[VACList] Re: Tire changing hint 1947-1964

["Fred Coldwell" <Agrijeep@xxxxxxxxx>]

   While greasing the wheel bearings on Ruby, my 1947 Wee
Wind, I discovered a trick that makes changing tires easier
on solid axle trailers with small tight wheel wells: remove
the wheel bearing grease cap from the end of the axle before
removing the wheel and tire.  Doing so provides more
clearance to squeeze the wheel and tire past the end of the
axle, and makes the process "almost" easy.  Leave the grease
cap off
until after the wheel and tire are mounted on the hub, then
install it.   

   I removed the grease cap with a small hammer and a
screwdriver after removing the wheel and tire, aided and
calmed by colorful language.   But I left the cap off when I
put the wheel and tire back on, and they slid on as nicely
as Cinderella's
slipper.  Large channelock pliers would be very handy to
remove the grease cap from the axle when the tire is still
mounted on the axle hub.   

   A floor jack with an old pillow on the lift plate (to
disperse the lift pressure) was used to raise Ruby's body
without raising the axle. The floor jack worked well, but I
had to raise the body quite high to slid the wheel and tire
past the end of the axle. 

   I imagine removing the grease cap before changing a tire
was common
knowledge among tire guys and trailerites many decades ago
but became lost with the passage of time.   Well, here it is
again, and I hope it becomes and remains common knowledge
again among those of us with old solid axle trailers having
tight wheel wells. 

Fred Coldwell
VAC Archive Historian