yourhavingalarf:
Dirty Dan:
Lower the trailer then block of Wood or two under the airbag then raise it and tyre in the air. Nice and easy so no problem at al.Danne
There is a problem if…
The trailer is on springs.
Yeah sure is,but then not many on springs around now isnt.
Danne
Lost count of the number i have changed.
Admittedly i spent time as a mechanic before succumbing to the call of the open road.
This picture was taken down in Portsmouth.
A few seconds later the wheel fell onto the driver’s leg which left him rolling around in agony.
I got someone in some nearby offices to call for medics.
I had to leave then so i never found out how he gone on afterwards.
Olivers of Benwick have since gone out of business.
15 Feb 1988
Company don’t allow it, so I certainly won’t be changing a wheel on the lorry. We don’t carry a spare anyway.
Neither of our cars has a spare wheel, nor does my motorbike or my pushbike, so for the time being at least I doubt I’ll be doing a wheel change any time soon.
Having said that, I have changed a couple for lone female (car) drivers in recent years - but only because I really didn’t want them sat at the roadside waiting for the RAC/AA etc.
So, who showed you guys how to change a wheel? I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s a bit more in depth than a normal car wheel. How did you know where to safely place the jack, how to break the nuts, how to get the heavy wheel on and off the hub, and how to safely torque the nuts back up in the correct way? It all takes a certain knack and I’m sure most new drivers wouldn’t have a clue. I know I struggled with the weight of the wheel during that training session.
I am ■■■■■■ if I would change a wheel on a truck, not at my rates anyway.
UKtramp:
I am [zb] if I would change a wheel on a truck, not at my rates anyway.
No, me neither, but it was the norm when I started driving, particularly when abroad and in countries where there wasn’t a network like ATS in place to deal with tyre failures, and there wasn’t an easy way to contact the office to say you had a puncture anyway. It’s something I expected to have to do in the arse end of Bulgaria in 1995, but not on the hard shoulder of the M1 in 2017.
Harry Monk:
UKtramp:
I am [zb] if I would change a wheel on a truck, not at my rates anyway.No, me neither, but it was the norm when I started driving, particularly when abroad and in countries where there wasn’t a network like ATS in place to deal with tyre failures, and there wasn’t an easy way to contact the office to say you had a puncture anyway. It’s something I expected to have to do in the arse end of Bulgaria in 1995, but not on the hard shoulder of the M1 in 2017.
Yes years ago but not in a million years would i do it now not even for a 100 quid the rules are set health and safety never It must be a good feeling only new and eager to please and most of all young and willing to do anything ah the memory’s flood back
citycat:
Driving down the (Dutch) motorway yesterday, I saw one of the small motorway trucks with the led keep left arrow illuminated, parked up on the hard shoulder. As I got closer, I saw he was protecting an artic, and as I passed, I saw the Romanian driver of the artic changing a wheel on his trailer.It got me thinking, how many of you are still allowed or expected by your company to change your own wheels, especially if driving in mainland Europe. If you’ve changed wheels in the past, who showed you how to do it? Do you have any horror stories? And for the ‘old uns’ on here who’s trucks had a starting handle. What was it like changing wheels with solid tyres on? Did the bloke holding the red flag give you a hand?
Before I started this trucking lark earlier this year, I did last summer driving tour coaches around Europe with excitable young Australians. On the pre season training trip, us drivers were told that we would be expected to change our own wheel and were given 90 minutes training on how to do it on a campsite just outside Rome. However, even the driver instructor was struggling with changing the wheel. He first had to deal with seized bolts before the spare could even be lowered down from its storage area under the coach. He then had to struggle getting the old wheel off and the spare on. At the end, he was black from head to toe and had bleeding grazed knuckles. And all this was done in the quiet and calm confines of a campsite, not on the side of a busy road.
I thought at the time, ‘like [zb] am I changing the wheel on the side of some Italian autostrada, risking life or injury while a bus load of young tourists expect me to get it right. The company can send out a tyre fitter or the bus will just stay where it is’. Luckily, I got through the whole season without a blow out or breakdown.
Just some photos from my holiday shuttle driver days. How many drivers does it take to change a wheel■■?
You had training but in you photo looking who you not prepared.If you bus drivers ot truck drivers that best who must have some blanket and extra clothes.Much more easy do this think when you have clothes for 2-3 size biggest.Now most EE drivers hav e special kit and do this job very easy.Just must use this kit carrefully because if turn on so much that can cut off nuts.youtube.com/watch?v=srRKhTkI0G8&t=60s
If truck carry a spare wheel it means company have policy of driver changing the wheel or policy that driver can change wheel if willing to under some sort of bonus scheme or not.
