How to Change a Tire on a Travel Trailer [7 Simple Steps]

Traveling with a trailer is real fun.

With that said, you must have to ensure road safety and keeping the tire well and fit play a significant role here.

If you see any of the tires is deteriorated and not in good condition to travel, you must change the tire immediately.

Not only that, if the tire becomes flat, but you also have to change that too.

However, changing the travel trailer tire is not as hard as you might have been thinking.

Nonetheless, if you are new to the camping world, you perhaps don’t know how to change a tire on a travel trailer.

Yes, you can take the trailer to an automobile store to get the service done by them. But sometimes situations demand you to do it yourself. On top of that, doing it yourself certainly saves some money in the long run.

Don’t be troubled.

To give you every insight step by step, I’ve prepared this guide for you. Here I will be showing seven essential steps to change a travel trailer tire.

Let’s dive in.

7 Easy Ways to Change a Tire on a Travel Trailer – Step by Step

Getting the Necessary Tools

First thing first. You have to manage the required tools to change the tires. Of course, you will want to buy them all and carry along inside the trailer wherever you go.

Fortunately, you don’t need any pricey tools to do this simple task. Mostly some inexpensive yet useful tools will do the work for you.

Here the core items you need to carry to complete the process –

Additionally, you will want to keep –

Why?

A tire pressure gauge will come in handy to check the air pressure of the spare tire. See if it’s at the correct PSI.

On the other hand, the portable air compressor will come in handy to inflate the spare tire if required. In fact, you can use it to inflate any tire of your trailer.

And of course, you should put your hand gloves on before starting the steps.

Now, you have all the tools with you. Let’s get to the tire changing steps.

Step 1: Parking the Trailer and Securing the Wheel

If your trailer is already parked, then fine.

But if you are sensing a malfunctioning tire while driving, then stop the RV immediately and park it at a safe place.

At least you have to make sure that you have a safe environment to work on.

Now, secure or stable the trailer tires. The wheel chocks will come in handy in this case. Typically, you will want to secure the opposite end tire of the one you are going to deal with.

It’s essential to get a proper ground clearance to set the jack under the frame.

Step 2: Loosen the Lug Nuts

Now, it’s time to loosen the lug nuts. See, I’m not telling you to remove all the nuts at this stage. Just loosen them up using either the lug nut wrench or a combination of breaker bar and socket.

No matter whether you are going to use a lug nut wrench or breaker bar and socket, you must make sure it fits on the lug nuts comfortably on your trailer wheel.

Step 3: Deploying the Jack

Come to this step only if you are done with step 2. If you deploy the jack before loosening up the lug nuts, you won’t be able to loosen them properly.

It’s because the wheel will be spinning; as a result, you won’t get the proper support.

So, please don’t jack the tire up before you complete step 2.

Ok, now it’s time to deploy the jack.

Remember, you must have to make the jack high enough, and that’s when the wood blocks or the leveling blocks will come in handy.

Place the wood blocks or the leveling blocks underneath the jack to ensure it’s high enough and giving you the proper ground clearance.

The tire needs to be spinning freely at this stage.

If you don’t want to use a jack, alternatively, you can use a ramp to serve the same purpose. Sometimes, you will feel like the ramp is making the trailer more stable than the jack. However, using jack is sufficient, I must say.

Step 4: Removing the lug nuts and wheel

At this stage, when the tire can spin freely, you can remove the loosened lug nuts completely using the same breaker bar and socket or the lug nut wrench.

Once you do that, remove the malfunctioning wheel altogether.

Step 5: Check the Air Pressure of the Spare Tire

Now, it’s time to use the pressure gauge and perhaps the portable air compressor.

Before you replace the tire, check the current air pressure of the spare tire and make sure it’s holding the correct PSI.

Is the tire below the recommended PSI?

Use the portable air compressor to inflate it to get to the accurate PSI.

Step 6: Replace the Malfunctioning Tire with the Spare One

You removed the malfunctioning tire already and checked the spare tire if it’s in suitable condition to using.

Now install the spare tire where the previous tire was, and start tightening up the lug nuts. As you haven’t lowered the jack yet, you might see the tire is spinning while tightening them up.

Don’t worry. You don’t have to make the nuts super tight at this stage. Just tight the lug nuts enough so that the tire remains in place and doesn’t fall back out.

Step 7: Lower the Jack, Remove it, and Keep Going

You are now at the last stage of changing the tire on a travel trailer.

At this stage, first, lower the jack and remove it so that the tire touches the ground appropriately.

Now you can remove the jack entirely. Now you can remove the jack entirely.

Now, tighten up the lug nuts properly. Make sure they are all tightened up accurately and not going to come off. It’s vital.

Final Words

That is it.

Isn’t it too easy?

I bet it is.

Now, you got the answer to your question ‘how to change a tire on a travel trailer?’

Go ahead and change your flat or malfunctioning tire effortlessly.

Good luck.