Extreme newbie question

[smiletwice]

OK, we took delivery of our first trailer....brand new...very excited. Got it backed into the driveway so we can prep for our first trip. Notice one of the tires appears low. Upon further inspection find screw firmly implanted in the middle of the tread. Spend considerable time looking for a jack since the spare is brand new, same tire.

Question....is it really true that trailers do not come with jacks? Jay Feather 22FQSW. Guessing I better get a bottle jack for future emergencies? Nothing in the owners manual about changing tires, much less proper way to jack up the trailer with dual axle.

Good news is my free Good Sam roadside assistance membership means they will come out and change the tire for me.

Sign me...frustrated!

[Sundancer330]

It is true trailers don't come with a jack or lug wrench.

[oldmanAZ]

It's true: Trailers do not come with jacks.

A bottle jack is what many have 'just in case.' There are also products like 'Trailer Aid' that is a ramp that can be used for tandem axle trailers to raise the flat tire off the ground.

Have Good Sam install the spare, get the 'screwed' tire repaired, and be glad it's happening with your trailer in your driveway, not along side the expressway! Yes, all this might be frustrating, but it's a minor speed bump. Don't let it get you down and spoil your enjoyment of your trailer.

[Mwade]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I didn't think good Sam would make house calls. I guess you could use your truck jack to raise the tire off the ground. One thing I have done more than once is use a block to raise the tire off the ground. Loosen the lug nuts on the flat wheel, then position the block in front of the good wheel. Pull forward just enough to raise the flat tire off the ground.

[smiletwice]

Fortunately, Good Sam does consider the trailer "disabled" in the driveway and will be here tomorrow morning to change the tire for me. Since the tires have less than 100 miles on them and the spare is the same tire, I'll just repair the flat and make it the spare!

[Jagiven]

Well that sucks, but at least it happened at home. It's a good learning experience.

You are to jack up a tt from the frame NOT from under the axle. As you can bend an axle.

I recommend picking up a Jack, or trailer-aid, and a lug nut wrench, I use an 18" breaker bar, and carry, a socket for that fits each lug nut size I have (3), I keep that in my tv. Also consider a safety vest, and some safety triangles. I also carry a spare flasher unit (turn signal flasher) you can in stall it across the pins at the keyway on 7 pin wire harness, and it makes all your marker lights flash. This makes you really noticeable when stopped.

[oldenuftoknowbetter]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

It's true: Trailers do not come with jacks.

A bottle jack is what many have 'just in case.' There are also products like 'Trailer Aid' that is a ramp that can be used for tandem axle trailers to raise the flat tire off the ground.

Have Good Sam install the spare, get the 'screwed' tire repaired, and be glad it's happening with your trailer in your driveway, not along side the expressway! Yes, all this might be frustrating, but it's a minor speed bump. Don't let it get you down and spoil your enjoyment of your trailer.

I have a Trailer Aide. I had the unfortunate opportunity to use it on a trip earlier this summer. It worked perfectly! It even impressed a group of UPS drivers that were doing a trailer swap nearby.

[DownTheHighway]

Originally Posted by Sundancer330

It is true trailers don't come with a jack or lug wrench.

Actually both of my FR TT came with them, they came with a scissor jack and lug wrench, and we bought both TT new. The lug wrench for our current TT is still in plastic.

[norty1]

On many rigs, the spare is mounted on a steel rim and the regular rims are cast aluminum.

[Cdash]

I have used the jack that came with my F-350 too many times. I do carry a breaker bar with the proper socket size for the trailer lugs. I now carry a bottle jack too.

While I understand why people say to lift the frame, i would never do it, it is too high off the ground. Best thing to do is to place the jack under the axle as close as you can to being under the spring. This "loads" the axle in the same place the spring loads it and will not bend the axle any more than your spring does.

[Mwade]

Cdash, right on the axle lift.

[Oklahoma Dan]

Follow the advice of Cdash. Best approach.

[us71na]

When we purchased out first TT I noted it did not have a jack and the lug wrench for the tow vehicle did not fit the lugs on the TT. I purchased an 18" breaker bar and the proper sized socket. The jack from our Honda Pilot works just fine to change to the spare.

I learned the hard way that you need to drop the spare and make sure the slide works once each year. The first time I needed to change to the spare, The slide wouldn't budge to allow the spare to drop down. I had to remove the pivot bolt on the opposite side. Fortunately a fellow traveler that pulled in right next to me, had the proper sized sockets to remove the pivot bolt.

[smiletwice]

Bought a 6 ton bottle jack. Put it directly on the axle as close to wheel as possible. Changed tire in about 5 minutes. Pretty easy stuff as it turns out.....

[ctbailey]

Originally Posted by smiletwice

Bought a 6 ton bottle jack. Put it directly on the axle as close to wheel as possible. Changed tire in about 5 minutes. Pretty easy stuff as it turns out.....

Yep... these travel trailers are pretty simple.


Craig Bailey
New Hampshire
Jayflight 32 BHDS
Chevy 2500HD CC

[TxTwoSome]

Also check the lug nuts size on the spare tire also i have had a couple of trailers where the lug nuts on the spare were a different size then the rest.

Better to find this out now and not along side of the highway.

I bought a folding four way lug wrench solved this problem.

[smiletwice]

Exactly what I did for exactly that reason! Thanks!

[Subaru297]

Glad to hear I am not the only one that jacks under the axle without any worries despite all the warnings! Thanks to Cdash for admitting it first

The frame is too high to use vs lifting the axle a couple inches.

Cheers

[sirrealone]

A few years ago I accidentally impaled my tongue into the dirt. I stood around for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do, then went over to the SUV and pulled out the jack, and up she went.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by sirrealone

A few years ago I accidentally impaled my tongue into the dirt. I stood around for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do, then went over to the SUV and pulled out the jack, and up she went.

I must admit, when I first started reading this, I wasn't visualizing your trailer's tongue.