2004 Trailmanor 3023 tire change

[Sunchaser]

I received a great quote from a local tire dealer for three Maxxis ST225/75R15 tires-$300 out the door, mounted and balanced.

That was the easy part....now to get the tires/rims off and up to him.

The spare is not problem....but what is the best procedure to remove the two wheels/tires while leaving the Trailmanor sitting until I return?

(Using floor jacks/jackstands, or will the built in jacks hoist it high enough to remove the wheels?)

Also, is it best to open the trailer slightly to get at the wheel wells, or to fully set it up?

When camping, the wheels were still touching the ground so I never tested the ability of the built in jacks to raise it high enough to bet them both off of the ground.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[rumbleweed]

You did not mention it, but I assume you already have 15" wheels. If the dealer is not far away, you can take spare and one wheel and have it done while jacked up as if changing a flat. Use those two once done to replace two axle wheels and take third to dealer and replace as spare. Also have dealer check mfg date prior to taking delivery. Depending on where they are coming from, they could already be older tires.

[Sunchaser]

Thanks for the reply! I DO have 15" wheels already. The tire dealer is not a trailer dealer, so I will be removing the tires myself. Since it's a 78 mile round trip, I was hoping to take all three in at once.....if it's possible to do so without endangering the trailer.

[Bill]

Does your tire dealer demand that you bring in just the tires/wheels? My local tire jockey certainly didn't. He did the work outside, on the concrete apron outside one of the bays. They have plenty of floor jacks to put under the frame (NOT THE AXLE!) and get it off the ground, and air wrenches to remove and replace the wheels quickly.

Once they initially get it off the ground, all you have to do is pop the latches to allow the shells to rise a couple inches, and remove the wheel well covers (a square drive screwdriver works best). But you'll do this whether you do the job at home or let him do it.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

I took all 3 tires to a tire shop one time because I was also doing the bearings at the same time, and doing so saved me from towing the TM to the shop, which has very limited parking/work space.

First I removed the spare from the TM. Then I hooked up my TV to the TM to stabilize the TM, and chocked the wheels on the TV. Then I jacked up one side of the TM, removed the tire on that side, and lowered both stabilizer jacks on that side. Then I did the same to the other side, and lowered the tongue jack as well. I then took the tires to the shop in a separate vehicle.

Worked like a charm, and I was confident the TM was stable.

Dave

[LiveTicker]

Can't a TM be jacked up one side at a time and concrete blocks or railroad ties slipped under the frame? Then all wheels are removable.
Since TM is long you could use more than 4 stacks some turned 90 degrees under the frame for stability.
I thought someone on this forum did that to install the lift kit.
.

[Bill]

The TM stabilizers are rated at 5000 pounds each - more than enough to hold the weight of the trailer. If you have one or more jacks (floor jack, bottle jack, etc) available, just raise one side of the TM, lower the stabilizers on that side, then remove the jack and go do the other side. Concrete blocks? Timbers? Bah! Too complex!

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

While I would never get underneath a vehicle supported only by jacks, I would never support a vehicle at all with concrete cinder blocks, even for changing a tire. They can easily crumble in that application, and with so many other things you can use instead, it's not worth it.

Dave

[Sunchaser]

Thanks to all for your suggestions and observations. The tire change went smoothly, and I feel fortunate to have dodged a tire issue with the Goodyear Marathons. One of the tires I took off had cord shift noticeable only from inside the tire!

I ended up jacking up each side, then using the leveling jacks to maintain the tires above the ground. Although my manual says to avoid lifting the unit off the tires with the jacks (something I can't figure out) it works just fine.

I adjusted the brakes and jacked up the TM to take the weight off of the tires. One jack stand on each side just behind the wheel works great.

Advantage Tire in Anniston, AL did the three Maxxis ST225/75/R15 LR D for $315 with metal valve stems, mount and balance. I thought it was a great deal and jumped on it before any price increase.