Changing Damaged Caravan / Camper Trailer Tyres While Travelling.

G'day Daza,

Your post reminds me of a traffic snarl a few months ago. The problem was that a van with a flat tyre had come to a stop in the middle of the road (M1 just north of Brisbane airport). The chap was changing the tyre in the middle of the road on a bridge in very busy and irate traffic. It was hard to believe when just a little further he could have pulled over. So I want to add "pull over" to the list.

I've not had a flat on the van but have had one on the camper trailer. I guess it was easier to just come to a stop on the Kalumburu road then the M1!

Image Could Not Be Found

Image Could Not Be Found

Kind regards

G'day Dazza, I carry a 2 ton trolley Jack & use it for 4by & C/t. Many consider
these too bulky & heavy, & they are both, but very easy to get in the right spot
without having to crawl underneath. The lifting is easy & I never disconnect the
C/t. I still carry the screw jack that came with the wagon & a small bottle jack as
well as back up. I carted a high lift on my first outback trip, but never again. Too
big ,too heavy & too dangerous. I still use it around the farm but most are little
more than ballast on most 4bys. I carry a base plate for the trolley but rarely need to use it. cheers....oldbaz.

I think most pull over to a stop rather than do it while travelling...Cough...cough.

.

Daza, I only use the normal jack that comes with my 60 series LC, and if I can't get it under the axle without any trouble, I run the vehicle or CT up on a block to get it a bit higher.

Regardless of the state of the tyre, driving up onto a block is not going to do any more damage, but allows you to slide the jack under the axle without any trouble.
I normally have levelling blocks in the CT, so that's what I use.

If it is a busy area, I have a safety vest in the vehicle all the time, and I also have one of those emergency flashing beacons as well, just in case.

If the flat is on the car, everybody out and off to the side of the road for sure.

Dave

If you get the most recent addition of '4WD Action Camper Trailer Touring' there is an extensive article on changing/repairing trailer tyres.

Hi Daza

Usually wait until we get home!Well that was the luck of the draw on the last two big trips; we got a flat in front of the house when we got home after all those kms.

In addition to that we did have one blow out last year on a caravan tyre (original tyres from F250 so over six years old). We were on a road where there were drop offs both sides, trucks using the road and not really safe to stop. We had to go a couple of kilometres or so before we could pull off at a farm gate. There was no damage to the rim. Apart from a pop sound, we wouldn't have known about the blow out either as the van rode true (Simplicity suspension).

We travel with two jacks - usually a bottle and a trolley jack and have needed both on a number of occasions - for ourself and to help others. We also have flashing LED light safety triangles, but have not needed to use them. We got them after an incident on the Stuart Highway in 2006 when the tow bar broke, again on a spot with drop offs, so we were just off the bitumen. We could not drive further along the road to a safer spot. We had two bottle jacks with us and needed both to lift the a-frame. My husband stayed with the caravan while i went some distance to get repairs done to get us mobile. It was OK until dark, when trucks were rushing past close by rocking the caravan which was not all that visible. My husband put the internal lights on and opened the curtains, and was still felt threatened by the trucks. The van was not easy to see on a dark night.

Motherhen

Get a "Trailer Mate" jack. No mucking about under caravan to position a bottle jack. The Trailer Mate jack fitts into the jacking point behind the rear wheel at the side of the caravan, and will lift both wheels at the same time. Best investment you will ever make. Cheers