How to Change Your Caravan’s Flat Tyre in 4 Easy Steps
Caravans, unlike smaller vehicles, require extra precautions when dealing with a flat tyre to ensure your safety and to avoid damaging the vehicle.
Moreover, minor errors like jacking the chassis can be a costly lesson you can avoid if you know the proper way to change a caravan tyre!
When in doubt, all you have to do is dig up the manufacturer’s manual for all the right answers! From observing precise lifting points to using the right wrenches, caravan manuals always list the smartest methods to fix a flat tyre.
1. Practice Makes Perfect
Image Credit to Without A Hitch
Changing a flat tyre is a serious job with serious risks. Make sure to practice changing tyres before you are faced with an emergency situation in the middle of nowhere. Before changing your caravan tyre, make sure you have a handyman or someone experienced to assist you.
The caravan must be parked at a level ground far from the hindrance of traffic, people and pedestrians.
Ensure that your caravan is hitched to the toad (towed vehicle) and the handbrakes are on. To keep the caravan from rolling back, make sure to place blocks in front of the tyre too. You must also keep the hazard lights on.
2. Things You Need
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Not all caravans come with a tyre-changing kit or jack. In fact, you must checklist the following before driving any vehicle.
Wheel Chocks – These are professionally made blocks or triangles that stop your rig from rolling downhill when the caravan is parked on an uphill slope. As caravan handbrakes are not enough to prevent a rig from rolling backwards on an inclined terrain, wheel chocks will help to provide added support.
Spare – A spare wheel in most caravans is forgotten until an emergency happens. Make sure you have a working spare tyre at all times. Moreover, you must also periodically check the tyre pressure.
Wheel Brace – Every wheel nut is unique based on the model of your rig. A wheel brace is a wrench with a telescoping handle that is also extendable, to help loosen the wheel nuts with ease.
3. Jack Up The Caravan
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First, remove the wheel cover. Use the wheel braces to loosen the nuts. Using your caravan manual, find the jacking point of your rig and steady it using a base plate on loose or muddy ground. Unscrew the nuts when the tyre rises above the ground.
Jack up the caravan until you have enough ground clearance to take off the flat tyre from the campervan. Strictly avoid lurking under the caravan while it is in a lifted-up position.
4. Take Off The Flat Tyre and Put on the Spare
Image Credit to Without A Hitch
Once the spare tyre is in place, screw back the nuts that you removed earlier. Keep the jack steady and lower the caravan carefully.
Using your wheel brace, tighten all the nuts. Use a torque wrench to make sure the wheel nuts are tightened to the manufacturer’s recommended torque. Remove the wheel chocks and you’re good to roll again!
Final Tips to Change Your Caravan Tyre
If your tyre blows up on the highway, try to steer your caravan into a safe spot before changing your tyre.
So before embarking on your next caravan adventure be sure to have a working and properly inflated spare tyre.
And, to get the most of your adventure, take one of Retreat’s luxury caravans to ensure a safe, comfortable and enjoyable touring experience.
