Changing Travel Trailer Tires

For campers, travel trailers represent the middle ground between a pop-up camper and a big RV, presenting much of the comfort of a big rig with the attendant cost. However, as with any heavy vehicle, wear and tear quickly builds up on a travel trailer tire. The sidewalls of the tires in particular take more abuse when you turn than is the case for a car or truck tire, and therefore trailer tires wear out much more quickly. While changing the tires on your trailer is similar to doing the same for your car or truck, there are some additional concerns regarding your trailer's weight and stability.

1. Pull the travel trailer to a level area and park it. Leave your truck hooked up to the trailer if you can, and if you cannot drop the trailer's stand out of the front assembly, where the trailer connects to your truck's trailer hitch. If the ground is not paved, place a wood plank beneath it to spread out the stand's load. A heavy trailer might cause the narrow base of a trailer stand to sink, even on gravel.

2. Wedge a stopping block under a tire on the side opposite from the tire you intend to change. Some travel trailers have more than two wheels, but you only need to block one tire.

3. Loosen the lug nuts on the tire to be changed by unscrewing them with the tire iron, but do not remove them yet. If the lug nuts are on too tightly to be loosened by hand, use your legs and full body weight.

4. Set your jack under the appropriate point of the travel trailer's undercarriage, as indicated by the manufacturer. Pump the jack and life the trailer off the ground until the tire has enough clearance to turn freely. Do not lift the trailer any higher than this, as it might overbalance the trailer.

5. Remove the lug nuts the rest of the way with the tire iron. Pull the rim and tire off the travel trailer wheel.

6. Set the old tire on the ground and roll it away to a convenient location. Roll your spare tire over to the travel trailer's bare wheel.

7. Lift the tire up and set the holes in the rim over the bolts in the wheel. Once the new tire is in place on the travel trailer, put the lug nuts back onto the bolts and tighten them with the tire iron. Screw the lug nuts on as far as you can, but you will be unable to tighten them completely, as the tire turns to easily in its present position.

8. Lower the travel trailer by releasing the jack. With the trailer on the ground you have plenty of resistance, so finishing tightening the lug nuts with the tire iron.
Skill

Sources: youtube.com/watch?v=H3qJYyWJSA; edmunds.com/ownership/howto/articles/43783/article.html