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Changing a wheel following puncture


candapack

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Due to general decrepitude, I would be calling out the breakdown service.

Now, I know they will have all the tools to do the job, but would they also expect me to have the equipment supplied by the vehicle manufacturer?

(I can't imagine why they would, but best to ask before creating more space for wine bottles).

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I believe your Hobby Siesta is a 2014 model and Fiat Ducato-based.

 

A breakdown service should not normally need the Fiat tool-kit (jack, wheel-brace, etc), but MIGHT require specialised equipment if the spare-wheel is not easily accessible (eg. if the spare-wheel is under the chassis and not in a rear ‘garage’).

 

Years ago in France, both tyre-valves failed on the rear tyres of my 2005 Ford Transit-based Hobby motorhome. The spare-wheel was housed under the Hobby’s chassis and raised/lowered via a windlass system. As a result of the Hobby factory’s bloody-minded conversion, it was (literally) impossible to turn the windless using the method Ford advised and, having recognised this soon after I had bought the motorhome, I had DIYed a tool that allowed me to operate the windless. By the time the French breakdown guys turned up, I had removed one of rear wheels and replaced it with the spare-wheel and had the Ford jack supporting the chassis above the other failed-tyre-valve rear wheel. (Fortunately the motorhome was on a French car-park not at the side of a road...) After the tyre-valves had been replace (with the wrong valves!) the breakdown guys asked me for the tool to allow the spare-wheel to be remounted under the Hobby’s chassis, but I carried out that task myself as Ford’s windless connection was notoriously fragile.

 

On my 2015 Ducato-based Rapido the standard Fiat tool-kit lives in a plastic container under the passenger seat. I can (and do) use that took-kit to remove the Rapido’s road wheels and (once) resorted to using the jack to lift the motorhome having got it buried up to its front axles on a French campsite. (On my birthday, nobody about, stripped to the waist, taught me a very serous lesson...)

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I’ve never broken down in Continental Europe so can’t speak for break down outfits there. However, in the UK, in my experience break down outfits prefer to use their own tools. I had an instance where a breakdown guy wanted to effect a road side repair but lacked a spanner with sufficient torque. I offered one of mine but he initially declined. Apparently their company insurance only covered them if they used their own tools.

 

Having said that, I’d probably still take my jack. On my van the pneumatic bellows jacks sometimes carried by breakdown vehicles do not provide a sufficiently high lift. During an on-site tyre change they had to scrounge blocks of wood to raise the jack's height. And frankly, as the jack is the usually the heaviest and bulkiest part, if you’re taking that you might as well take the rest of the kit as well.

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That all sounds good but what happens for those with no spare wheel. I checked with Comfort Insurance and they said they would still turn out and sort it but can only guess how. I've got self sealing gung in my tyres in the hope that it will work when needed. Still a worry but I have no room to carry a spare.
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stevec176 - 2021-06-03 9:34 AM

 

That all sounds good but what happens for those with no spare wheel.

If you’re fortunate they’ll send a mobile tyre fitter to you to effect a repair/replacement. Or more likely, put your van on a low loader and transport it to a tyre fitters where you’ll pay an inordinate sum to have the tyre replaced/repaired.

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BruceM - 2021-06-03 10:02 AM

 

stevec176 - 2021-06-03 9:34 AM

 

That all sounds good but what happens for those with no spare wheel.

If you’re fortunate they’ll send a mobile tyre fitter to you to effect a repair/replacement. Or more likely, put your van on a low loader and transport it to a tyre fitters where you’ll pay an inordinate sum to have the tyre replaced/repaired.

Lots of us in the same position and also true for 2 of our 3 cars. I wouldn't change the wheel on the van myself in any case and if the day comes where they tow me to a tyre centre so be it, over 70k miles across 2 vans so far without any issues so I guess when the day comes on a per mile basis it wont be too bad.

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In 2009 I had a rapid rear tyre deflation in my Hymer Van 522 whilst I was overtaking a truck on the M6. Problems with tyre valves have been discussed in much earlier threads.

 

Fortunately I was able to get the Van onto the hard shoulder and extract the spare wheel which was kept in the garage (underslung in later vans). The "Green Flag" rescue truck came quite quickly but the operative had to use a railway sleeper in conjunction with his trolley jack to get enough lift to extract the offside rear wheel. He was working very close to the traffic and I was very conscious of how dangerous his job was and his small truck positioned close by would not have afforded him much protection either.

