What jack to have onboard for roadside tire changes?

[Son_of_Norway]

I have managed to travel in my HR for 10 years without ever having a flat or blow-out on the road. I have always carried a 6-ton bottle jack thinking that I would use that and boards as needed if the situation ever occurred.

Today I watched a you-tube video on a blow-out incident and I am embarrassed to admit that I now realize a bottle jack will never work when a front rim with a shredded tire has dug itself down into the shoulder of the road. I suppose what I really should be taking might be a low-profile floor jack?

What do you recommend as the best type of jack to carry for roadside tire changes?

Thanks for your advice.

[azdryheat]

I carry a bottle jack. My trailer also has 6 hydraulic jacks to lift all the tires at one time if I want.

At work I've learned just how heavy 22.5 tires are minus the wheel rim. I sure wouldn't try changing one of them on the road. Plus 22.5 requires special tools to remove the lug nuts. I would just call a tire repair service. We had a class C with a flat 19 tire at one our rv shows and the repair folks came out and removed the tire from the rim and put on a new one on in no time. Great service.

[ferndaleflyer]

Like someone above I have Coach Net, a cell phone, and various credit cards and cash. 78 years old and not fooling with flat tires but there is a mounted 22.5 spare sitting in my garage, why I don't know! But what about those areas of our country where there is no cell service?

[wa8yxm]

I have a collection of jacks.. Most will not work with the Motor home but the one that does is a 12 ton air/hydraulic bottle jack from harbor freight.. I also carry a lot of lumber. and some jack stands

Jack it up and put lumber under it
reposition the jack and put more lumber or extend jack stands
Reposition and do it again and again and again.

True story.
Tire store using my jack. DID NOT put a load spreadew (Plank) under the jack so it punched through the parking lot (Asphault) and dropped the rear axle onto the ground. Thankfully it did NOT damage the rotor.

Spent 2 hours with that jack and lumber getting it back in the air so they could put the new tires on.

Other side I positioned the jack.. On top of step 2 of my stair steps
(3 2x8's one 3' one 2' one 1' it was on the middle step) no problem

There is a reason the jack sits atop a plank in my storage bin,.

[jplante4]

I did buy a bottle jack when I got my first motor home. It had 19.5 wheels and I was 10 years younger. I also carried a spare tire mounted and jack stands. Watched a video about changing a tire and using a jack stand as a lever under a wrench on a long pipe. I was ready 🙂

When I got the Sahara (22.5 wheels), I got new tires as soon as I picked it up and kept one of the old (unmounted) tires in the basement for a spare. I also joined Coach-Net.

Finally threw out the spare last year. At almost 70, I won't be changing any tires.

[Airdaile]

Bottle jack here.

[rgatijnet1]

I have used the rear leveler, with boards under it, to raise ONE side of the rear axle enough to change a tire. I set the brakes and blocked the front axle so the coach would not roll. Naturally after I had raised the rear axle I put a jack stand under the axle for safety. For the front axle, it is really easy to use the levelers to raise the front axle, insert a jack stand, and do what you need to do.

[Son_of_Norway]

Thanks for the help. The HR does have levelers, and I always have the cellphone, road service and credit card. I guess I'll just keep the bottle jack and hope that things work out if the time ever comes!

[Lwiddis]

Do you believe that you alone could change a tire of that size?

[DFord]

I had a flat several years ago on the inner dual - before I learned RV tires age out after 7 years.
My MH didn't have levelers.
I called my road service and about 2 hours later Homer and Jethro showed with in a broken down El Camino with their huge floorjack and crossbar wrench. Unfortunately, after they pushed it under my MH, the restricted movement on the handle didn't allow the pump to function so they couldn't use it. I offered my bottle jack which they were able to get under the axle and raise the tire off the ground. They were able to swap tires but as they were tightening the lugs, they put enough torque on the lugnuts to turn the tire causing the tire on the opposite side to turn the other way and the HM came down hard off the jack. They (and I) had forgotten to chock the tires! Lesson learned and disaster was avoided.

If you blow a tire and the wheel digs into the ground, I doubt if you'll be to get anything to raise the wheel at that location because anything you use will just push itself into the ground while trying to push up on the axle. Best to call your roadside assistance provider and let them handle it - hoping Homer and Jethro aren't the ones they send.

[All_I_could_aff]

You could also drive the flat tire up onto a 2x6 board or two in order to lift the axle a bit before setting up the jack

[rk911]

a working, charged cellphone, a roadside service plan and a credit card.

[Dutch_12078]

Does your HR have hydraulic levelers? I've used them to raise an axle high enough to get a 20-ton bottle jack under it on occasion.

[Johno02]

Actually, if you have a leveling system on your coach, use that. I normally do not recommend ever raising the real wheels off the ground, but I do know that it can be done. during the one rear tire blowout we have had, I called my emergence road service to come change it for me. I asked the service person "my jacks or yours", we used mine, then he put a jackstand under the axle for safety, and we lowered onto it. With a dual axle, I don't know. He said that he actually felt better about my jacks than his!