dual axle trailer tire changing.....

CliffA

CliffA

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2009
4,712
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340DA
Name: 'Happy Place'
4.5kW West. Generator
Purchased Nov. 2014
Fresh Water Use
Engines
Twin Merc. 6.2L (MPI)
640 hp (Total)
Raw Water Cooled
V-Drive Transmissions
this has most likely been discussed before but a search of the archives didn't turn up anything...

against my better judgement i recently ordered one of those small ramps designed to use with dual axle trailers when changing a flat tire.....supposedly all you have to do is place the ramp in front of the other wheel that is not flat and pull the trailer up on it....this is supposed to lift the wheel with the flat tire off the ground high enough to change it without having to use a jack......well, as i said earlier it was against my better judgement that i ordered one from Amazon for $28 as i am always skeptical about such claims.....i got the ramp delivered and tried it on my trailer in my driveway....sure enough it did not work...the wheel/tire opposite the ramp was not raised at all due to the articulation of the leaf spring suspension on my trailer....i can see this ramp working on trailers with dual axles that do not have any suspension, but obviously that is not the case for most boat trailers.....

the point of my post is two part....

1.....a warning to anyone thinking about buying one of these ramps

2.....if anyone can think of a way to make it work on a trailer with articulating suspension....i really like the simplistic concept and would like to figure out a way to make the ramp work...it sure beats having to crawl under a trailer to fit a jack into place....i thought about trying to use a block of wood wedged between the leaf spring and the trailer beam but that seems kind of clumsy and maybe dangerous and difficult to keep in place while pulling the trailer up on the ramp....

thanks....cliff
 
I use the jack out of my truck
ramps will get you squashed
and not a big fan of those cam style "ez jack" metioned above they are OK at best on a single axle small fishing boat trailer
but would never trust it with the mass weight of a cruiser
 
Last edited:
It seems I used a jack on the spring, but it's been a number of years now.
 
I have changed numerous trailer wheels including trailers with livestock moving around inside and a 13k fifth wheel rv without incident. Fact is I am more comfortable useing ramps espicialy on rocky, soft or unlevel surfaces. It usualy requires inserting a block between the frame and equalizer bar. The block needs to be most resistant to spliting because a piece of pine 2x can split and drop the axle. If you must use a pine 2x,grain should run paralell to trailer frame. I use Bois d arc , hard rubber and plywood pieces stacked,glued and nailed togeather. As with useing jacks,placing a block between axle and ground before removing tire is reccomended. The best way I have found is calling road service.:thumbsup:
 
thanks for all the replies....

does anyone jack the trailer up by placing the jack between the wheels so that the jack will press against the leaf spring equalizer?.....this would raise both wheels at the same time, but the stress on the spring equalizer may be too much and cause damage to the spring/equalizer....if this would work at least you would not have to crawl under the trailer to position the jack under an axle and then need to be in an awkward position to pump the jack handle up and down....

luckily i have not had a flat tire while pulling the boat yet, but i just want to be sure that i have the correct methods and equipment that have been tried and tested in my driveway if/when i do need to change a flat tire on the road....

cliff
 
That equalizer pivots, right? I wouldn't do that. I know you could probably get it to set just right on the brackets (if your style of bracket extends past the equalizer) - but I would rather just sneak it behind the wheel and put in under the spring shackles/bolts or the axle tube. Plus, the tires are usually pretty close together (especially when fully inflated) - can you even get your jack in between?
 
i could probably get a slim scissor jack between the tires...have not really tried or measured the distance to be honest....just trying to think things through and consider all possiblities....the spring equalizer bar does pivot so you may be right about being concerned the jack could slide to the left or right if the bar did pivot while the trailer was jacked up....

i'm probably making too much out of this (bad habit of mine) but with high temps getting ready to hit in the 100's here in the Carolinas i want to be able to change a tire as quickly as possible (while being safe) and exert the least amount of energy/effort....that kind of heat (not to mention high humidity also) is dangerous and it does not take long when exposed to these conditions to start suffering from symptoms of heat related stress on your body (BTDT).......not a very pleasant feeling, trust me.....

i have even been looking at electric jacks that plug into a 12V power outlet by i'm not sure they would be strong enough....

cliff
 
No,you are not making too much out of this. Risk of injury while making repairs to vehicles is very much a reality. Raising a vehicle up for repair ranks as one of if not the most dangerous. I grew up with farming and ranching where out of nessity one must make on the spot repairs. More people are seriously injured while making repairs that require raising a vehicle off the ground than other repairs. The best I can offer here is have someone demonstrate useing a ramp and/or buying a "racing jack". Racing jack is simply a roll around floor jack that weighs 75% less than a conventional floor jack. You can use the jack for cars and pickups plus it will last a life time.
 
Nehalennia said:
I have a triple axle trailer and still have yet to figure out the best method.
Click to expand...

Me too - for now it's use a small bottle jack under the axle that barely fits with a flat tire , if I'm lucky.
Otherwise it's, jack here, block, jack there, block some more - the small "racing jack" would probably be easier.
 
KC_Sundancer said:
Me too - ........... the small "racing jack" would probably be easier.
Click to expand...

That's what I was considering but I need to get a box holding all the gear in my truck first so I can secure it when we're at the ramp for extended periods.
 
WazzuCMGrad said:
Try this:
http://www.adamshorsesupplies.com/T...rs-P613.aspx?gclid=CJzkoJab8bACFSQbQgodryOWuQ

I've seen these used lots of times. Put the good tire on it, and it'll raise the other one up for changing.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

that is the exact ramp i purchased through Amazon...it did not work for my trailer...the articulation of the suspension with the leaf springs and the equalizer bar and the spring shackles inverting allowed the opposite tire to stay on the ground....i think i am going to try and use a small piece of chain to lock the spring shackles together before driving up the ramp and the shackles are above the equalizer bar and then try the ramp again....if i can keep the shackle from inverting this may allow the other tire to raise off the ground also.....

cliff
 
Like KC, I use a small bottle jack. I sized it to fit under the shackles that hold the axle on. I also carry a 12" square of 3/4" plywood to give myself a solid base as I'll never know what the ground will be. You still need to sneak it behind the wheel, but using a bottle jack is lightyear's easier than a scissors jack. I think I paid about $20 for the jack at Tractor Supply. I mounted a decent sized tool box to my trailer frame and I keep this stuff (and more) in there.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Like KC, I use a small bottle jack. I sized it to fit under the shackles that hold the axle on. I also carry a 12" square of 3/4" plywood to give myself a solid base as I'll never know what the ground will be. You still need to sneak it behind the wheel, but using a bottle jack is lightyear's easier than a scissors jack. I think I paid about $20 for the jack at Tractor Supply. I mounted a decent sized tool box to my trailer frame and I keep this stuff (and more) in there.
Click to expand...

I have a 21 ton "stubby" bottle jack from Tractor Supply but it was $45.

MM
 
CliffA said:
that is the exact ramp i purchased through Amazon...it did not work for my trailer...the articulation of the suspension with the leaf springs and the equalizer bar and the spring shackles inverting allowed the opposite tire to stay on the ground....i think i am going to try and use a small piece of chain to lock the spring shackles together before driving up the ramp and the shackles are above the equalizer bar and then try the ramp again....if i can keep the shackle from inverting this may allow the other tire to raise off the ground also.....

cliff
Click to expand...

We use one of these ramps on our triple axle trailer. If you try to jack up on wheel at a time the tire ends up hitting the fender. We put the ramp under the wheel next to the one we are trying to lift which compresses that spring a little and takes some weight off the one you are changing. Now you aren't lifting as much weight and your jack isn't as stressed
 
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