A group of campers headed out this morning for a trip from Connecticut to Maine for Lobster fest. Half hour into the trip one of the guy's blew a tire which made me wonder:

What Jack do you use? weight and type

Will my 6,000 lb. bottle jack be okay with a 14,000 max 5th wheel?

 

If you run the tandem wheel up on a block all you'll need the jack to do is lift the weight off the spring.... almost ANY bottle jack can do that.

 

My el-cheapo 4 ton bottle jack works OK on my TT toy hauler. I lift just one wheel at a time, so I don't need a huge jack.

 

If jacking on the axle, make sure the jack is on the U bolts. I also carry AAA RV Premier roadside service. Beats laying on 100 degree plus asphalt even if I have to wait a 1/2 hour.

 

I have the Andersen Rapid Jack, but also have a bottle jack because I don't see how the Andersen alone would do the trick on my tandem axle 5th wheel.

As mentioned above, even a cheap screw jack would lift the one side of axle in order to change a blown tire. You are not lifting the entire side of the trailer like you do with a car, just the axle.

 

Yep, that's what I do. Learned that here!

 

6 ton bottle jack.

 

Putting one wheel on a block won't change the weight on the other unless you lifted it way up to bind the suspension (not recommended). The jack will be fine though. Max weight on most any RV trailer tire is 3500# or so.

 

6 ton bottle jack here also.

 

I bought a plastic version for our 5000lb small trailer. Many brands.
//www.amazon.com/dp/B005IDVL5M/ref=psdc_15709141_t2_B001V8UKBY

 

One issue that you may face is that jacking the wheel up with a bottle jack raised the tire and wheel high up into the wheel well of the trailer. This makes getting the tire and wheel off with out hitting or damaging the fender skirt of the trailer.

I carry a stack of 2'x10' boards that are screwed and liquid nailed together in a ramp formation. I pull the non flat axle up on the ramp which will rails the axle with the flat off of the ground allowing for easy removal of the tire and wheel.

Downside is that it is one heavy chunk of lumber being as I used pressure treated lumber. Upside is that it is quick, easy, fast and stable.

 

I use a 6 ton bottle jack under the spring plate but make sure it will work if the trailer is all the way down the rim, mine will not but the hydraulic jack that comes with a DRW will . I found out the hard way along side a road.

Denny

 

From your sig, I do not know if you have hydraulic jacks on your rig...
Have used it on mine on the side of the road for a blow out....

 

Having suffered a tyre failure today I feel fairly qualified to comment

I have always used the 12 ton bottle jack that I carry when servicing the brakes and bearings or removing a wheel, however using it on the side of the road with the tyre in the picture, I discovered that it doesn't have enough travel to lift the axle high enough with the wheel rim only the thickness of the tyre wall off the ground. Fortunately I carry a selection of blocks & was able to raise the axle to the limit of the jack, drop it on to the blocks & re jack to sufficient height to change the wheel.

 

Ouch!!!!! What was the brand and how long has it been on the rig?