There are companies in UK that at this time demand drivers to change wheels on roadside by themselves.
There are companies in UK that allow driver to choose if he wants to change the wheel and get bonus or not change the wheel and not get the bonus, but sit in cab and wait for fitter.
Long story short - if you see spare wheel on truck or trailer - that driver have either voluntary of compulsory change wheel duty trained or not trained believe it or not so you can get the one and only true answer to your question by observing other trucks on the road.
Andrejs:
citycat:
Driving down the (Dutch) motorway yesterday, I saw one of the small motorway trucks with the led keep left arrow illuminated, parked up on the hard shoulder. As I got closer, I saw he was protecting an artic, and as I passed, I saw the Romanian driver of the artic changing a wheel on his trailer.It got me thinking, how many of you are still allowed or expected by your company to change your own wheels, especially if driving in mainland Europe. If you’ve changed wheels in the past, who showed you how to do it? Do you have any horror stories? And for the ‘old uns’ on here who’s trucks had a starting handle. What was it like changing wheels with solid tyres on? Did the bloke holding the red flag give you a hand?
Before I started this trucking lark earlier this year, I did last summer driving tour coaches around Europe with excitable young Australians. On the pre season training trip, us drivers were told that we would be expected to change our own wheel and were given 90 minutes training on how to do it on a campsite just outside Rome. However, even the driver instructor was struggling with changing the wheel. He first had to deal with seized bolts before the spare could even be lowered down from its storage area under the coach. He then had to struggle getting the old wheel off and the spare on. At the end, he was black from head to toe and had bleeding grazed knuckles. And all this was done in the quiet and calm confines of a campsite, not on the side of a busy road.
I thought at the time, ‘like [zb] am I changing the wheel on the side of some Italian autostrada, risking life or injury while a bus load of young tourists expect me to get it right. The company can send out a tyre fitter or the bus will just stay where it is’. Luckily, I got through the whole season without a blow out or breakdown.
Just some photos from my holiday shuttle driver days. How many drivers does it take to change a wheel■■?
You had training but in you photo looking who you not prepared.If you bus drivers ot truck drivers that best who must have some blanket and extra clothes.Much more easy do this think when you have clothes for 2-3 size biggest.Now most EE drivers hav e special kit and do this job very easy.Just must use this kit carrefully because if turn on so much that can cut off nuts.youtube.com/watch?v=srRKhTkI0G8&t=60s
Actually it’s either battery impact guns with sockets or pneumatic guns running from truck air supply depending on how much each driver is interested in investing in kit.
First turn by socket, stick scaffold bar combo after that battery impact gun or airgun from air tanks.
What is shown in video is dumbass approach to this…
Scaffold bar equivalent is required to complete finishing touches of tightening impact battery gun or air gun or even the one in video will not do this and nuts will fly off as per some of the same dumbasses videos that you mentioned as example.
Each of the ones changing wheels carry something like scaffold bar and some sort of long bar etc…
Since you are linking to that video we both very well know few other videos from the same group of people where their wheels have flew off… 
Dirty Dan:
I always change the wheels on my trailer. Sure its just 19,5 ones. But dont use a jack,i use my air suspension. Lower the trailer then block of Wood or two under the airbag then raise it and tyre in the air. Nice and easy so no problem at al.Danne
Same here. All our LAG and VanHools have a spare wheel and we all carry a 20t bottle jack and extendable breaker bar. Probably done dozens over the years. Its a no brainer really, change it yourself in 20-30mins or wait hours for a tyre fitter…
I’ve changed a fair few in my time, most of them are on trailers I’ve coupled up to at silly o clock in the morning only to find a flat tyre 
I used to carry a 6 foot length of scaffold bar to use as an extension bar to crack the nuts.
If you want to upset your garage fitter let him see you swaying on it to tighten the nuts 
they don’t like to see you over tighten them.
kyk:
Andrejs:
citycat:
Driving down the (Dutch) motorway yesterday, I saw one of the small motorway trucks with the led keep left arrow illuminated, parked up on the hard shoulder. As I got closer, I saw he was protecting an artic, and as I passed, I saw the Romanian driver of the artic changing a wheel on his trailer.It got me thinking, how many of you are still allowed or expected by your company to change your own wheels, especially if driving in mainland Europe. If you’ve changed wheels in the past, who showed you how to do it? Do you have any horror stories? And for the ‘old uns’ on here who’s trucks had a starting handle. What was it like changing wheels with solid tyres on? Did the bloke holding the red flag give you a hand?
