How to Change a Camper Tire

How to Change a Camper Tire

Cruising down the road and everything is fine. You’re “on schedule” and enjoying the drive.

BANG!

A quick look in the side mirrors reveals a cloud of smoke and flying debris from the side of your camper! Suddenly, your heart rate increases, your focus narrows in, and you begin to worry about 533 things simultaneously.

Quickly you scan the road ahead locate a safe-pull out and get to the shoulder. Now comes the tough and dangerous part…Changing your RV’s tire. Let’s get down to how to change an RV tire.

What tools do I need to change an RV tire?

Here is a quick hit list of the tools I use to change my RV tires:

• Wheel chocks
• Spare tire (in good shape and properly inflated)
• Safety Cones / Flares / Safety Vest
• Gloves
• 4-Way Tire Iron
• Torque Wrench (with extension and 3/4 socket)
• Jack (Bottle Jack)
• Jack Stand
• RV leveling blocks
• Andersen Leveler (not a must-have but makes it easier on a tandem axel trailer)
• Battery Powered Impact Wrench (not a must-have, but makes it easier)

Having these items readily accessible makes the process less frustrating and stressful. From my experience, stress, frustration, and worry about the danger of sitting on the side of the highway are always present. It’s probably for the best and these emotions keep us safe!

What’s the Process To Change an RV Tire?

Our first blowout happened on a drive home on Father’s Day…right!?! Happy Father’s Day! Fortunately, we were all safe. Our tire tread separated and started flapping around at 65 mph. Needless to say, it did some damage to wires, the fender skirt, etc. Priority one was pulling off safely and then starting our tire-changing process.

1. Finding a safe place to stop
2. Engaging parking break, chocking the wheels on the good side
3. Gather and arrange tools
4. Place out safety cones
5. “Break” the lug nuts before jacking up the flat tire (gives you leverage)
6. Jack up the trailer
7. Remove the flat tire
8. Mount the spare tire
9. Tighten the lug nuts
10. Lower the RV (slowly)
11. Torque the lug nuts to the proper level (see your RV manual)
12. Clean Up
13. Continue your journey

Not so bad, right? Once the shock set in and I got down to business changing the tire wasn’t too bad. And a heck of a lot faster than waiting all day on the side of the road for a tow truck or RV roadside assistance.

Quick disclaimer: If you can’t change the tire or are not comfortable doing it, please call someone who is comfortable changing the tire. And I have no idea how to change the tire on a Motorhome, Class A, Camper Van, or Class B RV. This post is geared toward towable RV Campers.

Let’s dig in Step-by-Step.

Step 1 – Find a Safe Place to Stop

First, priority needs to be on safely bringing your vehicle to a stop. I consider myself an excellent driver (no comments from Sara) and have natural driving instincts. In my last life, I probably drove high-precision race cars at breakneck speed. I feel my right foot and the gas pedal have a connection. With my hands, I can feel if the vehicle is telling me it’s not performing optimally. TMI? Great, but WTH does that have to do with anything?

When we had our flat tires, my natural reaction was to let off the gas and gently break while moving to the shoulder. Thankfully, we were on the interstate with an emergency lane. My fear is a flat tire in a construction zone or on a two-lane road. I keep up with tire maintenance as my ounce of prevention.

Step 2 – Engage the Parking Break and Chock the Wheels

With the tow vehicle and trailer stopped, engaged the parking brake, made sure our hazard flashers were turned on, and checked the side mirrors to make sure it was safe to get out. It’s alarming how many drivers don’t get over to create a margin of safety for a stopped vehicle. Heck, many don’t even slow down!

Next, I chocked the tires on the good side. Does it help? Not sure, but I don’t want the camper moving with one wheel lifted off the ground.

Step 3 – Gather and Arrange Tools

My tools are generally in the same general area. But some are in the truck and others in the front storage bay.

