How do I change a flat?

Psi for my "C" rated tires?

Each rim of my '96 FunLite 24' says "50 lbs max psi"

My tires are mismatched and look good except for one.

I only want to travel 20 miles to Kissimmee State Park and then back home.

I will not exceed 50 mph

So, am I OK with 50 lbs cold psi?

Yes, I know I need new, matched tires, but money is short.

BTW how much does a Maxxis 13" tire cost? Sounds like the one to get

I'm learning guys and gals......slowly. Thanks for your patience.

Jerry

Winter Haven, FL (midway between Tampa and Orlando)
 
Jerry, you're probably OK with your plans. 20 miles is not a very big distance. Heat is probably your biggest concern. A slower towing speed will minimize that.

If you have Discount Tire where you live, try them for the Maxxis tires. I like their work and their prices.

I upgraded my 15" rims when I went to Load Range D. I don't know how dicey it would be to inflate a tire to 65 psi on your rims. My gut feeling is, you'd be OK, but I have nothing to back up that feeling except that metal is pretty strong. I put higher load range tires on my old truck without changing the rims and it did fine with them inflated to a higher pressure.

I had quite a bit of trouble locating 65 PSI rims in the 15" size, so, I don't know how easy it will be for you to change yours. And, I don't know if the limit shown on your rims is really a "rim limit" or if it's based more on the tires that were mounted on them.

Could you swap your "poorest" looking tire with the spare? Or, is it in bad shape too?

50 PSI in your tires will effectively give them the load capacity of Load Range C. That will be fine, but I'd probably go to at least 60.

- Jack
 
miranda said:
Each rim of my '96 FunLite 24' says "50 lbs max psi"

My tires are mismatched and look good except for one.

I only want to travel 20 miles to Kissimmee State Park and then back home.

I will not exceed 50 mph

So, am I OK with 50 lbs cold psi?

Yes, I know I need new, matched tires, but money is short.

BTW how much does a Maxxis 13" tire cost? Sounds like the one to get

I'm learning guys and gals......slowly. Thanks for your patience.

Jerry

Winter Haven, FL (midway between Tampa and Orlando)
Click to expand...

Jerry, Treeclimber gave me the following information when Beach and I were stuck in Orlando without a spare tire (He is from Florida also.):

Maxxis M8008 ST 205/75R 15 Load Range D
tires each $106
mount each $10
balance each $5

$121 X 4 equals $484

While we were in Orlando area, we found branches all over the place of a company named Discount Tire. I'm sure you should have one in Winter Haven. We called them for Maxxis, but they would have to order them with a 5-day wait. We were visiting the area and could not wait on the tires, but since you live in the area, you can.

Dee
 
Dee Tillotson said:
Jerry, Treeclimber gave me the following information when Beach and I were stuck in Orlando without a spare tire (He is from Florida also.):

Maxxis M8008 ST 205/75R 15 Load Range D
tires each $106
mount each $10
balance each $5

$121 X 4 equals $484

While we were in Orlando area, we found branches all over the place of a company named Discount Tire. I'm sure you should have one in Winter Haven. We called them for Maxxis, but they would have to order them with a 5-day wait. We were visiting the area and could not wait on the tires, but since you live in the area, you can.

Dee
Click to expand...
Discount Tires in parts of the U.S., American Tire Stores elsewhere. All the same company.
 
Discount Tire

Thanks guys. Yeah we've got a Discount Tire store right next to the old Cypress Gardens Park which is Now LEGOLAND....and I live very close, but cannot afford to buy 4 new tires now.

Good idea to replace the worst tire with spare which is brand new.

Could I build a simple ramp (Trlr Aid) with 2 X 6 boards? I do want to be prepared in the event of a flat

Our Hi-Lo is coming together. Thanks.

Jerry
 
miranda said:
Thanks guys. Yeah we've got a Discount Tire store right next to the old Cypress Gardens Park which is Now LEGOLAND....and I live very close, but cannot afford to buy 4 new tires now.

