguy]

changing a wheel on the uneven road / gravel / sand /grass is much different than in a garage with nice concrete floor that you can roll a floor jack around.

tried it once on asphalt... those itty bitty tiny casters dug into the roadway and any tiny pebble made it a PITA to position

Plus ... those floor jacks need to be allowed to MOVE just a little to compensate for the arc when lifting... I would NOT even consider taking a floor jack out of the workshop/garage....


always watch the load on a floor jack .... make sure it is not shifting OFF the lever as you pump

 

[gw1800]

This is probably the best bottle jack to use. Has a built in jackstand and wide base.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Powerbu...le-Jack-and-Jackstand-in-One-620471/322548428