Rayjsj Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 As it was a lovely day here yesterday, I thought i would have a look at the spare wheel and tyre, and see how easy a 'wheel change' in 'Earnest' would be...... well, it's an Alko chassis and a 'ultra low line' as well so the first job was to jack up the rear end a considerable distance, the 'cradle' undid ok, but didn't go right to the floor, you have to unhook it and lower it about 10 inches.,and as i thought, it looked like the cradle had never been down in 5 years, the Tyre still had the 'crinkly bits' on the tread (never seen the road) but the wheel was getting rusty. Wire brushed the rust off of the wheel and gave it a spray coat of 'Plasticoat' enamel, checked the tyre pressure put the spare into a Canvas bag, put that into the cradle and ........ how the %$^^&&* are you supposed to lift the cradle/spare wheel assy. high enough to 'hook' the cradle back into place ?? after nearly 'busting a gut' I started to use my 'Grey matter' and eventually using the 'wheel jack' was able to jack it back up into place. BUT i will not be doing it again.. especially at the side of the road, possibly at night, and probably with it 'Hissin down'. So, any punctures from now on and 'Earnest' the 'Green Flag' man will be changing it. nice try ! but Nil Points ! 8-) Ray PS. is an 'unused' 5 year old Michelin XP tyre, that has never seen the light of day, still ok as a spare, and if so, when should it be replaced ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I tried this once with the supplied scissor jack, mission impossible. I think a 2.5 ton trolley jack at the least. As for your tyre, most tyre suppliers would say it's getting close to being past it's sell by date I suspect, but if we were in India it would be good for another 20 years ! ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Rayjsj - 2011-03-04 9:48 PM PS. is an 'unused' 5 year old Michelin XP tyre, that has never seen the light of day, still ok as a spare, and if so, when should it be replaced ? I replaced my 20 year old never used spare last year, but expect it to be snaffled away by the trade to be flogged on some where later 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Ray. When I have removed the spare to check etc. getting it back on to the hook, is fairly easy if you use the supplied wheelbrace handle bent end in the small tube welded on the nearside of the carrier, put it in from underneath and then lift the whole cradle and wheel upwards. hope this helps. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Mike, I wondered what that small welded 'tube' was on the side of the cradle, think I can picture what you are describing. It will still be heavy though, but the wheelbrace as a lever will make it easier. Thanks for that, next time (hope there isn't one) i'll read the 'destructions' before trying to bust a gut. Thanks again Ray ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 When i bought our 'van, i decided to splash out and buy a new jack. I got one of those 'quick-lift' trolley jacks, reasoning it would be 'easier' to lift the vehicle. Wrong! Its actually nigh on impossible to lift at all. Given the jack has to be a good way under the vehicle to clear the skirts etc; by the time the handles in, thers no room to raise it sufficiently to actually do the lifting. Unlike my old jack that went up in small increments, and operated at whatever height you could lift the handle. And, even if you get the height on the handle, you either need a six foot extension bar, or would have to virtually stand on the handle to force the van i the air! The jack was discounted - and now i know why! As for raising the spare; i dont know why they cant all adopt the old Ford Transit method that lowered/raised it on a steel cable from the floor. Far easier that struggling with a cradle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I've had my spare out it's on a winch cable but still a right pain no way would I attempt a wheel change at the side of the road, I'll just put the kettle on & wait for the breakdown truck. The spare is under the van so away from UV so should be OK for 10 years plus but I would still only use it as spare as mine iss a on a steel rim & the road wheels are alloy. Could change the tyres on the rims but will probably put winter tyres on when I change them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Put Ultraseal (Puncturesafe) in your tyres. It may not work for large punctures but should work in many situations. I paid £50 for 4 wheels via a local tyre installer. Link here: http://www.ultrasealuk.biz/home1.htm Telephone the Exeter contact point for an installer anywhere in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Agree with Mike88, we had puncturesafe put in our tyres. Only downside is a bit of a steering wheel wobble at 55 to 65 for the first few miles until the excess liquid spreads itself around the tyre. Mine was £60 21/2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Forgot to say. Mine was done at my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 ....... and don't forget that if you need to change a wheel because of a flat tyre, the whole shebang will be about six inches lower than during your 'test' :-S Harvey ps. I am inmressed with the spare arrangement on my 2006 Autocruise Starblazer ... it is in the 'boot' *and* it is an alloy wheel to match the others. