Do I need a jack in the MH

[jolly]

Do I need a jack in the MH as we have not got one in ours and if so what sort and where from. Thanking you all in anticipation as we are taking it out for a first run either Saturday or Sunday

 

[jolly]

Thanks again and night night. Hubby is going to get breakdown cover tomorrow

 

[Lenny HB]

How do you remember all these things.

Thats a secret.
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Well you did tell us in post #10

 

[Pirahna]

Thanks again and night night. Hubby is going to get breakdown cover tomorrow

Read carefully what you get for your money. A good example is a few years ago it's expired and without mentioning it wifey renewed for the cheapest cover she found, it happened to be AA but they're all the same. A few weeks later, riding home from work the motorcycle expired with a bit of an engine failure. AA bloke turns up, I tell him I suspect a holed piston, he concurs, wishes me good luck and buggers off. She's only bought roadside assistance, no mention of recovery.

 

[Bessy765]

On our Burstner the supplied jack is in the rear locker. We also carry a 4 ton bottle jack and two oak pads.

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[Two on Tour]

We carry 4 hydraulic jacks.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Lets hope you ALWAYS have good phone reception. Personally, I would never be without one, its not just wheel changes they come in handy for?

What sort, I always carry one that will lift, at least, 50% of my vehicle gross weight.

Agreed I didn’t say don’t carry one, but I wouldn’t try changing a wheel on my van and my last breakdown was on Shetland the furthest north you can get in the UK and we had good reception and the mechanic sent by the AA arrived within 15 mins.

 

[royw]

only carry a jack if you have a spare wheel, we have hydraulics but is still have a jack onboard, remember all the other tools needed and my best bit of advice unique to the thread is try changing a wheel in a safe environment as a test run, you will discover what tools are missing to do the job and if you cannot do it in a safe environment set your mindset for when you are in other environments to not even try.

I carry on mh and touareg

viair air compressor
bottle jack
torque wrench
extender bars
one spare wheel nut/bolt
pliers
stanley
vulcanising fluid
tyre string kits
pressure gauge
spare wheel

Even when we do usa road trips i take kit to supplement hire car

two years ago in north dakota no phone signal flat tyre, i fixed it myself in very very bear area otherwise we would have been stranded. Attached was my potential audience.

 

[jockaneezer]

I got a puncture on the M6 in a "free recovery" section of roadworks, the guy who came to assist only had a tiny trolley jack that was no use at all, good job I had my 5 ton bottle jack in the locker.
ps. If you're going to get yourself a jack, try it out at home first.

 

[Ian Bosman]

Do I need a jack in the MH as we have not got one in ours and if so what sort and where from. Thanking you all in anticipation as we are taking it out for a first run either Saturday or Sunday

Get a hydraulic tower jack but ensure you have it on a solid base when lifting. Trolley jacks are good but are very heavy. Also ensure it is rated above the load you expect to lift. A 3.5 tonne vehicle does not need to lift 3.5 tonnes as the front carries the engine and gearbox, the rear carries virtually the rest. A visit to a weighbridge with the vehicle in touring order, water, clothes food etc will tell you what to expectt to lift.

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[Ian Bosman]

I got a puncture on the M6 in a "free recovery" section of roadworks, the guy who came to assist only had a tiny trolley jack that was no use at all, good job I had my 5 ton bottle jack in the locker.
ps. If you're going to get yourself a jack, try it out at home first.

Try everything new to use with the vehicle at home first. Seen many a person struggling with awnings, chairs, tables as they had not unwrapped it from the suppliers. Even once watched a couple with a caravan and portable old fashioned paraffin lights and no idea how to work them! Same goes for a guy in France with a rollout awning room kit who discovered there was a part missing so he could not attach it.

 

[jolly]

Thank you for all the tips. We can’t try the awning as it is all the way down the drive and on the wrong side. I will pass all this info to hubby. Thanks again no doubt there will be more questions I hope you don’t mind.

 

[Al n Val]

Thank you for all the tips. We can’t try the awning as it is all the way down the drive and on the wrong side. I will pass all this info to hubby. Thanks again no doubt there will be more questions I hope you don’t mind.

turn the van round, it’s better to be safe than sorry

 

[jolly]

He backed it up the drive so when we pop out in it for a day (I know a day) so he can get used to we will put it at the front of the drive and try it then. Cheers

 

[Coolcats]

Do I need a jack in the MH as we have not got one in ours and if so what sort and where from. Thanking you all in anticipation as we are taking it out for a first run either Saturday or Sunday

We do not have a spare wheel and we do not carry a Jack, we do have breakdown cover a large majority of vehicles these days are supplied without a spare wheel and Jack

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[Puddleduck]

On campsites the people putting the awning up for the first time are the entertainment

 

[Pekepal]

Depends

if you have breakdown cover then you may get away with not carrying a jack

if not then i wouldn’t go anywhere in it without a jack and a spare wheel

I have a spare wheel and a levelling system fitted so no jack needed as I can lift all wheels off the floor. That said I also have a supplied jack under the passenger seat so hopefully all bases covered

if your prepared to pay £200/400 and sit and wait up to 8 hours for breakdown or assistance then go for it

Al

Still cheaper than having a levelling system fitted.

 

[Al n Val]

Still cheaper than having a levelling system fitted.

