Changing a flat tire

[BeSerious]

The NEST Owner’s Manual says…
“Tire Changing
To change a tire with a jack, see the label af xed to the underbelly located to the rear of the wheels. This label reads JACK with an arrow pointing to a plate riveted to the mainframe rail where the jack head must be placed.

Airstream does not supply a jack with the trailer.
Leveling blocks can be used instead of a jack to change a flat tire. Position the leveling block under the trailer’s good tire. This will raise the flat tire clear of the ground. “

I know this will work with tandem axles. But does it really work with the NEST’s single axle?

We'll be picking up our new NEST in a few hours and pulling it 180mi home this afternoon I just want to be prepared in case of tire trouble.

[Belegedhel]

Where did you get this quote?

"Leveling blocks can be used instead of a jack to change a flat tire. Position the leveling block under the trailer’s good tire. This will raise the flat tire clear of the ground. “

I don't see how you could use leveling blocks to change a flat on a single axle trailer.

I use the factory issued jack that comes with my tow vehicle to jack up the AS, but I built an "adapter" that creates a mechanical fit between the jack head and the axle mounting plate of the trailer for better peace of mind. It just sounds like you have a flat spot to jack against on the nest, though.

good luck!

[BeSerious]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Where did you get this quote?

"Leveling blocks can be used instead of a jack to change a flat tire. Position the leveling block under the trailer’s good tire. This will raise the flat tire clear of the ground. “

I don't see how you could use leveling blocks to change a flat on a single axle trailer....

The quote is copied and pasted from the online 2019 NEST owner's manual.


https://www.airstream.com/owners/man...r/2019/page/2/


I agree this makes no sense on a single axle trailer. I'm guessing that this part of the manual was cut and pasted from a manual for tandem axles trailers.

[Belegedhel]

Yep, I'm thinking it is a cut-and-paste error.

Reminds me of a section in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," where the author explains how the guy who writes the technical documentation is the least qualified guy in the plant, because the most qualified guy is out building the product.

good luck!

[bambi ll]

I just traveled 1000 miles out of Baja, Mexico with my 1964 Bambi ll Air Stream trailer. She had not moved in 15 years. Did a bit of work to get her as ready as I could. Went thru the "changing tire" lesson, with my wonderful native handyman. And off I went.


3 days and 1000 miles later, just before Scottsdale, Arizona, I have my first blow out ever, on my Air Stream ! I am a single woman.

Luckly, I was in the exit lane, so I pulled off the highway of 7 lanes of traffic going 75 mph, on a 108 degree day with a hot breeze off the tarmack !
Yep, it had to be done. So I lay down on a woven reed beach mat, and went at it.


I put my car jack under the axel next to the shredded tire, up she went, off she came, nice man appears to help me, and on goes the spare.


If I can do it , so can you !


Trust I will see you all out there, enjoying life !

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Yep, I'm thinking it is a cut-and-paste error.

Reminds me of a section in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," where the author explains how the guy who writes the technical documentation is the least qualified guy in the plant, because the most qualified guy is out building the product.

good luck!

I have to agree with you Belegedhel on the typo. Honestly, doesn’t someone proof read the manuals before they’re published? I reported two similar errors to Airstream. One was the “optional” 16” wheel option in the Globetrotter manual. It’s not an option - was copy & pasted from previous manual.

[WKPwildlife]

You won’t have a problem towing it home. If you do, then call the dealer.

Eventually, you’ll want to prepare for changing a flat at the worst possible time and location. It could be on a busy interstate with semis whizzing by you, and the angled shoulder is loose gravel. It could be raining….at night. And, you have no cell service. Yikes!

So, here’s what I carry with my AS19:
- 6 ton bottle jack
- Safejack jack stabilizer (https://safejacks.com/collections/universal-base-plates)
- roadside emergency lights
- rubber mat for kneeling
- knee pads
- safety vest
- emergency rain poncho
- 25-250 ft/lb torque wrench
- head lamp
- 12V tire inflator pump

For now, just enjoy your new toy; you won’t regret it.

Bill K

[MSL]

The same error is in the 2019 22 Sport manual. Makes me wonder what additional errors are in there that aren't quite so obvious ...

[Sport 16 STL]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Where did you get this quote?

"Leveling blocks can be used instead of a jack to change a flat tire. Position the leveling block under the trailer’s good tire. This will raise the flat tire clear of the ground. “

I don't see how you could use leveling blocks to change a flat on a single axle trailer.

I use the factory issued jack that comes with my tow vehicle to jack up the AS, but I built an "adapter" that creates a mechanical fit between the jack head and the axle mounting plate of the trailer for better peace of mind. It just sounds like you have a flat spot to jack against on the nest, though.

good luck!

I have a Jeep and the jack doesn't have a flat surface. What did you use to adapt your jack for the flat AS jack position?
Also the 4 way lug wrench makes it easier to remove and tighten lug nuts.

[rmkrum]

I carry a battery-powered impact wrench to get lug nuts off, and an appropriate manual torque wrench to put them back on.

And yes, my pickup has a 120 volt outlet to charge the torque wrench battery on the road.

[WKPwildlife]

Forgot to add a breaker bar to the list for removing lug nuts; don't use the torque wrench.

[BeSerious]

Thanks for the replies and advice. Our new NEST is home safe and sound without any tire drama In the end we decided that if we had tire trouble on the way home we’d just rely on the 24/7 Roadside Assistance.

I’ll be adding a bottle jack to the NEST tools inventory. BTW the jack “pads” don’t look anything like the photo in the manual. They are very beefy L brackets welded to the frame in front of the axle on both sides.

One other manual quirk is the requirement/suggestion to “Check the lug nuts at 10, 25 miles and recheck at 50 miles of travel.“. Strictly speaking the manual suggests this procedure after repacking the bearings. But the implication is that this is a good idea anytime the wheels have been installed ( e.g. at the factory). The issue with the NEST wheels is the fancy “hub cap” restricts the thickness of the socket/tool. So despite bringing a full socket set, I ended up at the first Tractor Supply on the way home to buy a deep, thin-wall 3/4in socket that fit perfectly. Of course the torque checked just fine on the trip and after we got home