From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Tire Changing on an RV
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 11:07:14 -0400
Message-ID: <tppsd11dhd7ntcgvk3vie1gb1ga6upo6lp@4ax.com>

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 04:24:51 GMT, Richard Ferguson
<fergusonOMITsculpture@omitthisatt.net> wrote:


>At home I have a setup with a timer that charges my rechargable
>batteries for a couple of hours a week. (Charging them continuously is
>usually bad for the batteries, and wastes power). That works 90 to 95%
>of the time, but not 100% of the time.

Then you have to be aware of the chargers that leak current when the
120vac is off.

>
>A breaker bar with a pipe extension slipped over it will loosen any lug
>nut without working hard. (If it seems hard, get a longer pipe).  Then
>the hard part becomes jockeying the wheel on and off, those large tires
>and wheels are heavy, and I don't know an easy way to move them with
>portable tools, it takes muscle.

That's a good way to round off the nut as the socket slips off.  I
haven't posted my method in a couple of years so I guess it's time.

I use a "T-wrench" or an X-wrench if you please.  One end goes on the
lugnut and the other slips into the hole of a little fold-up 2X4 stand
that I built for the purpose.  This supports the far end so the wrench
won't pivot off the nut and round the corners.  A 3 ft pipe goes on
the cross bar of the wrench.  A good stomp loosens the nut.

The way to handle a heavy tire is not to handle it much.  Jack the rig
up and down to align the studs.  I roll the tire over to the spindle,
jockey it back and forth a bit until the tread is under the spindle
and the tire is leaning outward just a bit.  Turn the spindle until
the holes line up and then just tilt the tire onto the studs.  Run a
nut or two on, jack up the rig a little, apply the rest of the nuts
and tighten.

Even with a bad back I can handle a full sized semi wheel that way.

John