On our first blowout, I was frazzled and I gathered tools one by one, which definitely prolonged the experience! The next time, I remembered the lessons learned from the first blowout and gathered my tools at one time.

Step 4 – Place out safety cones

After I have my tools, which include my safety cones, I place those behind the camper. Drivers don’t seem to slow down or get over so be very careful!

Step 5 – “Break” the lug nuts before jacking up the flat tire (gives you leverage)

What the heck is “breaking” the lug nuts? The lug nuts, the nuts that hold the wheel onto the camper, are torqued/tightened very tight. Once the trailer tire is off the ground it will spin freely. So, the friction of the ground gives you the leverage necessary to begin to loosen the lug nuts. Once you have the lug nuts loose, you can begin to jack up the trailer.

Step 6 – Jack up the trailer

We have used our Andersen Levelers to help raise the camper off the ground enough to remove the tire. Unfortunately, the Andersen Leveler did not provide enough clearance, so jacking up the trailer was still needed. I have read that some people will use a fifth-wheel leveling jack. Since I have not used this method I can’t give tips on this.

When I used the Andersen Leveler I did not chock the wheel until I rolled up onto the leveler.

What Type of Jack Do I Need?

I use a Bottle Jack. Why a Bottle Jack? Because Bottle Jack’s are compact (e.g., they stow well) and they can lift a tremendous amount of weight. This makes a Bottle Jack very versatile. They are super easy to position under the trailer to lift the trailer off the ground.

Jacking up the trailer seems easy, but here are a few hurdles I bumped into:

1. Not enough clearance – I had to lower the trailer. Find some square levelers to get the jack closer to the trailer frame. Yup that sucked!
2. Bending my plastic levelers – now they don’t sit flush anymore. Kind of a bummer, but I used what I could find quickly.

Step 7 – Remove the flat tire

With the tire off the ground remove the remaining lug nuts and pull the wheel straight off the wheel hub. The tire will be very heavy and dirty (gloves are definitely a nice accessory)! Our tires ride on 16-inch wheels and probably weigh close to 70 pounds. Eat your Wheaties!

Now that the tire is removed, take a moment to make sure everything is clear in the wheel well. For instance, wires aren’t hanging down or some other damage was done from the flat tire. If more damage was done, assess if you can triage the problem or call for roadside assistance.

Step 8 – Mount the spare tire

Let’s mount the spare tire. Align the lug nut holes and the center hole with the wheel hub. Now firmly press the tire onto the wheel hub until it’s “seated”.

Screw the lug nuts back onto the wheel studs BY HAND. Make sure you DO NOT CROSS THREAD!!!

Step 9 – Tighten the lug nuts

Use a 4-way tire tool to tighten the lug nuts.

Step 10 – Lower the RV (slowly)

Lower your RV slowly to the ground. Chances are when the spare tire is installed you won’t need to lower very far for all 4 wheels to be on the ground.

Step 11 – Torque the lug nuts to the proper level (see your RV manual)

In a star pattern make sure the lug nuts are tight and use your torque wrench to fully tighten the lug nuts to the manufacturer’s specifications.

Step 12 – Clean Up

This should be self-explanatory, but get your stuff (tools, tire, etc.) and repack it in your rig before you take off!

Step 13 – Continue your journey

After our tire blowouts, the rest of our journey has been white-knuckle driving! Constantly looking back and crossing my fingers everything is good. So, do your best. Collect your emotions and continue carefully along your way.

Video: How to Change A Camper Tire!

Here’s a quick video we made to walk through the process of how to change a camper tire.

When you have a flat tire, whether your first or latest, give yourself grace. Have patience and follow a process. When we started camping there were so many things we didn’t know like how to change a camper tire. Take a read through how we felt when we jumped into this adventure!

About Us

Mike & Sara are experienced RV travelers who enjoy traveling with their fifth wheel, two kids, and furry friend, Finn! We enjoy sharing our stories to help fellow travelers maximize their experiences.