Hello, has anyone got any advice on combinations of axle stands for my motorhome, I have a two berth fiat Ducati based vehicle and want to refurbish the wheels, so plan to take one wheel off of the vehicle at a time. Is there any advice on safety? I went to my local Halfords to look at a pair of 3 tonne stands and they recommended I use them in pairs, that is jack up the vehicle on both sides, seems a little excessive just to take one wheel off at a time and unnecessary. Obviously I would not rely solely on the lifting jack, but just wondered if anyone has done a similar task safely?
Jacking up Motorhome for wheel removal
- Thread starter PNAJones
- Start date
You don’t really need 3t stands, your whole vehicle may only be 3.5t and you are lifting and supporting one corner at a time.
Personally I can’t see any reason why you need to lift and stand more than one wheel at a time. Unless you want 2 wheels off At a time, If that’s what helps you complete the job as you want.
A suitable jack, a single axle stand of say 1.5t and some sort of chock for the wheels where necessary is really all you need.
Personally I can’t see any reason why you need to lift and stand more than one wheel at a time. Unless you want 2 wheels off At a time, If that’s what helps you complete the job as you want.
A suitable jack, a single axle stand of say 1.5t and some sort of chock for the wheels where necessary is really all you need.
Upvote
0
Why would you not want to take two wheels off ? The clue here is a pair of axle stands. I would say get real and jack the front up take the wheels off after inserting a pair of stands under the motorhome and work away with a nice balanced vehicle. Of course we are yet to here what kind of jack you have in mind!
Upvote
0
Has the van got a spare, use that on the van whilst spraying wheel
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
Upvote
0
chesterfield hooligan
LIFE MEMBER
I started with the spare wheel took my time painted that then fitted that one at a time until all the wheel's were painted swopping one at a time.
Upvote
0
Yes I carry a few oak “pads”!Don’t forget to place a solid block of wood on the top of both the jack and then axle stand, help spread the weight, prevents marking any under seal or painted chassis members. I carry a small trees worth of blocks in my van
Upvote
0
The only advice I would add is, IF you have semi air assist instead of the rear bump stops, remember to jack under the cross axle, NOT just the bodywork.
Upvote
1
- Dec 2, 2019
- 5,147
- 11,547
- Funster No
- 67,140
- MH
- Rapido 7065+
- Exp
- Broken most bits now
When jacking up to remove a wheel you need to lift the corner quite a lot. This means you're also trying to lift 2 other corners at the same time so you need a 3 ton jack with a long throw to stand a chance. 1 axle stand is ok for a wheel change if you're not going under the wheel arch but I'd be using a pair of stands to make the jacked van much more stable.
Don't be tempted to shortcut the jacking height by using the lower suspension arm, this would end in tears
Don't be tempted to shortcut the jacking height by using the lower suspension arm, this would end in tears
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
Upvote
0
About not using the suspension arms to jack against. We have an Alko chassis van which has the torsion spring and swinging/traing arm set up. When jacking a rear wheel it needs to be lifted along way to get the wheel off the ground. The traing arm has a large recess opposite the axle, about 1 1/2" diameter and a couple of inches deep. I wonder if it would be possible to make up a six inch bar to fit in there and jack against it, this would mean only lifting enough until the tyre clears rather than the whole suspension travel. May seem a bad idea but many aircraft use a similar idea to enable a quick wheel change, blown tyre on runway etc.
Upvote
0
I bought an Air Jack from Amazon. It’s just so good at getting the wheels off the ground.
(If you have a compressor)
Pump it up. Axle stand under.Job Done
(If you have a compressor)
Pump it up. Axle stand under.Job Done
Upvote
0
- Mar 7, 2022
- 296
- 792
- Funster No
- 87,297
- MH
- Hobby Optima T70 HQ
Don't use the FIAT supplied scissor jack. My motorhome fell off it for no apparent reason. It was all square and stable then it just toppled over. I now have a heavy duty 3.5 tonne trolley jack. I would jack one corner at a time and use one axle stand. You could save some money with lesser weight axle stands but I think when jacking and supporting a heavy vehicle overkill is a good thing.
Upvote
0
Im not a mechanic, but with it being a motorhome i would use jack and put axle stand then jack other side ,cos i feel it might twist the body of motorhome ,or am i too cautious?
Subscribers do not see these advertisements
Upvote
0
- Aug 17, 2021
- 149
- 420
- Funster No
- 83,525
- MH
- Adria 640 SLB on ord
One stand is fine, just make sure it’s used sensibly and perhaps leave the jack as a secondary support.
I wouldn’t personally use a piece of wood either under the jack/stand or above it, it can be used but you need to be very careful of the quality as it can split under the load and make the load unstable.
If you’ve got a spare I’d put that on whilst the wheel is removed to reduce the risk, also if you’ve don't know what you’re doing maybe get someone who does to show you the ropes/help.
I wouldn’t personally use a piece of wood either under the jack/stand or above it, it can be used but you need to be very careful of the quality as it can split under the load and make the load unstable.
If you’ve got a spare I’d put that on whilst the wheel is removed to reduce the risk, also if you’ve don't know what you’re doing maybe get someone who does to show you the ropes/help.
Upvote
0
Join us or log in to post a reply.
To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun
Join MotorhomeFun
Join us, it quick and easy!
Log in
Already a member? Log in here.
Latest journal entries
-
The Land of Guinness 2023
- Kannon Fodda
- Entries: 23
-
Alcoceber or Bust! Autumn Awaycation 2024
- InvictaMoto
- Entries: 23
Latest entry: Day 17 - Homeward Bound,