Changing a Tire Question

[DoubleT]

Do you have to remove the plastic "fender skirt" to remove the tires? I think you do but want to be sure. Having new Maxxis tires installed tomorrow.Getting ready for summer expeditions. Thanks.

[hillbillyhotel]

mark
i do , mine are kinda on the older side , and do not want to crack them being in a bind, i do remember someone saiding they could, but don't remember who. also remind the tire guys DO NOT LIFT WITH AXLE, IT WILL BEND, if it was me i would take a stick with me when i told them this,lol

[wbmiller3]

It is best to if you can. Use a square tipped screwdriver and it is not a big deal.

[T and C]

I just use a flat screwdriver that fits into two corners of the square hole. Last year I cracked a skirt while trying to remove a tire cover w/o taking the skirt off. So for me it will always be skirts off for tire work.

BTW, a new pair of skirts cost me $25 at Custom RV.

Tom

FYI---I was having trouble getting the right size screwdriver to work on the variour srews in both my 2720SL and my Elkmond. And my neighbor who lived for 10 years in Canada said I bet it's a Robertson type screw. Went to Home Depot an Lowes and finely found someone who knew what a Robertson type was.


Robertson
Close-up of a Robertson screwA Robertson, also known as a square,[18] or Scrulox[19] screw drive has a square-shaped socket in the screw head and a square protrusion on the tool. Both the tool and the socket have a taper, which makes inserting the tool easier, and also tends to help keep the screw on the tool tip without the user needing to hold it there. (The taper's earliest reason for being was to make the manufacture of the screws practical using cold forming of the heads,[20] but its other advantages helped popularize the drive.) Robertson screws are commonplace in Canada, though they have been used elsewhere[21] and have become much more common in other countries in recent decades. Robertson screwdrivers are easy to use one-handed, because the tapered socket tends to retain the screw, even if it is shaken.[21] They also allow for the use of angled screw drivers and trim head screws. The socket-headed Robertson screws are self-centering, reduce cam out, stop a power tool when set, and can be removed if painted-over or old and rusty.[21] In industry, they speed up production and reduce product damage.[21]

The internal-wrenching square socket drive for screws (as well as the corresponding triangular socket drive) was conceived several decades before the Canadian P. L. Robertson invented the Robertson screw and screwdriver in 1908 and received patents in 1909 (Canada) and 1911 (U.S. Patent 1,003,657). An earlier patent for square-socket- and triangle-socket-drive wood screws, U.S. Patent 161,390, was issued to one Allan Cummings of New York City on March 30, 1875. However, as with other clever drive types conceived and patented in the 1860s through 1890s, it was not manufactured widely (if at all) during its patent lifespan due to the difficulty and expense of doing so at the time.[20] Robertson's breakthrough in 1908 was to design the socket's taper and proportions in such a combination that the heads could be easily and successfully cold formed,[20] which is what made such screws a valid commercial proposition. Today cold forming (via stamping in a die) is still the common method used for most screws sold, although rotary broaching is also common now. Linear broaching to cut corners into a drilled hole (similar to the action of a mortising machine for woodworking) has also been used (less commonly) over the decades.

Robertson had licensed the screw design to a maker in England, but the party that he was dealing with intentionally drove the company into bankruptcy and purchased the rights from the trustee, thus circumventing Robertson.[citation needed] He spent a small fortune buying back the rights. Subsequently, he refused to allow anyone to make the screws under license. When Henry Ford tried out the Robertson screws he found they saved considerable time in Model T production, but when Robertson refused to license the screws to Ford, Ford realized that the supply of screws would not be guaranteed and chose to limit their use in production to Ford's Canadian division.[22][23][24] Robertson's refusal to license his screws prevented their widespread adoption in the United States, where the more widely licensed Phillips head has gained acceptance. The restriction of licensing of Robertson's internal-wrenching square may have sped the development of the internal-wrenching hexagon, although documentation of this is limited.

Robertson-head screwdrivers are available in range of tip-sizes. A given driver's suitability for use with a particular size of screw and recess size is indicated upon its handle

[Bill]

Robertson (alias square-tip or square-drive) screwdrivers are available for a couple bucks at any hardware store. The TM is assembled with dozens of square-drive screws - I think the size is always #2, but someone will remind me if that's not right - so it is worth getting one. A #2 Phillips screwdriver, or a properly-sized flat blade screwdriver, will work if the screw isn't too tight. But on a tight screw, either of these risk deforming the screw head, which you would like to avoid.

I stole a picture of Robertson screwdrivers, and attached it below.
Take a look at a square-drive screw head here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...2&d=1239381761

Bill

Originally Posted by hillbillyhotel

mark
i do , mine are kinda on the older side , and do not want to crack them being in a bind, i do remember someone saiding they could, but don't remember who. also remind the tire guys DO NOT LIFT WITH AXLE, IT WILL BEND, if it was me i would take a stick with me when i told them this,lol

If not the axle, where is the correct jacking point? I am acquiring a TM and need to change tires.

It looks like I will have to remove the tires, bring them to the tire store to have the new ones mounted on the wheel. Then I need to install them myself.

The tire stores, Walmart and the RV service departments won't mount them on the RV, liability issues. Crazy!

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Drews60

If not the axle, where is the correct jacking point? I am acquiring a TM and need to change tires.

Position the jack on the frame near the tire.

Originally Posted by Drews60

The tire stores, Walmart and the RV service departments won't mount them on the RV, liability issues. Crazy!

Weird. I have had trailer tires mounted directly onto my trailers by tire shops in Colorado, Texas, and California, and have never once heard this. You might try calling around, especially some smaller dealers.

Dave

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

Weird. I have had trailer tires mounted directly onto my trailers by tire shops in Colorado, Texas, and California, and have never once heard this. You might try calling around, especially some smaller dealers.

Dave

Crazy isn't it. Walmart said no, Goodyear tire store said no, an RV service department said no.

I did find a local guy that must not have an accountant or lawyer. He said yes.

My local Chevron service station has no problem installing tires on my TM.

When swapping the spare for a flat I just use the two corner jaces on that side. Older TMs, apparently, have stabilizers so that will not work.

My mechanic uses the normal rolling hydraulic jack. I instructed hi to on use it on the axle.