Good idea to replace the worst tire with spare which is brand new.

Could I build a simple ramp (Trlr Aid) with 2 X 6 boards? I do want to be prepared in the event of a flat

Our Hi-Lo is coming together. Thanks.

Jerry
Click to expand...
You could, but you would have to make the ramp short enough so it does not interfere with the deflated tire. The Tire Aid sorta wraps itself around the tire you drive onto the ramp, thereby not interfering with the deflated tire. Measure the ground level distance between your tires, and the base of the incline on the ramp would need to be a little less than that distance.
 
miranda said:
Thanks Garry. I'll see that ramp length does not exceed distance between tires.

Jerry
Click to expand...

You don't really need much of a "ramp", Jerry. You can pull/push your trailer up onto a "rampless" block with your tow vehicle without too much trouble. It just has to be high enough to get the other tire off the ground (when inflated, so you can get the spare on). This is something you can check and build at home before you start out.

Two inches MIGHT be just high enough, but I don't have tandem axles, so I can't say this with certainty.

- Jack
 
Drive uo, onto a block of wood

So Jack, I might be able to drive up/back up onto a length of 4" X 4"? This height would possibly be enough to bring flat off the ground.

I'll try this and let you know, as I want to replace worst tire with new spare and this will be a good test.

Jerry
 
After I had a flat on the interstate, I installed sensors on all my camper and all my van tires. I bought all new tires first. For piece of mind - because I don't want to go through it again if it can be helped.
 
miranda said:
So Jack, I might be able to drive up/back up onto a length of 4" X 4"? This height would possibly be enough to bring flat off the ground.

I'll try this and let you know, as I want to replace worst tire with new spare and this will be a good test.

Jerry
Click to expand...

I think that would work. You could also cut the end you drive up on at about a 45 degree angle to provide a very short "ramp" that would not interfere with the tire to be changed. You could use a smaller, more "ramp like" angle if your distance between tires allows for the longer ramp length. This would be easy to judge by simply laying the 4x4 on the ground next to the two tires.

I think I'd probably use a 6x4 though, because it would fit the tire tread better.

As long as the trailer stays hooked to the tow vehicle, and the parking brakes are set on it (and it's in Park gear), you won't even need wheel chocks with this tire changing aid.

- Jack
 
Here's an update. We placed Ford F250 bottle jack on 4 X 4 blocks between wheels and jacked up frame just enough to get bad tire/wheel off ground. Switched good tire in place of bad.

No prob, no damage. Easy to do. Tightened 13/16" lug nuts to specs. Took about 15 minutes. Might have taken less time but we were on grass. My partner (retired VW expert mechanic) is 73 and I am 75.....so we're not as fast anymore. BTW a standard I/2 inch drive ratchet wrench, a 2" extension coupled with a 13/16" ratchet will work very well, so if you already have one, don't buy that multiple use new, four way tire iron. Just sayin.

Be prepared. Carry wrench & extension connected to 13/16" socket. Carry jack and plenty of wood support blocks. Carry chocks to lock wheels on opposite side. Also, carry some hand cleaner and a rag or two. Be patient. BE CAREFUL especially road side. Move to a safer location BEFORE getting started IF YOU CAN.

Good luck

Jerry
 
miranda said:
Here's an update. We placed Ford F250 bottle jack on 4 X 4 blocks between wheels and jacked up frame just enough to get bad tire/wheel off ground. Switched good tire in place of bad.

No prob, no damage. Easy to do. Tightened 13/16" lug nuts to specs. Took about 15 minutes. Might have taken less time but we were on grass. My partner (retired VW expert mechanic) is 73 and I am 75.....so we're not as fast anymore. BTW a standard I/2 inch drive ratchet wrench, a 2" extension coupled with a 13/16" ratchet will work very well, so if you already have one, don't buy that multiple use new, four way tire iron. Just sayin.