Before I started this trucking lark earlier this year, I did last summer driving tour coaches around Europe with excitable young Australians. On the pre season training trip, us drivers were told that we would be expected to change our own wheel and were given 90 minutes training on how to do it on a campsite just outside Rome. However, even the driver instructor was struggling with changing the wheel. He first had to deal with seized bolts before the spare could even be lowered down from its storage area under the coach. He then had to struggle getting the old wheel off and the spare on. At the end, he was black from head to toe and had bleeding grazed knuckles. And all this was done in the quiet and calm confines of a campsite, not on the side of a busy road.
I thought at the time, ‘like [zb] am I changing the wheel on the side of some Italian autostrada, risking life or injury while a bus load of young tourists expect me to get it right. The company can send out a tyre fitter or the bus will just stay where it is’. Luckily, I got through the whole season without a blow out or breakdown.
Just some photos from my holiday shuttle driver days. How many drivers does it take to change a wheel■■?
You had training but in you photo looking who you not prepared.If you bus drivers ot truck drivers that best who must have some blanket and extra clothes.Much more easy do this think when you have clothes for 2-3 size biggest.Now most EE drivers hav e special kit and do this job very easy.Just must use this kit carrefully because if turn on so much that can cut off nuts.youtube.com/watch?v=srRKhTkI0G8&t=60s
Actually it’s either battery impact guns with sockets or pneumatic guns running from truck air supply depending on how much each driver is interested in investing in kit.
First turn by socket, stick scaffold bar combo after that battery impact gun or airgun from air tanks.
What is shown in video is dumbass approach to this…
Scaffold bar equivalent is required to complete finishing touches of tightening impact battery gun or air gun or even the one in video will not do this and nuts will fly off as per some of the same dumbasses videos that you mentioned as example.
Each of the ones changing wheels carry something like scaffold bar and some sort of long bar etc…Since you are linking to that video we both very well know few other videos from the same group of people where their wheels have flew off…
With this tool kit all job go very well.But wheels can few off if somebody do wrong by pneumaticc gan or usually kit.And of course must check nuts after.
Andejs has it here. Using an impact gun for final tightening is a no no, the nuts will never be torqued correctly with a gun or a 1m long bar but with the latter with 15 stone standing on the bar ive never had a wheel come off, not one that ive changed anyway…
We have to tighten ours each morning with a great dirty bar
I stand on mine and haven’t had a loose one yet
are the wheel nuts on one side (offside iirc) still left hand thread ■■ 
Not paid enough to be a driver/ tyre fitter… someone elses job therefore I would sit back & relax :'-) what’s the rush…?!
Il change one in the the yard if the tyre fitter is busy but we have a firm come out if we have one on the road.
Usually works well until I called one in a few weeks back then put the seat back and woke up theee hours later.
No sign of a fitter or a changed wheel so called the office who had forgot to call the tyre firm.
Changing a lorry wheels is a relatively simple process but there are a few basic procedures that need to be adhered to for the vehicle or trailer.
Also safety and common sense is required.
Have not had to change one for a few years and I hope it stays that way.
Do the wheel nuts need to be torqued now a days?
citycat:
So, who showed you guys how to change a wheel? I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s a bit more in depth than a normal car wheel. How did you know where to safely place the jack, how to break the nuts, how to get the heavy wheel on and off the hub, and how to safely torque the nuts back up in the correct way? It all takes a certain knack and I’m sure most new drivers wouldn’t have a clue. I know I struggled with the weight of the wheel during that training session.
Its like anything really, you learn from the ground up,then the more you do,the easier it gets.
The main thing is to ensure the jacking is 100% secure.
I only ever had a problem when changing a wheel on a Vauxhall Viva long ago, although i used the supplied jack the car pushed sideways towards me trapping my fingers between the tyre and the wheel arch.
Luckily the car fell towards me pushing my fingers out as the rear drum fell onto the wheel.
A quickened heart rate and minor bruising was all i sustained.
Truck/bus wheels are a different thing of course,using the weight to maneuver them and ensuring they stayed upright.
If they started to topple the getting out of the way sharpish was usually the best option.
With twin wheels making sure you did not blank off the inner wheels air valve.
During my 12 years as a mechanic on PSVs ,i never saw a torque wrench, or air gun.
It was bottle jack,star wheel brace and a length of scaffold tube…
