flat tires

[denny w]

How do people change tires on Scamps when traveling? There is no jack with my trailer.

[Jon in AZ]

Find out if your tow vehicle jack will do the job. Check both left and right sides because the frame is different. Make sure there is enough clearance to get the jack under the frame, and make sure it has enough lifting range to get the tire off the ground.

[gordon2]

I dont recommend trying to change tires while traveling.. its really hard to get the lug wrench on the nuts when the wheel is spinning let alone running at the same time to keep up with the trailer.

as it happens.. my tug's wrench is the right size for my Scamp. Most people just stop by wally world or like place and pick up a four-way lugnut wrench to take with them. The tugs jack works fine too for me, after adding a wood block.. YMMV so get what you need.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Purchased a 4 way folding lug wrench that fits nicely where the tools are. I also bought a 1.5 ton bottle jack. However the jack with the tug works too.
However I have never had a flat tire in 10 years of towing. It's been over 20 years since I've had a flat tire on anything except the trailer dolly and a wheel barrel.

[Paul O.]

The jack and lug wrench does not seem to be standard equipment on small trailers. The tow vehicle already has them. Make sure they fit.

The flats do happen while towing, maybe not too often. I know of two, both on the gravel section of the Trans Labrador Highway. One on Norm's Scamp (if I remember correctly), the other was the right rear on my truck. The pressure sensor saved my bacon, I was able to patch the tire on the truck without even jacking it up, with the patching cord and pump it up with the cheap 12V compressor. Don't leave home without them.

Another two I know of, one was somebody in Florida, who was telling me he had to have the Scamp shell fixed after his right tire shredded and messed it up. The second was somebody I also talked to in Florida, on another trip, who had to have a damaged axle and was without a spare at that time, the blown up tire was on the back of his Scamp, showing uneven wear. It is possible that both of those may have been avoided by careful monitoring of the temperature, pressure and wear pattern.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Unless you're traveling in Labrador area or similar place AAA works pretty well.

[Bill Nolen]

While not totally pertaining to this threads question, an article I wrote many years ago might be of interest as to what tools might be useful when towing a trailer.

Duckworks - Messing with Trailer Wheel Bearings on the Highway!

Or maybe not!

Bill

[Glenn Baglo]

I decided I better do a test tire change some time ago.
I only got as far as trying to remove the spare tire. The star lug wrench I had bought for the purpose could not turn without hitting the storage box I had installed.
I now have a socket and a broken torque wrench for the job. I've also installed the box so that I can easily remove it. Before, I had it fastened to the rack with u-bolts and the nuts were inside the box.
I highly recommend a dry run. Make sure your jack is capable and maybe carry some Lynx Levelers to raise the jack.
Best pic I can find to illustrate the problem.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

...
I highly recommend a dry run. Make sure your jack is capable and maybe carry some Lynx Levelers to raise the jack...

2ed on the dry run... Scamps for example are known to have long bolts on the spare so you need a deep socket to get the lugnuts off. A practice run will expose any little issue like this that could otherwise leave you stranded.

[Ttocs M]

speaking of tires - any recommendations on when to install new tires? My trailer is 2005 with original tires, not sure of mileage. An RV dealer said I should change out every 5 years (ultraviolet light, temp), regardless of usage/tire tread.

Suggestions, please. Also what brand of tires to you Scamp/Casita owners like best?
I'm preparing for a long trip. Thanks for your comments

[Jon in AZ]

The dealer's recommendation is on the low end, as you would expect from someone whose goal is to sell tires, but not way out of line. There's no universal consensus, but I hear 6-7 years a lot.

Yours are way past due, so yes, I would certainly get new tires. Don't forget the spare.

Brand is controversial. Carlisle, Maxxis, and Goodyear Marathon seem to be the most commonly recommended. I like to deal with Discount Tire (America's Tire) because of their service and large network. They stock Carlisle locally, so that's what I have right now. But they could order whatever I wanted.

[Green Frog]

I use a pair of scissors jacks to assist my levelers on the back corners of my Burro... if I were to change my tire, I would just place one of them on the frame close to the axle and have at it. I've been fortunate so far in not having a flat, but I think I could handle it (if I ever get around to buying a spare!) eyes:

Froggie

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Unless you're traveling in Labrador area or similar place AAA works pretty well.

Before our trip across Labrador we checked twice with AAA to see if we had coverage in Labrador. The reply was yes. We never used it in Labrador but did use it once in NL and they were there in 20 minutes.

The problem in Labrador would be cell service. When we drove across Labrador in 2008 you could get a satellite phone in case of emergency. no charge for the phone.