Be prepared. Carry wrench & extension connected to 13/16" socket. Carry jack and plenty of wood support blocks. Carry chocks to lock wheels on opposite side. Also, carry some hand cleaner and a rag or two. Be patient. BE CAREFUL especially road side. Move to a safer location BEFORE getting started IF YOU CAN.

Good luck

Jerry
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you got the tire changed without any great difficulty. Welcome to the club. There are several of us in your age group, and yes, it does take longer to get stuff done.:D
 
Garry, thanks and amen to your note about our slowing down (and feeling next day pain too) when doing stuff that wouldn't have affected us one bit when we were younger.

My 73 year old, mechanic friend can still stoop over, bending down at his knees and work long periods. I cannot.

On the bright side (hopefully), both of us still ride motorcycles, almost daily. My 70 year young wife says I gotta quit.....soon.

Great forum. Good guys

Jerry
 
Just for info--when towing a Hi Lo--the max speed in MOST states is 65mph (legally) many states are lower! When we travel, heat builds in a tire, especially when underinflated. So doing 70-75 could get you a blow out and /or a ticket. I stay in the safe range (65+-3mph) as this is also my sweet spot for my Caddy of 14.6 mpg. Just FYI.
Treeclimber
 
Treeclimber said:
Just for info--when towing a Hi Lo--the max speed in MOST states is 65mph (legally) many states are lower! When we travel, heat builds in a tire, especially when underinflated. So doing 70-75 could get you a blow out and /or a ticket. I stay in the safe range (65+-3mph) as this is also my sweet spot for my Caddy of 14.6 mpg. Just FYI.
Treeclimber
Click to expand...
Like you, I try to keep my speed at the same range, but when in a state like Texas where the speed limit can be 80mph, it can be tough keeping that speed range.:(
 
Garry said:
Like you, I try to keep my speed at the same range, but when in a state like Texas where the speed limit can be 80mph, it can be tough keeping that speed range.:(
Click to expand...

Garry, I know what you mean! When our son and his family lived in Austin, I went out there to care for our small granddaughter for a short time while they were trying to arrange for proper childcare when at work. While taking Megan to the reading group at the library and going to the grocery store, I thought the other cars were running so fast we were going to die. It's a lot slower speeds here in SC; those speeds make your head spin. Maybe the state of Texas is so big that they think they have to drive fast to get from point A to point B on time. I can't think of any other reason.

Dee
 
YOU GUYS MUST HAVE NEWER HILoS BECAUSE MINE (1999) IS FLAT BODY AND NO CUT OUTS TO REMOVE TIRE. THE TORSION AXLE IS NOT GOING TO ALLOW THE WHEEL TO DROP DOWN AND THE AXLES WORK INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER. I DEFLATED THE TIRE AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF WITH SOME HARD PULLING THE SPARE WOULD NEED TO BE DEFLATED ALSO. Not a better Idea design.
 
Ruger said:
YOU GUYS MUST HAVE NEWER HILoS BECAUSE MINE (1999) IS FLAT BODY AND NO CUT OUTS TO REMOVE TIRE. THE TORSION AXLE IS NOT GOING TO ALLOW THE WHEEL TO DROP DOWN AND THE AXLES WORK INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER. I DEFLATED THE TIRE AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF WITH SOME HARD PULLING THE SPARE WOULD NEED TO BE DEFLATED ALSO. Not a better Idea design.
Click to expand...
When we had our 1999 21T we had the same problem with removing tires, but not so on our 2005 27T.:)
 
Ruger, I must presume you have a dual axle unit, if so the best, fastest way is to raise the good tire on blocks or a "Trailer Aid". Check amazon for best price. This raises the unit high enough to "hang" the torsion on the flat tire, making it easy to remove. Loosen the flat lugs first, then pull or back the unit onto the blocks/trailer aid.
I met a Hi Lo owner in Panama City who had dug out under the flat until he could change the flat. I showed him the trailer aid and he ordered one right then and had it delivered to the camp store.
Treeclimber
 
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