Jack for trailer to change tires?

tex wardfan wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:
Get Good Sam towing then you just "call the guy" and he takes care of it. :)

About how much does this service cost and do you pay by the year or what? Thanks.

I think their new customer rate is around $70/year right now.

3oaks wrote:
I see a lot of people rely on a road service to change a flat tire. In other threads, people complain about poor road service experiences. Me, I still do my own tire changing. I don't like depending on or waiting for someone else to do what I am still physically able to do.

Of course, I may be a dying bread. I still use a lug wrench. ;)

I don't mind waiting if needed. If I'm in a hurry I fly. :)

You also want to make sure you have the proper size wrench to fit nuts on the spare tire mounting bracket. On mine it is not the same size as the lug nuts.

Check local garage sales, I picked up a 30 ton and a 20 ton bottle jack at a yard sale a few years ago, they are small enough to store in the trailer and have an adjustable piston height.
Both jacks didn't work well so I got them both for $5, took them home and added jack hydraulic fluid and bled them.
They work great! They hold pressure. Also carry with me a few 2x4 and 4x4 and 2x6 blocks just in case!
At another garage sale I found a star wrench for lug nuts, I got one metric and one SAE for $10, both are chrome and work great! Got a great deal on a bag of hammers also,, but thats another story!

tex wardfan wrote:
Thanks guys for your reply's. I was told to buy a 4 way lug wrench for tire removal and installation. Was that good advice?

Get a cheap torque wrench and breaker bar along with the socket(s) you need from Harbor Freight. Find the correct torque value and learn how to properly use the torque wrench.

Example

I wouldn't leave any road service jack my trailer unless I was completely disabled. They don't have a clue about where and how to place a jack.

IBcarguy wrote:
If you end up using a jack device, don't attempt to jack up the trailer by lifting it from the axle. Most trailer axles are tubular and lifting can easily bend an axle tube. Lift from a spring shackle or something, not the axle tube itself. A friend of mine did this and ended up replacing an expensive axle.

Actually jacking from the axle tube on a std leaf spring suspension next to the U bolt won't bend or crush the axle tube.

I use a 12T shorty hyd bottle jack under axle tubes on my RV trailers/enclosed/equipment/flatdeck trailers/cargo/stock trailers. This way I'm just lifting one end of a axle just enough to change a tire.

Whatever method you use make a dry run at home. Some folks with the ramps found it didn't raise the flat tire off the ground or not enough to get the spare on the lugs.

I carry a heavy duty scissor jack along with the jack for my GMC Along with the jacks you need to have some lumber for a jack pad. I use 3/4 plywood.What I have mentioned to friends is to park the TT in a large parking lot and deflate one tire and replace it with the spare to see what is involved and what you will require for for the event when it occurs,and it will on a cold rainy dirt road.Trust me.

I see a lot of people rely on a road service to change a flat tire. In other threads, people complain about poor road service experiences. Me, I still do my own tire changing. I don't like depending on or waiting for someone else to do what I am still physically able to do.

Of course, I may be a dying bread. I still use a lug wrench. ;)

If you end up using a jack device, don't attempt to jack up the trailer by lifting it from the axle. Most trailer axles are tubular and lifting can easily bend an axle tube. Lift from a spring shackle or something, not the axle tube itself. A friend of mine did this and ended up replacing an expensive axle.

tex wardfan wrote:
Thanks guys for your reply's. I was told to buy a 4 way lug wrench for tire removal and installation. Was that good advice?

Yes, I also keep a 4 way lug wrench in all my vehicles. It would take a long time to remove the 8 lugs on my truck or trailer with the supplied wrench under the seat. Plus, their torqued to something like 120 ft/lbs.


We also have Good Sam Roadside Assistance. I bought this because our auto insurance roadside assistance wouldn't have covered the trailer. Good Sam covers all you vehicles including lockouts, etc...