Recommended procedure for tire dealers to Jack my 5r for new tires

[wrgrs50s]

This question is for those of you who have recently had tires changed on your 5th wheel. I have read from some of the forums that the rig should be jacked at the frame however most tire dealers jack under the axles at the spring. What was your experience and is there really any reason for concern?

Thanks,
Walter

2012 Sundance 277RL

 

[cookie]

The recommendation is to jack the trailer by the frame. Some people feel that is not necessary. I prefer to follow the guidelines of the manufacturer, that way if there is a problem I know I did not cause it.
Last year I had a bad magnet on my brake system. I do not know how the dealer here in Texas jacked the trailer up but what I do know is that a couple of months later I had the axles replaced.

Peace
Dave

 

[jmgratz]

Most tire dealers do not have a clue how to properly jack up a vehicle like a 5th wheel. It is not recommended to jack one up one the axle. It should be jacked up by the frame according to the manual. Theoretically jacking it up by the axle could cause damage to the axle.

 

[JohnDar]

So then, if you have a Level-Up, Ground Control, or Bigfoot system, would be wise to raise it for them using the jack system? Then they could easily lift an axle to get the tire off the ground without the weight of the trailer on it.

 

[jmgratz]

I am not fortunate enough to have a Level-up but if I did that is how I would do it. But every time I have had a tire changed (either by a tire shop or road service) I have had to tell them where to place the jack as they tried to place it in the wrong spots every time. Their response each time was "I didn't know that".

 

[westxsrt10]

Watch them while the work is done. If they lift the unit by the frame on one side only watch for damage to the thin frame. I bet they lift it by the axles. Lifting by the axle 'nearest the wheel', one wheel at a time is the common sence safe way.

 

[57chevyconvt]

I keep some 4 x 4 blocks, 2-6" long and 2-8" long to assist in jacking the frame on either side of the spring hangers. Tire shop floor jack normally do not have the high lift type of jack that you would see in a Truck Repair Shop. Only way to be sure that the trailer is properly jacked up is to stand guard, i.e., supervise the job while trailer is being jacked up.

 

[porthole]

Although jacking by the frame may be the recommend way it is not always practical. Nor the safest in my opinion.

Either way, I would leave it hooked up to the truck if possible. Parking brake applied and trailer chocked.

Jacking by the frame puts a tremendous amount of stress in a concentrated area. And you need to do a lot of lifting to overcome the spring travel.
The only way you are going to do that is with blocking. That by itself leads to instability. I seriously doubt more then just a few people keep enough of the proper material to safely form "cribbing" to get the jack near the frame.

Think of the stress if you are not using two jacks, lifting equally, in front of and behind the axles. With a jack on the frame you are trying to lift half your trailer weight on 2 square inches of frame. 2 axle trailers have 4 mounting points spread across maybe 6 feet supporting half the weight.

If I needed to manually jack - if the axle is above the spring then jack under the spring pad. If the axle is mounted below the spring, have made a jack cradle for your bottle jack (piece of angle welded to the screw forming a "V").

Jacking the axle means only having to jack just far enough to get the tire off, and inch or 2. And you can minimize that by driving the good tire up on a board or two.

Don't scrimp on your choice of jacks. I bough ta low profile 20 ton bottle jack to fit under the MOR/ryde IS parts. 20 ton sounds like overkill, but it was only $20 more then the smaller versions, the base has probably double the square inches of pad over the typical bottle jack and it is very easy to lift.
When your laying on the side of the road the 20 ton jack is 3 times easier to pump then the typical 6 ton.

But, I must digress, it is far easier to push the button and lift the offending side off the ground.
LevelUp and power cord reel, 2 best things I did to our trailer.


To the OP, your concern is genuine, improper placement of the jack will bend your axles, and they can't be bent back.

 

[57chevyconvt]

Porthole, I have been thinking about making a jacking cradle such as you have noted. What do you think of making a cradle out of a piece of 4" pipe and welding a smaller piece of pipe to capture the jack ram to hold the jack so it will not slip off the 4" pipe cradle? Is it OK to put the cradle under the axle U-bolts for lifting a single axle? Fortunately, I have not had to change a tire on the road, but planning for the trip to Alaska has me thinking about fixtures that will facilitate lifting a single axle. When I work on the trailer at home I use three floor jack appropriately spaced to lift the entire side of the trailer.

 

[porthole]

Personally, I would not be comfortable with that idea.

If I needed a similar jack I would use a 2" or 3" by 1/4" angle welded to the jack screw.

 

[traveler44]

I jack mine like Duane does his. I just use the jack from the truck though because I don't like carrying extra weight like jacks and planks around. I used to jack our old travel trailer by the frame and it would put so much torque on the frame that you couldn't open the outside door while it was jacked up. I don't think the people who make the rules about jacking by the frame have to change very many of their own tires.

 

[lwmcguir]

I jack mine like Duane does his. I just use the jack from the truck though because I don't like carrying extra weight like jacks and planks around. I used to jack our old travel trailer by the frame and it would put so much torque on the frame that you couldn't open the outside door while it was jacked up. I don't think the people who make the rules about jacking by the frame have to change very many of their own tires.

That is a fact. They dont even do it that way at the factory. Use a drive on jack or plank on one axle and jack under the other spring support using a cradle just like the earlier post stated.

 

[Birchwood]

Vehicles with axles can usually be jacked under the axle at the wheel to be lifted but not on an RV.This all to do with the fact that
the axles are built so cheaply they have no means to align them easily.The axles are bent perfectly(hopefully) so the wheels will
track down the highway (even though they are not balanced at the factory) also perfectly and if you screw up the bend in the axles
by jacking them the tires will wear unevenly and then you may have to replace the entire axle.
What a great system when you have to jack the entire side of a 16000lb rv to remove the wheel.I think its time RV companies
rethink their axle designes!!

 

[wrgrs50s]

Watch them while the work is done. If they lift the unit by the frame on one side only watch for damage to the thin frame. I bet they lift it by the axles. Lifting by the axle 'nearest the wheel', one wheel at a time is the common sence safe way.

Thanks to all that replied. I appreciate all the info. I'm heading to town tomorrow for my new Maxxis tires and I'm sure the tire guys are gonna think I'm paranoid about them lifting my trailer by the axles. However, I tend to agree with westxsrt10 here, as long as they lift nearest the tire and one axle at a time, surely that will be ok, since my rig is not as heavy as some (about 8500lb loaded). And thanks for the pics of the angle welded to the screw of the jack. I've already found some scrap angle in the shop and plan on welding mine up so I can do my brake and bearing maintenance when needed.