Tire changing on Class C
I have just discovered a bad tire on my Class C. Naturally it is the inside rear on the driver's side. Looks like it is separating as there is a knot on the sidewall and a lot of vibration when driv...
Forum Discussion
I've done this project and Bruce's information is spot on. Notice that even if you are lifting only one side, the jack, inboard of the shock absorber to leave space for the jackstand, will be so far inboard that it's lifting more like 2/3 of the rear axle weight. In terms of its rating, a six-ton bottle jack can lift nearly your whole coach, but working under there requires handle leverage you may not be able to get. That's why so many of us use 12-ton jacks.
Please don't rely on jack only! You'll need a Stand under the raised end of the Axle!
It's likely your wheels are stuck, where the hole in the middle of the wheels center on the hub. The inner can be really miserable. What you can do, is loosen the nuts about one turn with the coach pointed straight at the place you'll raise it, with a few feet to go. Some movement, maybe with braking, should break the rust bond at the hub.
But what's your end game here, Dennis? You'll read Date Codes, right? On only one spot on one sidewall will be a long string beginning "DOT" and ending in four digits. First two are Week (01-52) and last two are last two of Year. Find out when all six were born. Most of us replace on 5-7 years of Date Code Age. I'd feel safer on 7's driven 100 miles every month than 5's that took a 700 mile trip once or twice in a year, and sat the rest of the time. Driving, warming, flexing the tires is beneficial.
I'm with you if you don't want to drive it any distance to a tire shop with a tire that's ready to blow still on the ground. If you have a spare you can mount, go ahead. Or decide on how many new tires you want and haul that one tire/rim in, have a new tire mounted/balanced and bring it home to get the whole rig to the shop.
Don't mess with suspect tires! A blowout is of course a safety issue you don't want, and of course the inconvenience and delay on a trip. But the damage caused by a flailing tread belt can be devastating to your coach, especially in the rear.
Finally, NOW's the time if you don't have custom valves, Borg Dually Valves or Tire Man, to order them up and have them installed as part of your tire change process. That should give you free installation labor, better than coming back later. If you don't do that, at least insist on METAL valves, long enough that you can get a Gauge and Air Chuck onto them. You can't if the valve on a Ford wheel is too short.
Please don't rely on jack only! You'll need a Stand under the raised end of the Axle!
It's likely your wheels are stuck, where the hole in the middle of the wheels center on the hub. The inner can be really miserable. What you can do, is loosen the nuts about one turn with the coach pointed straight at the place you'll raise it, with a few feet to go. Some movement, maybe with braking, should break the rust bond at the hub.
But what's your end game here, Dennis? You'll read Date Codes, right? On only one spot on one sidewall will be a long string beginning "DOT" and ending in four digits. First two are Week (01-52) and last two are last two of Year. Find out when all six were born. Most of us replace on 5-7 years of Date Code Age. I'd feel safer on 7's driven 100 miles every month than 5's that took a 700 mile trip once or twice in a year, and sat the rest of the time. Driving, warming, flexing the tires is beneficial.
I'm with you if you don't want to drive it any distance to a tire shop with a tire that's ready to blow still on the ground. If you have a spare you can mount, go ahead. Or decide on how many new tires you want and haul that one tire/rim in, have a new tire mounted/balanced and bring it home to get the whole rig to the shop.
Don't mess with suspect tires! A blowout is of course a safety issue you don't want, and of course the inconvenience and delay on a trip. But the damage caused by a flailing tread belt can be devastating to your coach, especially in the rear.
Finally, NOW's the time if you don't have custom valves, Borg Dually Valves or Tire Man, to order them up and have them installed as part of your tire change process. That should give you free installation labor, better than coming back later. If you don't do that, at least insist on METAL valves, long enough that you can get a Gauge and Air Chuck onto them. You can't if the valve on a Ford wheel is too short.