Eh!!

candy floss is as well unless you order 27 tonnes of it then it works out similar

 

[Off da Grid]

No spare so no jack

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Have you considered having your Motorhome tyres filled with the anti puncture liquid, which in effect will reseal a small puncture if it occurs within the tread pattern area.
However, for a sidewall puncture or blowout, a spare is essential as the liquid is not able or suitable for that type of repair ( a blow out would be a shredded tyre, but a small sidewall puncture or cut might be slowed down by the liquid to allow you to limp to a suitable place for a more permanent repair or replacement.
I have this liquid in all 4 of my tyres, fitted when I put new tyres on, but still carry a spare and a jack, but should I need to actually change the wheel, unless It was at home on my level drive and using a 5 tonne trolley jack, for me it would be a call to the Breakdown service for assistance every time.
Just my take on things but have a look at the liquid system, usually costs around £140 fitted for all 4 tyres and the companies offering the service will come to you to do it.
Got mine done at the last Lincoln Motorhome show on site.

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[jolly]

We have a spare tyre but no jack. Will let hubby know about anti puncture. We do have a heavy duty jack in the garage but not sure of the weight. On a positive we made a cup of tea in the MH last night and had the heating on. That is definitely a plus for us. I would like a new toilet seat and holding tank thing as it has gone yellow and on opening it smells a bit. I cleaned it last night but I probably need to leave it overnight and not sure of the size of the seat etc. That is the only thing that is wrong

 

[fesuvious]

I appreciate it's not a task everyone can do but in the garage of my Flair;

3Tonne trolley jack with block of wood.
Torque Multiplier with sockets and 12" extension bar
Massive Torque Wrench, set to the correct lbft.

Just my opinion but if you think you're capable of doing it then go and teach yourself... I'd rather do a wheel change in 30mins than wait 4 hours or more for recovery.

The above kit in total is @£250 upwards, depending on the quality level.

Side note:
If you're not already then for the price of a takeaway a tyre pressure monitoring system is an awesome investment.
I get in the flair, glance down and can see all six tyre's pressures.

 

[Catpirate]

I carry a 5 ton bottle jack, block of wood and suitable wheel spanner with extension. Have an underslung spare and a good tyre inflator (ps needed jump leads so that I can reach the rear tyres with the inflator)

 

[KUSKUS]

I tried to remove a rear wheel on a Mercedes based motorhome at home and found it impossible to remove it.
I took it to my friend who owns a small garage business and he struggled to remove it with a
30 inch breaker bar.
So it's ok to carry Jack but I think it's a good idea to have a practice on your drive.

 

[jolly]

Cheers everyone for your extremely helpful suggestions. It is so much appreciated. Hubby is on phone getting breakdown cover as we text

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[Ian Bosman]

OK, you make a choice but personally I would never travel without a spare wheel and tyre of the same size as the rest already fitted. Having had blowouts affecting the sidewall, a puncture repair kit which car makers supply just does not cut the mustard but you do need a suitable jack capable of lifting the relevant weight

 

[denisejoe]

We have a spare tyre but no jack. Will let hubby know about anti puncture. We do have a heavy duty jack in the garage but not sure of the weight. On a positive we made a cup of tea in the MH last night and had the heating on. That is definitely a plus for us. I would like a new toilet seat and holding tank thing as it has gone yellow and on opening it smells a bit. I cleaned it last night but I probably need to leave it overnight and not sure of the size of the seat etc. That is the only thing that is wrong

You can buy a Fresh Up kit which includes a toilet seat & cassette and usually a small bottle of blue and pink fluid. Not sure how much they are but when we bought ours it was around £100 IIRC a few years ago.

Edit: just googled and CAMC have a C200 Fresh Up kit in their shop for £99.99 with £10 reduction if you are a Member. So still a similar price.

 

[jolly]

You can buy a Fresh Up kit which includes a toilet seat & cassette and usually a small bottle of blue and pink fluid. Not sure how much they are but when we bought ours it was around £100 IIRC a few years ago.

Edit: just googled and CAMC have a C200 Fresh Up kit in their shop for £99.99 with £10 reduction if you are a Member. So still a similar price.

Thank you for that

 

[ianp]

Get a hydraulic tower jack but ensure you have it on a solid base when lifting. Trolley jacks are good but are very heavy. Also ensure it is rated above the load you expect to lift. A 3.5 tonne vehicle does not need to lift 3.5 tonnes as the front carries the engine and gearbox, the rear carries virtually the rest. A visit to a weighbridge with the vehicle in touring order, water, clothes food etc will tell you what to expectt to lift.

Do you mean a 'Bottle ' jack Ian?
Also am I the only one that will carry an axle stand to put under the chassis while working on the wheel? Am I over cautious?

 

[Catpirate]

Hi Ian

I also carry an axle stand. Lifting on a bottle jack can be a little worrying, especially if large vehicles are passing and you have to get your underslung spare out. The wheel/tyre combo are not light......... getting the damaged wheel back in is even worse, have to lift and clip the carrier plus wheel/tyre. Not fun on a roadside but better than waiting hours for assistance. I waited 5hrs for greenflag to change a tyre in a car with my disabled daughter in her wheelchair because I had left my jack at home. Never again....

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[ianp]

Yes I've not tried a remove and replace as yet but it does look like it would be a struggle and I say that as a guy who used to be a plant fitter many moons ago! I'm thinking of some kind of bar to use as a lever to manoeuvre and lift the wheel and cage and no doubt it might serve as an extension for the wheel brace / socket bar! Time to experiment me thinks!