When we got home we wanted to issue a more formal thank you to the rescue company. When we googled to get their details it was brought home to us just how dangerous the job is insofar as one of their operatives had been killed on the M6 the previous year.

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Last week I needed to get under the M/H to access the onboard waste water tank since it was blocked. Tried to lift the van using the Peugeot supplied jack under the passenger seat but tbh couldn't see where it's supposed to fit and the maunuual was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Only logical place was under the spring hangar and without using loads of bricks under it to lift it up, it didn't look very secure. Decided the only thing to do was use a trolley jack and axle stand.

 

Now of course my son had "borrowed" my trolley jack so I bought a new one from screwfix for £29 and it worked perfectly. Lifted the wheel 4 inches off the ground and chocked it onto a 4 inch block of wood. Safe and easy.

 

Must admit I wouldn't get under any vehicle just on a jack, but the Peugeot one seemed very marginal. Managed to find a spot for it under the bed but at 8.5 Kg another chunk of weight in the van. Only q is do I keep the original too?

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-2-tonne-trolley-jack/7504g

 

Oh and in answer to the original question, as an AA member if I ever got a puncture it'd be their job and I'd never travel without a spare wheel, even bought one off Ebay for our Aygo that had one of those stupid compressor things. What a daft idea.

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This useful video (relating to a Peugeot Boxer van, but also applicable to any X250/X290 Boxer/Ducato/Relay)

 

 

explains what’s involved in lowering and raising a spare wheell that is mounted beneath the chassis and uses the standard ‘windlass’ mechanism. The plastic box (designed to be housed under the cab pasenger seat) that holds the tools is shown, as is the ‘allen key’ that goes into the windlass.

 

Although the complete tool kit in its plastic box is fairly heavy, if that box can be housed benearh a cab seat there’s little to be gained space-wise by deciding not to carry the tool kit. And, if whoever needs to remove the spare wheel happens to not have the necessary allen key with them, accessing the spare wheel won’t be practicable.

 

I can understand not carrying the tool kit if one were desperate to save weight, but not carrying the tool kit to save an insignificant amount of space is verging on the ridiculous. I can appreciate people being unwilling or physically unable to change a motorhome’s road wheel, or being reluctant to use the standard scissor-jack provided in the tool kit, but deliberately dispensing with the complete tool kit is just inviting future difficulties.

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Derek Uzzell - 2021-06-05 7:26 AM

 

I can appreciate people being unwilling or physically unable to change a motorhome’s road wheel, or being reluctant to use the standard scissor-jack provided in the tool kit, but deliberately dispensing with the complete tool kit is just inviting future difficulties.

Keep the kit even if your not up to using it You could be lucky and someone might offer assistance I hear so many run down the supplied jack but it is really fit for what its intended.

After watching the video One other point that actually happen to me with a Ducato van with a hitch fitted when I tried to remove the spare it wouldn't come out under the hitch

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I have tried to jack up our Dethleffs A class 5 tonner with the supplied jack and I would say it's almost impossible unless you have super human strength in your forearms. The jack is a scissor type but the ratchet handle to raise and lower is too short, not allowing enough leverage to lift such a heavy vehicle.
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I believe your motorhome has tandem rear axles and (consequently) an Al-Ko rear chassis. I'm not sure what jack comes as standard with Al-Ko chassis motorhomes, but the jack provided for vehicles with the 'standard' chassis does not have a ratchet handle.

 

In fact, rather than attempt to operate the standard scissors jack with the tools provided in my Ducato's Fiat-supplied tool kit (shown in the video above) I do use my own ratchet handle, plus socket extensions so that I can stand further out from the vehicle's wheel arches. It's still hard work for a 55kg 77 year-old though...

 

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In case you have followed exacty the instructions in your Book deleliverd whit your motor home their should be no no problem. To lift up a axle wit a jack. Or use your auto level hydraulic system.. One side L/R tyre. One Or double rear axle. So check out the front and rear incase you stand Head Shoulder on the M5 Or on the continent.. Never use the rescue Kit. I call always road assistance to be save on the highways.
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