Jack

Easiest to jack up would be a 3-4 ton floor jack and only jack up one corner at a time, but you're pushing the limits of that setup, and a 3-4ton floor jack is not light nor easy to store.

Easiest to store and otherwise deal with is a bottle jack, but they aren't very fast at jacking things up, and may require some re-setting to get onto taller jackstands or to lift a flat tire off the ground. You can help this a little by driving onto blocks first.

I think this should make for an interesting discussion.

In addition to a jack and lug wrench, I think you might need an electric impact wrench to get the lugs loose......or a LONG breaker bar.

I haven't convinced myself that I would be better off changing the tire myself than I would be "limping" to the next exit or waiting for help if there is no cell service. Of course, you can't really move at all with a flat front.

Part of my consideration is the size and weight of the tire/wheel and the fact that my spare is UNDER the RV......and that they torque those lugs down VERY tight.

This is what I carry for faster tire change. I seem to have more flats on my trailer so I can jump the flat axle up using the good axle and no jack required. Even a front tire you could drive up on this "partially" to eliminate the need for the jack to lift the vehicle all the way. I think many people carry similar type tools to level their trailers.

Trailer Aid

A small 3-4 ton floor jack won't cut it. You need at least a 12 ton bottle jack. Reason for a 12 ton...it's a lot easier to pump it up, especially over a smaller 6-8 ton jack. The leverage on a 12 ton is very easy, especially when your in an akward position under the motor home.
How do I know? Tried the smaller jacks, and 12 ton works perfect.
A piece of 2" x 12" x 12" underneath works just fine.
And rather than carrying a huge spinner lug wrench, I carry a 1/2 inch drive Kobalt electric impact wrench. Has plenty of power to take nuts off n on. If your on the road, just use generator for power (of course, if no genny, lug wrench is necessary).
I also carry and have used a Camco Tire Changing Tool, part #44511. It works great to lever the tire/wheel up to the wheel studs.
Have and carry this stuff, not used it on my rig, but have used it twice on the road and in a campground to help others.
Grumpy

Our Class C on the E450 chassis came with a lug wrench. I also carry a 6 ton bottle jack, a short piece of 1x6 board to sit the jack on in case the ground surface is soft, plus a torque wrench and a 19mm socket.

In 13 years and 93,000 miles of travel I have never had a need to change a flat. I'm on my 3rd set of Michelins with the older tires replaced due to age.

When I buy new tires, I always re-torque the lug nuts, as the guys with the impact wrenches always seem to over tighten the nuts. With some of the nuts, I have to stand on the end of the lug wrench in order to loosen them so I can properly re-torque them.

For our E450 the correct torque of 140 ft-lbs is stamped on the end of the nuts, as seen in this picture.


One additional thing - The rear wheels can rust to the axle hub, making them very difficult to get off. When I changed the brake pads on the rears a couple of years ago I had to use the trick of loosening the lug nuts a turn or so, then rolling the RV forward a little and jamming on the brakes. This broke the rust bond so the wheels could come off. Never had this issue with the front wheels.

Vulcan Rider wrote:
I think this should make for an interesting discussion.

In addition to a jack and lug wrench, I think you might need an electric impact wrench to get the lugs loose......or a LONG breaker bar.

If you need a long breaker bar to loosen your lug nuts then they are WAY too tight if you are of average strength. Like others have mentioned, torque should be 140 ft./lbs on the E450, less than 50 pounds of pull on a 3 foot breaker bar.

I use a bottle jack and a 1/2 inch breaker bar with an impact socket. I also attach a length of pipe over the end of the breaker bar giving me about a 3 foot span. I can loosen the most tightened lugs with ease while standing straight up. No more jumping on a short lug wrench, you can really hurt yourself doing that.

You may want to consider airing up the tire if you have a compressor then setting the bottle jack underneath allowing some distance for the jack to fully retract once finished . I am not against

using the hydraulics to lift the coach slightly to assist in getting the air into the tire. NEVER get under a lifted vehicle without stands or wood blocks holding the frame, NEVER. If the flat is on the rear and if it is

the outside tire you can drive the inside tire onto a block and no jack needed.

As far as the wheel "rusting" to the hub, simply smear a thin, thin, film of anti seize on the hub area where the wheel meets the hub. Have done this on every vehicle I've had, and never a problem with wheel comming off.
As far as a bottle jack, a 12 ton dosen't take up any more space than a 6 ton, so for a few bucks more get the bigger one.
As to trying to muscle off 8 lugs with 140 lbs of torque, no way am I going to risk throwing my back out, tearing up my shoulder, or risk rounding off the corners of a lug nut by jumping up and down on a lug wrench or breaker bar. $150.00 for a quality Kobalt or Dewalt 1/2" drive electric impact wrench is cheap compared to hurting yourself.
Do or get what you feel is necessary, but it pays to have the proper tools to do it right, and safely.
Grumpy

Jill