How to Jack up a Dual Axle Travel Trailer: Easiest Method Explained
A travel trailer is a blessing for the people who love exploring and traveling around the places with ease. It not only helps in getting to different places with comfort, but the trailer is also a great way of cutting down the travel cost. Some people also use trailers for their business related to deliveries and logistics. There are many types of trailers available in the market, such as single axle trailer and dual axle trailer. A dual axle trailer, also popularly known as tandem axle trailers, is preferred for traveling.
Dual axle travel trailers provide more stability to keep with high speed on highways. Extra tires in the trailer make it easy for them to bear heavy load along with delivering more suspension as compared to the other vehicles. However, facing problems while traveling with a trailer is common. Although it is not very common in dual axle trailers, many travelers encounter the issues of a flat tire. If you are a frequent traveler, then you should know the solutions and tips to jack up the trailers. To help you with understanding the process, I will describe a step-by-step procedure to jack up a dual axle travel trailer.
How to Jack up a Dual Axle Travel Trailer?
Before starting the process, make sure that you have all the supplies that are required for this Process.
- Spare tire
- Tire ramp made for dual axle trailers exclusively
- Lubrication
- Breaker bar
- Socket and Wrench
Procedure:
- If you are stuck with a flat tire while driving on the highway, then the first step is to park the trailer on the side to avoid traffic issues. As a trailer is a heavy vehicle, it might require much time and effort to change the tire. In case you are doing it in your garage, then make sure that the trailer is parked on an even and hard surface so that it remains stable throughout the process.
- The second step is to loosen the lug nuts from the flat tire and keep them safely in a box or a piece of paper.
- Once the nuts are removed, position the tire ramp in front of the flat tire. If the front wheel is inflated, then the ramp should be in the rear and vice versa. Make sure you keep the ramp properly in front or behind the wheel as per the need. Tire ramps are specifically designed for the dual axle trailers, so working with them will not be that difficult.
- You might need to put in some extra energy to pull the trailer so that the tire near the inflated tire is positioned on the tire ramp. When the tire is placed correctly onto the ramp, the flat tire is elevated.
- You can also drive the trailer slowly to position the wheel on the ramp. Make sure to pull the handbrake once the position is set. Once the inflated tire is elevated, remove it and replace it with a spare tire.
- After the spare tire is positioned correctly in the place of inflated one, drive the trailer backward and remove the tire ramp from the tire. Now screw all the lug nuts to fix the tire properly.
- You can also check the pressure of the spare tire before changing it to ensure the proper working of your trailer. It is also recommended to lubricate the lug nuts to avoid friction and a smooth driving.
Quick Tips
Many people also recommend using jack stands or bottle jacks for changing tires. But for dual axle trailers, tire ramps work better and are also easy to work with. Also, you do not need to position two tires of the RV on the ramp, placing a neighboring tire to the inflated one gives enough space to elevate the flat tire.
Concluding Remarks
Tire ramps can also come handy if your trailer is stuck in mud or snow. You can also store these ramps in the travel trailer itself and change tires with ease. If you are a beginner and are facing issues while jacking up the trailer, then you can also refer to some online tutorials to know the drill.
