#changetire

What makes this tire change tricky is the fact that the trailer is a double axle and the tire is not touching the ground so every time you try to loosen a wheel lug nut the tire spins as I quickly found to be very challenging.

What you need before you get started:

Wheel Chocks

Jack Stands

Pump Jack Rated for the weight of your trailer

WD40

Socket sized to the Lug Nut

Torque Wrench

Pipe (If you need more leverage)

Board to jam in the wheel to stop it from moving

  Before you do any maintenance on any vehicle you should always chock the wheels.  A sudden shift in weight can cause a vehicle to begin rolling.  This reminds of me the day we did maintenance on military vehicles, we had to chock the wheels before we did anything.   When a trailer is not being moved it is good practice to use wheel chocks, nothing worse then having a run away trailer.

    Remove dust cap, by pulling off with a quick pull.

With assistance from a helpful neighbor use a board or the end of a wood handle jam the tire between the holes in the wheel well and somewhere on the frame of the trailer to stop the wheel from spinning. While your helper holds the tire from turning, loosen and then remove the lug nuts and then remove the tire.

**If the lug nuts are not coming loose spray them and the thread of the bolts with WD40 and let it sit for 30 mins and try again**

Once you have the rim off, clean rim and install new tire. I took the rim to a tire place to have the cleaning and installation done.

While you have the tire off its a good time to do a brake inspection.

        The new tire will not fit on as easily as the old one came off.  The trailer must be lifted so the new tire can be install.

Place a hydraulic jack, that is rated for your trailer weight under the trailer, ensuring you will be lifting on the frame of the trailer.

  You should never only use the hydraulic bottle jack to keep the trailer up while you work on it. Always use jack stands for safety. Lower the hydraulic jack so the weight the trailer in being supported by the jack stands.

Place new tire and rim on the hub and install bolts hand tight.

Place the hydraulic jack back under the trailer and lift the trailer so the weight is of the jack stands. Then remove the jack stands and then lower the trailer to the ground.

      Using a torque wrench, tighten the bolts to required torque.

          Install dust cap and the tire change is complete! Before you drive away to your next camping getaway make sure to remove the wheel chocks!