Going on a camping adventure is all about excitement and fun. But how will you feel if suddenly your caravan tyre goes flat and you are not even prepared for it? What will you do? Therefore, properly checking the tyres in advance is the key to have an uninterrupted camping experience.
The proper and timely maintenance of the tyres is important as they keep you going on the road when you are heading to a camping destination. You should be prepared to handle such situations. Handling caravan tyres is not the same as the smaller vehicles. You need to follow strict safety measures when dealing with a flat tyre. Therefore, we outline some tips below on replacing the caravan tyres.
Practice
Replacing a flat tyre is not an easy job. If you don’t have any prior experience of changing tyres, it can be difficult for you. Therefore, make sure that before embarking on long trips, you have practised changing tyres. If you start with changing the tyres of a smaller vehicle, you can easily learn to change the caravan tyres.
Tyre-changing Kit
Before going on a trip, don’t forget to keep the tyre changing kit. If you don’t have the required tools with you, then even your practice can’t help you out.
- Spare
Having a working spare wheel with you is a must. It can help you in an emergency. After regular intervals, checking the pressure of the tyre is necessary to avoid an emergency. - Wheel Brace
It is required to loosen the nuts of the tyre easily. Depending upon the model, every wheel nut is unique in shape. Therefore, you should have a suitable wheel brace to change the caravan tyre. - Wheel chocks
When the caravan is parked, the wheel chocks help to stop the caravan from moving downhill. Caravan hand breaks alone cannot make it possible to stop the caravan from rolling down on an inclined surface. Therefore, wheel chocks are needed for the extra support. - 12v Air Compressor
It is recommend to carry a small 12v air compressor with you in case your tyre is flat and requires pumping up. If you are driving on sand, you will need to let your tyre pressure down, so a 12v compressor comes in handy when it comes time to pump your tyres back up again.
Find a safe place to pull over
If your caravan tyre blows up, firstly try to reach the safest spot. For example, if your caravan tyre blows on the highway, it is not the safest place to replace the tyre. Instead, you should steer your caravan to a secure place where you don’t block the traffic.
Ensure your safety
Another important thing that needs to be kept in mind is safety. Therefore, to avoid injuries while replacing tyres, it is important to protect yourself first. For this, you can wear gloves and knee pads. Wearing gloves can save your hands from getting dirty. Also, knee caps can save you from scratching or hurting your knees. Therefore, always keep a pair of gloves and knee pads in the caravan side locker.
Follow the instructions
Don’t forget to keep a caravan instruction menu for replacing caravan tyres in your bag. If in case you can’t perform a certain step to replace the tyre. You can make sure by reading it on the instruction menu whether you are doing it right or not.
How often should caravan tyres be replaced?
There is no hard and fast rule about when you should replace the caravan tyres. But there could be some potential reasons like the age of the tyres, etc., that make you change the tyres. Sometimes you examine the potential reasons before moving out of your house. However, sometimes all of a sudden, your caravan tyre blows when you are on the road heading to your holiday destination, and then you replace it with the spare one.
Usually, tyres need to be replaced if they are older than five years. However, if you don’t consider changing the tyres even after this time frame, you will put yourself and others on the road at major risk. In the life span of 5 years, the caravan tyres get affected by various factors that deteriorate their condition:
- If you leave your caravan unused for a long time, it puts unwanted strain on the tyres resulting in a degraded condition of the tyres.
- Exposure to the sun and extreme weather conditions also impacts the quality of tyres.
- Due to the frequent use, the caravan tyres start wearing out. For example, the weight a caravan carries impacts the condition of tyres.
- If your caravan met with an accident, then you need to get the caravan tyres checked and replaced if needed to avoid future problems while travelling.
- The need for the high inflation pressure also indicates that tyres require replacement.
- While driving, if you notice that something is not fine with your caravan, get your caravan checked at the service centre, and if they recommend replacing the tyres, then don’t delay.
- The tread depth plays an important role in ensuring safety while travelling. With each travel, the tyres suffer from wearing and tearing, which cause the tread depth to decrease. When it reaches the critical value of 1.6mm, there is no other option to get the tyres replaced immediately.
- Moreover, you can physically examine your caravan tyres with your hands and eyes. If you notice any cuts and sharp objects such as needles, broken glass that have pierced the tyre surface, then don’t ignore these things. Even if it is not causing you any issue right now, it might cause you trouble later.
Final words
To reach your camping destination safely, make sure that the caravan tyres are in good condition before starting your trip. For this, you should consider visiting the service centre regularly to maintain the caravan tyres. However, if you encounter an emergency where you need to replace the tyre, you can follow the above-given tips and efficiently replace the tyre with ease. Moreover, following the above ideas, you can resume your camping journey without wasting your time. Instead of worrying about the damaged tyre, you can focus on enjoying the travelling time if you know the right techniques and have the necessary tools to replace the tyre.
