4-way wrench, torque wrench, a small set of impact sockets for torque wrench, and a couple of adapters, Level Up w/extra jack pads if need be. I figure what I carry is just as much for my use or to help another RV'r with a tire change issue along the road.
I carry blocks of wood and run the tire up that is not flat it will lift the other Tire up off the ground enough to change the other flat I've been running up blocks to change a tire for years safe and easy way to change your tire you can change your tire that way in less than a half-hour
I carry blocks of wood and run the tire up that is not flat it will lift the other Tire up off the ground enough to change the other flat I've been running up blocks to change a tire for years safe and easy way to change your tire you can change your tire that way in less than a half-hour
A 20 ton bottle jack( because I have one) wooden 6x6 s, and a home made trailer aid, 4 way and an electric impact wrench, torque wrench. Like others can change still change my own and have on three occasions as well for others.
I carry a small bottle jack, a jacking saddle that I had fabricated, a 15" breaker bar 4 foot cheater bar and a torque wrench. See photo and drawing attached
[QUOTE=FreeRoamn;1167848]4-way wrench, torque wrench, a small set of impact sockets for torque wrench, and a couple of adapters, Level Up w/extra jack pads if need be. I figure what I carry is just as much for my use or to help another RV'r with a tire change issue along the road.
I carry a small bottle jack, a jacking saddle that I had fabricated, a 15" breaker bar 4 foot cheater bar and a torque wrench. See photo and drawing attached
Thanks for your response. I love your saddle idea! What thickness of steel did you use? The gussets really add strength to your idea!
I’m with Linnwood, a phone is all I plan to use. I do have a 4 way and torque wrench. I have a few blocks in case the levelers would go out of stroke. I’m old with a bad back and legs, I don’t even want to think about getting the spare out from under the Montana
For Mr Mustang - The saddle thickness is 1/2". When I drew the original sketch I envisioned several pieces of steel welded together to produce the saddle. The fab shop was smarter than that. They suggested starting with a 1/2" thick square steel pipe. They cut the top off the pipe and cut it in half to make the two "ears" that are welded on top. The gussets are 3/8" thick. Don't overlook the ring welded to the bottom of the saddle to keep the bottle jack from slipping. If you plan to have a saddle made, I recommend you take your own measurements as your axle/spring configuration could be different than mine. BTW, before having this saddle fabricated, I called the Dexter Axle engineering department and discussed trailer axle jacking dos and don'ts. When I described my design and use for the saddle, the engineer said that it should work perfectly with no damage to the axle or suspension.
This hasn't been mentioned, and some may disagree, but the Harbor Freight clicker wrenches are cheap, and accurate enough for what we are trying to accomplish here.
I currently do not have a 1/2" version, so I need to pick one of those up, along with a 1/2" extension and socket, and just leave them in the camper so that I have them with me at all times.
If you're someone who has a slider hitch, one of the of the other tools that you need carry are the tools required to take off your capture plate, if someone else is going to tow your 5er for some reason, like your truck broke down. On the newer capture plates, they are relatively easy to get off, but you still need an allen wrench to get them off. On the older versions, it was a 1/2 hour process with all of the bolts that they had on there...
For Mr Mustang - The saddle thickness is 1/2". When I drew the original sketch I envisioned several pieces of steel welded together to produce the saddle. The fab shop was smarter than that. They suggested starting with a 1/2" thick square steel pipe. They cut the top off the pipe and cut it in half to make the two "ears" that are welded on top. The gussets are 3/8" thick. Don't overlook the ring welded to the bottom of the saddle to keep the bottle jack from slipping. If you plan to have a saddle made, I recommend you take your own measurements as your axle/spring configuration could be different than mine. BTW, before having this saddle fabricated, I called the Dexter Axle engineering department and discussed trailer axle jacking dos and don'ts. When I described my design and use for the saddle, the engineer said that it should work perfectly with no damage to the axle or suspension.
Laverdur,
Thanks for the quick response bro. I will take my measurements, also the ring for the Jack,did not notice it on first inspection! Your excellent idea was one of those things when I first saw it was like I NEED THAT! How much did they charge you?✌🏻️
A torque wrench is a must & gets used each time I check air pressures. Almost lost tire when service company did not use a torque wrench during service. Walk around showed 3 broken studs other 3 loose at next fuel stop.
I fabbed a jack saddle also. Like said, you need to measure in-between the axle U-Bolts because most every rig has a different space between them. You really don't need killer equipment here (12T jack) unless as stated ... the price was right at the time. I stated years ago about using a load cell atop my bottle jack and seeing just what I'm picking up when I raise a tire about 1/2" off the ground. For my 3150, it's around 2500#. You have to remember, you're not picking up the whole fiver, just one end of an axle. With that in mind, my saddle is made out of 1.5" angle .25" thick welded on top of a 1.75" thick walled pipe. The inner ID just happened to fit my bottle jack. Works good, will last a long time, and is coded black for easy identification . With the invent of Level Up ... this chore has gotten alot easier. For those that insist on jacking up the frame and piling cribbing ... you're sure making this hard on yourself and your fiver. For those who rely on a roadside asssitance membership ... I may loose my health at some point, but for now, I don't have the patience to sit along the side of the road for an hour or better when I can have the spare on and on my way in less than 20 minutes.
This hasn't been mentioned, and some may disagree, but the Harbor Freight clicker wrenches are cheap, and accurate enough for what we are trying to accomplish here...
Harbor Freight has a new line of tools, Ican. They look like really good tools. They say they compare to Tool truck tools. I bought a 250 pound torque wrench to take the wheels off my Can Am motorcycle. It was $109 or something close.
Lynwood
I carry the exact same thing of Milwaukee impact wrench and two bottle jacks I have changed 17 blown tires in my life on the side of the road and I've got it down to no more than 10 minutes
Sounds as though if it weren't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all. I've pulled a trailer an average of 6K+ a year for the last 13 years, except this year when I put over 11K on my 2 trailers in 9 weeks time. In those 13 yrs I've had 1 blowout which was my fault I knew I should change tires on a car trailer I'd just bought but figured I'd get 1 trip on them. That was wrong I'd made it to Boise Id. and was returning when one let go. I had all 4 replaced while still in Id. I've had Michelin 10 ply. truck tires on that trailer for the last 6 years and have almost 40K on them all trouble free. In all my years of pulling dating back to the early 60's I've only had 4 flats on trailers. This spring I put 7400 mi on the fifth whl in 5 wks trouble free with Goodyear Endurance tires
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07 GMC CC LB dually LBZ, Idaho Rob EFI, DeeZee boards, 50 gal TransferFlow inbed tank
.... With the invent of Level Up ... this chore has gotten alot easier. For those that insist on jacking up the frame and piling cribbing ... you're sure making this hard on yourself and your fiver. ...
^^^^
I had to try this, just to make sure that it was possible, and it indeed is ...
Just to be clear ... my jacking the frame up comment was in relation to people using a bottle jack(s) on the frame and piles of wood, not jacking with Level Up. I guess I kinda ran 2 sentences together.