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you have a flat tyre, and if you can, run it up on your levelling block then you will be able to get your jack underneath. As was previously mentioned, 2ton trolley jacks are a waste of time, I use a 12 ton Merc bottle jack which never fails. One consideration when thinking of buying a motorhome is the location of the spare wheel which should be located if possible at the rear like most Auto-trails which are easy to access and also be able to check on a regular basis. You will also need a three quarter Cold socket and bar plus a piece of scaffolding tube to crack the nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 No, I haven't and I don't intend to try. I have breakdown cover, the expression "I don't have a dog and bark myself" springs to mind. The only time I've had a flat on a m/h was in France on a campsite. A call to the RAC in Lyon and round the boys came took one look at where the spare was kept, out came an air jack, off with the tyre off and they disappeared for 3 hours, (it was near lunchtime), and returned with the repaired tyre. Simples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 ray, i couldnt be bothered busting a gut either,so took it out of the cradle put it in one of them covers what you see on 4x4's then stuck it inside the van behind the passenger seat :-D works good, also now more weight is on the front axle which is better, regarding the tyre mine is the original mitchlen 10 year old, when i got some new tyres last year the fitter had a look at it and said there was no prob with it, no cracking etc and told me to keep it 8-) so fair play then i did :-D jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hi Ray, we changed or 5 yr old tyres 2.5 yrs ago and changed the unused spare at the same time. The logic I deployed was that as I was using enough nous to change the 4 tyres, why would I not change one more that I might well need in an emergency? Answer? No reason at all. So 5 tyres please. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Two years ago I removed the spare (from its cradle). Now cleaned and checked it lies all cosy in a bag inside a locker under the bed, with plenty of space still remaining. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Hi. Our van spent the first few years of its life in the salty atmosphere of Skegness,the underside and particularly the spare wheel carrier were in quite a rusty condition, I think it would would have been difficult to remove the spare if we had puncture on the road. I used the Fiat scissor jack, and removed the wheels on our drive, then axle stands to support the van whilst I Waxoild the lot. Even after this, I think in the event of a punture I would call out the breakdown people, after all we are paying for their service. :-) Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 I suppose i am from the now 'old school' who thought of themselves as somewhat 'able' to get themselves out of trouble if trouble arose, but have to admit that with engines and electrics now controlled by ECU's and Can Bus wiring and the Hard shoulder on Motorways converted at peak times into a 'Live' road, (any flat tyre would be destroyed by the time a 'Refuge' was reached). That is a distant memory, and an 'Up to date' membership of a 'Rescue' service as much an essential as an 'up to date tax disc. And after my 'Best case' scenerio above, I won't be doing it again. (end of an era !) :-( Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Apologies for raising an old thread but I went out today to check my spare wheel etc - came down and went back up nice and easy. Whilst I was at it thought I'd try removing a road wheel using the standard supplied tools - Peugeot Boxer X250. Well, I'm not unduly weak, but after strangling a b******, I could only budge one of the five nuts...........!!!!! Anybody else tried it? If so how did you do it? Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 The law of Sod applied on our three week chug around Southern France/Italy a few weeks ago: we got TWO punctures - one in each rear tyre - in the space of 5 days. (luckily I'd had the first duff tyre replaced at a tyre fitting place the day after the first semi-blowout, so had a brand new spare to fit when the other tyre got a puncture). So I've changed both rear wheels in anger the past few weeks - both on small side roads in the middle of the countryside, in a foreign country. I've got a 5 tonne bottle jack - absolutely brilliant piece of kit - and a tommy bar extention that fits over the wheel brace - these two items of kit make changing a wheel as relatively simple and quick job; maybe 15 minutes. The process is helped by the fact that on our old 1992 Aryal Autostar A-class is based on the old PeugeotJ5/Citroen C10/Talbot express running gear, so the spare is under the bonnet and easily accessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Ray with the price of tyres,why leave a new tyre unused and then dump it! when needing ttwo ttyres why not use the spare and have the part worn one as a spare. Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Easy with a torqe wrench Auther,not expensive from Tool Mart. Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 LordThornber - 2011-03-05 9:27 PM Hi Ray, we changed or 5 yr old tyres 2.5 yrs ago and changed the unused spare at the same time. The logic I deployed was that as I was using enough nous to change the 4 tyres, why would I not change one more that I might well need in an emergency? Answer? No reason at all. So 5 tyres please. Martyn And the folk in India will be very grateful, and get another five years life out of them, then a good few pairs of flip flops after that :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 In the past, on previous van, I broke a 24" breaker bar. I'm not that strong and its very disconcerting to see the bar bend wondering what will give first.............nut or bar! Arthur bazooka - 2011-11-04 7:11 PM Easy with a torqe wrench Auther,not expensive from Tool Mart. Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 The aging effect on rubber is because of sunshine. I suspect that an underslung spare sees little of this! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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