Tire store screwed up.

Blooze · 05-06-2014, 07:24 PM

I took our Jayco 1206 in today to get new tires at the local Discount Tire. Gave the guy up front the lugnut torque sheet from Jayco and told him not to jack it up on the axles because the manual says to do it on the box frame in front of the leaf spring.

I wait a bit and have to go out to the truck to get something and when I walk out they have it jacked up on the axle with two floor jacks about a foot and a half in on each side from the springs. I ask the guy what the heck he's doing. He was getting ready to lower it at that point.

I couldn't really crawl underneath till I got home later and it didn't look like it crushed the tube anywhere but it did gouge one side where the jack plate bit into it.

I swear I can't win with this thing. They didn't even fill the tires to 65psi max like I asked.

So do I need to worry about the gouges?

Jmooney · 05-06-2014, 07:40 PM

Holes or scrapes?

Blooze · 05-06-2014, 07:43 PM

Now that I have photos it looks like the damage or whatever it is was already there. I didn't have a light with me when I looked the first time.

Straight on view

From a lower angle

From the other side of the same spot

Jmooney · 05-06-2014, 07:47 PM

Looks OK, but you have reason to be PO'd.

Simple request: " I pay you, you do it my way"

Blooze · 05-06-2014, 07:49 PM

As a side note, since we just got this camper and I have yet to take it on the road, when you do get a flat do you need to jack up both sides of the camper? Seems like that would be an awful lot of weight on one tire and spring.

Jmooney · 05-06-2014, 07:52 PM

Doesn't the jack hold the other half of the weight ?

Blooze · 05-06-2014, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmooney

Doesn't the jack hold the other half of the weight ?

Well yes, but I was thinking the horizontal forces on the other wheel.

Jmooney · 05-06-2014, 08:39 PM

Ok. It's been a really long time since High School physics.

If I recall, ( and a random internet search )when the center of gravity shifts ( lifting the RV off the ground ) the weight shift is proportional to the difference in height or angle.

So if the the RV is 8 ft wide ( 96 inches ) and you lift the weight up by 12 inches ( the additional height of the body of the trailer is raised to lift the tire off the ground 1 inch ( I'm guessing 12 inches here ), you have changed the center of gravity by 1/8 or about 8%

Because it's proportional, you have increased the weight on the opposite side by 8%

Ummm,mmmm.... I think it's fine

kvangil · 05-06-2014, 08:41 PM

Only jack up the side with the flat.

Blooze · 05-06-2014, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmooney

Ok. It's been a really long time since High School physics.

If I recall, ( and a random internet search )when the center of gravity shifts ( lifting the RV off the ground ) the weight shift is proportional to the difference in height or angle.

So if the the RV is 8 ft wide ( 96 inches ) and you lift the weight up by 12 inches ( the additional height of the body of the trailer is raised to lift the tire off the ground 1 inch ( I'm guessing 12 inches here ), you have changed the center of gravity by 1/8 or about 8%

Because it's proportional, you have increased the weight on the opposite side by 8%

Ummm,mmmm.... I think it's fine

I hated physics.

Jmooney · 05-06-2014, 08:42 PM

Hoping that one of the engineers weighs in here.....

Excuse the pun

msturtz · 05-06-2014, 11:57 PM

Discount tire knows cars not trailers or motorhomes. They made so many mistakes with my setup it is comical.

tnchuck100 · 05-07-2014, 04:22 AM

What is the reasoning behind NOT jacking under the axle? Because it is round and the jack may slip? The jack I would use would not slip.

mcfarmall · 05-07-2014, 05:47 AM

Next time jack up the trailer at home (both sides) remove the tire/wheel assemblies and transport them to Discount Tire in the trunk or bed of your tow vehicle. This will relieve you with having to deal with brainless moronic drones that work at such places.

Also, don't sweat jacking up one wheel at a time. Your trailer, axle, wheels, bearings, etc. are fully capable of bearing such loads. Some folks with tandem axle trailers will run one wheel up on a block to change an adjacent tire with no ill effects.

Bob Landry · 05-07-2014, 06:00 AM

My trailer has been at Discount Tire twice, once when I bought tires and the second time to replace a bad valve stem. I stood there when they jacked it up because I knew they would raise it by the axle. I stopped the guy and explained why. He said Oh,OK and moved the jack to the frame. I like Discount Tire because they tighter lugs with a torque wrench, not an impact hammer like the other tire shops do.

eldermike · 05-07-2014, 06:45 AM

On some trailers with two axles there is a pivot between the axles, it's where the two leaf springs come together in the center between the axles. This allows for one axle to shift down or up without loading the other axle (within it's travel limits). It's an equalizer. When you jack up the frame in front of/or behind one of the tires the load remains about equal with the jack replacing the load on one of the tires until the travel of the pivot is used up then the other tires raises and the jack has the whole weight of one side. On some trailers there is no equalizer and limited travel. When you jack up the frame in front of or behind a tire on this type design you will raise both tires on that side at the same time with only a few strokes on the jack.

When you jack up either of these designes by jacking under a single axle on you are loading the whole weight of one side of the trailer on ONE axle and ONE spring. Don't do that.

The OP said they had two jacks, one for each axle. That might be ok as long as they lifted them at the same time and lowered them at the same time. If at any point in time one of the jacks had both tires off the ground lifting from the axle, then a single axle is holding one side of the trailer off the ground and has about half the weight minus the tounge weight.

That's why we jack up the frame.

Blooze · 05-07-2014, 08:06 AM

Thanks everyone for the info. The 1206 is a single axle camper and they used two floor jacks, each one about 12-16 inches from the leaf springs on the axle. I don't think anything is messed up, but time will tell.

I wonder why Jayco doesn't put a flat plate on the bottom of the frame where the jack should be placed for reference and for a better hold? any car I've ever owned always had spots on the frame where the jack would sit properly.

tcanthonyii · 05-14-2014, 08:52 PM

Honestly jacking up on the axle is probably about the best place to jack it up. It's where I jack up my 12udk, my little trailers, cars etc. I'm sure they are worried about it slipping off. The axle pretty much takes all the weight on the road anyway. There is no harm and that scraping you see was done some other time. It's been there a long time. Crawl under any trailer and it most likely looks worse than that.

Having family that was in the auto repair business they probably laughed at you when you told them how to do their job. I'm not trying to be mean, just making the observation. There's a reason I rarely take anything into a shop to get done. I take my tires in if I don't do them my self. I do all repair and maint. work my self so that I know how it was done. There are very few things that I can't or choose not to do. Is it an inconvenience on my time, yes but worth it in the long run.

Rustic Eagle · 05-14-2014, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcanthonyii

Honestly jacking up on the axle is probably about the best place to jack it up.....snip

Unfortunately the wall thickness of the RV trailer axle tubes aren't as robust as vehicles and commercial trailers..., they've been known to bend and/or collapse under some lifting conditions.

Bob

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