flat tire

Jacking under a std leaf spring axle tube next to the U bolt will not bend or crush the tubes....their too thick.
I've jacked fully loaded enclosed/stock and flatbed trailers with 1750 lb on up to 10000lb axles under the tubes when on the side of the road changing a flat tire.
My old truckers special 12ton hyd shorty jack (10"X10" base) look like the red jack in the picture.
It came with short legged channel that fits over the top of the jack to cradle the axle tube. I've had it repacked 3 times in all these years.

What ever method you use make a dry run at home especially those drive on ramps. On the side of the road 25 miles west of slapout ok isn't the place to discover it didn't work.

I had a flat on I-40 last winter and just used a bottle jack. I have a steel plate to put under the spring shackle to give me a flat surface to jack on.

I use a floor jack with some stacked 2x4s if lifting the entire trailer by the frame for major work. HF 12 ton jack stands are plenty tall to go under the frame. This stuff does not go on the road.

As for tipping there is virtually none when I raise the tire 1/2" with a bottle jack on the axle to swap wheels.

rbpru wrote:
So, they just tell everyone to put the jack on the frame.

Makes some sense but what if the bottom of your frame is like 24" above the ground? Our is like that and I did try jacking the frame up at first but found I needed to use cribbing to get the jack up high enough to reach the frame. If a person didn't realize this and have some suitable pieces of 2x4 or 4x4 with them, they could be SOL. Jack stands would need some cribbing too. And def. don't jack a trailer up and not use jack stands. That could be a lot of cribbing to carry around - providing you don't accidentally use it for firewood.

I also found having to tip the trailer over enough to raise the other wheel was kind of unnerving and that was on flat ground. If you were pulled over onto a road shoulder that sloped, it could end up being precariously tipped?

I'm a fan of the Trailer Jack as well. Easy, secure to use. No more bottle jacks for me.

If you know what you are doing you can lift the flat tire by the axel clamps and by the spring shackles. When I mentioned this to the TT dealer they agreed but it is a big "IF".

From the dealers perspective, the new TT owner with a flat tire could be really upset, super excited or just plain all thumbs when it comes to mechanics. So, they just tell everyone to put the jack on the frame.

My TireAid works but it will sink into softer ground without a board under it. I do not know how well it works with wide spaced tires or triple axles.

myredracer wrote:
How does a regular bottle jack fit under an axle? I ended up buying a double ram Torin jack that is about 6" tall collapsed (14" max extended) so it would fit under the U-bolts along with a piece of 2x4. Some axles are under the springs (like ours) and some are over which are safer to put a jack under. One of these days I'm going to make a custom saddle from steel pipe for the jack so it fits perfectly under the U-bolts and can't slip. This jack makes it easy for inspecting/serving brakes & wheel bearings at home.

If we didn't have a jack and had a flat on a trip, I'd be making a ramp from our lego blocks and putting one on each side so the trailer doesn't have to tip over.

+1 for the Torin 2-stage. I have the 2-ton but in hindsight I should have gotten the 4. Low profile and good lift range.

The handle fits a bit sloppy so I recently made a custom aluminum handle that is a bit longer for better leverage in awkward positions.

As for the 4-way... skip that and carry a low cost (or better) torque wrench, small extension and six-point socket to fit trailer and tow vehicle.

Torque rating is intended for dry (ungreased) threads.

Also carry a board to place the jack if the ground is soft.

How does a regular bottle jack fit under an axle? I ended up buying a double ram Torin jack that is about 6" tall collapsed (14" max extended) so it would fit under the U-bolts along with a piece of 2x4. Some axles are under the springs (like ours) and some are over which are safer to put a jack under. One of these days I'm going to make a custom saddle from steel pipe for the jack so it fits perfectly under the U-bolts and can't slip. This jack makes it easy for inspecting/serving brakes & wheel bearings at home.

If we didn't have a jack and had a flat on a trip, I'd be making a ramp from our lego blocks and putting one on each side so the trailer doesn't have to tip over.

Several posts mention jacking under the axle. That’s not a good idea. If they meant to jack under the shackles, that’s a different thing.
I have the Trailer-Aid and it works fine on our camper. Others have said it won’t raise the flat high enough. I also carry a 4 ton shorty bottle jack. And a 4 way. And a Dewalt 18V impact wrench.
The aluminum floor jack sounds good, too.
With all that, we’ve never had a flat on the road, just at home.
While on the road, I really like having the TPMS for reassurance.

As a rule, I would not put the jack under a TT axle unless, I knew where to place it so I would not chance damaging the thin wall axle tube.

I used the frame until I bought a Tire Aid.