16' casita liberty flat tire jack?

[tracy.c]

What kind of jack should I buy to change a flat tire on this trailer? I'm not familiar with the frame and want to have it road ready for an upcoming trip.

thank you!

[Pete Dumbleton]

What I carry is an inexpensive ($15?) hydraulic bottle jack from WallyMart, plus some handy pieces of 1x and 2x wood for shimming. You might consider a slightly larger bottle jack, as long as it fits in there.

If your tow vehicle has a scissors jack rated for the load, that might be enough.

Rather than a standard lug wrench, I carry a tool box that includes a socket set with sockets that fit the lug nuts on truck and trailer, plus a length of pipe that fits on the socket driver for leverage.

Remember, you don't actually need to know how to use this stuf -- Just having it handy means that anyone with the knowledge can help. Wise folks try the stuf out at home first, of course, so they know what works.

[tracy.c]

thank you pete. I browsed walmart automotive section today and they have quite a few jacks.

where under the trailer is it safe to put the jack. It looks like all fiberglass under there. Is there a metal frame on the perimeter to put it?

great idea about trying it at home first and also about the lug nut socket for the trailer tires. Excellent tips! I never would have thought the lug nuts would be different on the car and the trailer.

appreciate your help

[Pete Dumbleton]

There should be a fairly obvious steel frame running fore and aft. Definitely don't jack on the fiberglass!! Dexter, likely maker of your axle, recommends jacking on the frame, NOT the axle components (or there may be damage), but it should be fairly close to the wheel. Don't forget to chock the opposite wheel BOTH ways before jacking if the trailer isn't attached to the tow vehicle (Wally also carries those nice yellow wheel chocks).

Lug nuts come in various sizes, which is why they sell those X-shaped wrenches with different size sockets on the ends. Some vehicles may now have metric sizes as well (I should already know this, having a metric truck, but I've never had occasion to take a wheel off -- Now I'm going to have to check...).

[tracy.c]

thanks again Pete. Yeah I knew better than to jack the fiberglass. what a disaster that would be

the wheel chocks are a good idea. thank you so much! i'll be taking a trip alone, so we're trying to put together an emergency road tool kit.

we just picked it up the other day and really haven't had time to go over anything in it. We do have all the manuals and my husband is handy, so we'll go thru the entire trailer and see what needs attention.

I know I'll be back with more questions on the forum.

thx again

[Brian B-P]

Lug nuts come in various sizes, which is why they sell those X-shaped wrenches with different size sockets on the ends. Some vehicles may now have metric sizes as well...

I suspect that it would be difficult to find a current-production motor vehicle which doesn't have metric wheel nuts; even Chevy trucks went from 1/2" threads and some inch-sized hex to 14mm threads and a metric hex size a couple of decades ago. By coincidence, the 21 mm hex size (and therefore socket size) which fits my Toyota van is virtually identical to the size (13/16"?) used by the Dexter hardware on the Boler; I suspect that some of those X-wrenches have no metric sockets but happen to work okay on some metric nuts.

I carry a socket and flex drive handle when towing, which provides more leverage and is easier to use than the stock spare tire changing wrench in the van, but that one is usable, too.

Just in case this isn't obvious, jacking on the frame behind the axle will be stable, while jacking far enough ahead of the axle will lift the front of an unhitched trailer leaving it teetering on only two support points. I found my van's jack fits and works well on the frame just behind the rear leaf spring mount.

[Pete Dumbleton]

(13/16) * 25.4 = 20.6375, which is close enough to 21mm to suit me!

I actually have a Craftsman SAE and metric adjustable wrench! On one side is printed "8 inch" and on the other "20 cm"...

Brian, good call on where to place the jack when not attached to tow vehicle; I'm so used to working on my stuf when attached that I don't often think of it otherwise.

[tracy.c]

thx for the where to put the jack tip. I imagine the tt would be attached to the tv to fix a flat. We did find a lug X wrench that fits from our old jeep cherokee. It's kind of big to store though so a socket wrench sounds like a better tool kit item. Unless you need the torque of the big one.

we just got the trailer a few days ago and are going thru it one thing at a time and fixing things. Trailer light brake/signal light prob that after searching the forum it sounds like a ground issue. we'll do the run a ground from vehicle to vehicle test tommorow to see if that solves it.

the next issue will be a warped door. b/c of some homebrew fiberglass repairs, we wondered if it had rolled or something, but the door is not damages and the frame around it isn't either, so i think it's the 16' warped door problem.

we took it off the hinges to hold it up in the upper left corner where it sat lower. It pulls it in quite a bit, so we may try the cable turn buckle method.

it needs a heftier latch and the hinges are just flat metal that is bent over and bent at that.

thank you guys so much for you quick, helpful answers. It's taken away the fear or working on my used trailer.

[Pete Dumbleton]

thx for the where to put the jack tip. I imagine the tt would be attached to the tv to fix a flat. We did find a lug X wrench that fits from our old jeep cherokee. It's kind of big to store though so a socket wrench sounds like a better tool kit item. Unless you need the torque of the big one.

That's why I also carry a 2' piece of pipe that fits over the socket handle.

[Brian B-P]

A flex handle (also known as breaker bar) doesn't need an extension, because it is normally long... that (and the fact that it is durable and inexpensive because it does not contain a ratchet) is why I chose it use it for this purpose (wheel nuts).

I also carry a speeder handle, to rapidly spin nuts, leaving only breaking loose or tightening to the other handle. I only have a 3/8" drive speeder, so I also carry the little adapter that lets the 3/8" speeder fit the 1/2"-drive wheel nut socket.

My tools are not from Snap-On, those are just convenient illustrations.

[Pete Dumbleton]

The pipe cost less than a breaker bar and is custom by BeatToFit on one end and has a bend in the middle that makes it easy to use around a fender. I have also used the pipe, on two occasions, to shore up a leaf-spring trailer suspension, when the leaf broke, to get the trailer to a place where I could repair it (which is how it got that convenient bend in it).

It has also functioned as a lever and hammer at other times.

I usually use my 1/2" socket set for lug nuts, so I'm not concerned about it breaking it.