Maintenance & Restoration

Bobknob · 04-10-2016, 01:33 PM

I tried removing a wheel from my 1984 Scamp 13' trailer for the first time and failed. The trailer sits quite low and I suspect the tires are larger than stock. After jacking up and blocking both sides significantly to get plenty of ground clearance, the wheel kept getting wedged between the wheel well and the end of the axle. Clearly I'm missing something; the guys at the tire shop didn't mention any trouble the two times they've worked on it. Suggestions?

On the other hand, I'm glad I discovered this before figuring it out the hard way on the side of the freeway while trying to change a tire :/

charlsara · 04-10-2016, 02:13 PM

Make sure you are jacking under the frame and not the axle. Jacking under the axle will cause the suspension to compress and move the wheel up.

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Bobknob · 04-10-2016, 02:32 PM

Yep, I'm definitely jacking the frame and the wheel is definitely dropping down. The problem is the lateral clearance, not vertical. The wheel is wedging between the axle end and the wheel well.

David B. · 04-10-2016, 03:15 PM

I once had that problem with our 13'Scamp, and had to let the air out of the tire to get it to clear the body. I believe I later learned how to maneuver the tire around to be able to remove it without letting the air out.
Dave & Paula

Bobknob · 04-10-2016, 07:36 PM

Thanks. Ultimately I jacked the whole thing up about 18 or 20 inches, let a lot of air out and wrestled it in. I think my next project will be cutting the wheel wells.