changing tire

[rbhtrail]

Good Afternoon All . 9/3/2019
We just got home with our new 2019 2720QB from Prosser RV in Wisconsin, We are excited and love our TM, and After reviewing some of the threads, I was wondering.
Has anyone had to change a tire on a 2019 TM .
- Do you have to open up the TM to change a flat ?
- Do you have to remove the fender skirt ?
- Can you jack up the axle to elevate the tire ?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have...

 

[Bill]

Many of us, including me, have changed lots of tires. You get good at it with practice. I've learned to do it in about 5 minutes.

1. Yes, you must open the TM.
2. Yes, you must remove the fender skirt.
3. YOU MUST NOT put the jack under the axle! The jack must be placed under the TM frame.

In my opinion, every owner must have the following items in an easily accessible location in the tow vehicle, or in the rear bumper compartment of the TM.
1. A bottle jack. A small one, rated 4 tons or so, with a lift of 7 inches or so, is plenty.
2. A few pieces of 2x6 or 2x8 board, 12-16 inches long or so.
3. A cross-arm lug wrench. I prefer it to an L-shaped wrench, since it is easier to remove a lug nut that some idiot overtightened with an air wrench.
4. A square-drive screwdriver to remove the fender skirt. In an emergency, you may be able to do it with a #2 Phillips screwdriver, but that is not a good plan.
5. A roll of paper towels. Tire changing is dirty work.
6. A decent flashlight or lantern, in case you have to do it at night.

A small tarp to kneel on is another goodie. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a torque wrench, though I don't.

You should do one other thing. At home, in the comfort of your driveway, practice taking the spare tire out of its carrier, and putting the failed tire back into the carrier and raising it into place. For me, anyway, this is the hardest part of changing a TM tire - the rest is easy.

Bill

 

[rbhtrail]

First-Let me say , Thanks Bill for all that you've contributed (8000+) to the Forum over the years.
I've already gathered some of the things to have on board the TV in the event of a mishap. I do plan to change the sq drive screws on the fender skirt to Phillips head for convenience.
Bob... RBHTRAIL

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Those screws likely take both Phillips and Roberston (what you Americans call square drive). Before you change them out, check to see if the Phillips screwdriver works. It should.

 

[Bill]

Larry and Bob -

You are right. A Phillips screwdriver should work on Robertson screws, and I always have one handy for emergencies. The reason I don't like a Phillips screwdriver for this application is that the sockets on the screw heads tend to fill up with greasy grit and grime, and the tip of a Phillips screwdriver won't fit far enough into the screw head. Yes, you can find a toothpick and spend the time cleaning them out, but you are unlikely to do this when stranded beside the road. More likely you will try to force the Phillips screwdriver tip into the square socket. If you do, turning the screwdriver can very easily strip out the socket in the screw head. Now you are in real trouble. Been there, done that (many times).

For applications like this, I love the Robertson (square drive) screw heads. I would leave them in place, Bob, and spend $2 for a real Robertson square-drive screwdriver.

Just my experience.

Bill

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Just so you know, Robertson is all Canadian.