Changing Trailer Tires: method/equipment

We "practiced" in the drive way before taking our first trip. This way you have time and space to experiment without the pressure of actually being on the side of the road. I carry two bottle jacks and 2 pieces of each...2x6", 4"x4" and 2"x4" lumber. I did what you are going to do regarding taking the rims to the tire shop.(also bought a new rim and tire for spare). In the driveway we used a combination of cinder blocks and 2bys at a point just behind the axle where there was a cross member. Jacked each side in small increments until it was high enough to spin the wheels. Also had the trailer jack on a block, so it was jacked and blocked at three points. Like Vikx said it was a bear getting them in and out of the wheel wells, but we where able to do it without deflating the tires.
One last bit of advice. While traveling, one of the items on our daily checklist (yes we actually used one!) was "check lug nuts". For that reason we left the hubcaps off during the trip. I was surprised at how often one or two needed tightening.

We were lucky in that during an 8000 mile trip we only had one flat, and it was on the tow vehicle. I think it was in the city of Abilene, TX. Parked at a grocery store, loading the camper. I was mindlessly walking around the camper and saw a 3" long screw on the ground. Like an idiot I picked it up and threw it in the trash (didn't look for more) Got back in the truck and began driving out of the parking lot. "Clickity, clickity". Yup, should have looked for more...drove about a mile with the screw in the tire and made it to tire shop.
Guy only charged us $15 to jack up the truck, remove wheel, remove screw, patch tire and put it back on! I was so glad it didn't happen somewhere out in the boonies.

"Practice in the driveway"… good idea Turbo. One of my problems is that I have no driveway… at least not a paved one, so any jacking situations can be less than ideal and not level. So I've decided to tow my trailer a couple of miles to the tire shop. They'll put it on 3 proper jacks simultaneously and it'll be done quickly. Then, I'll find a taller bottle jack for roadside use should I need to change a tire on the road. I'm always hesitant to take the trailer on very short "servicing" tows because re-parking it on the trip home is like threading a needle (without my reading glasses!). It's a great parking spot, but its hard to get it in just right… also, there's an open space before the parking that requires I do a 3 point turn in order to get the trailer parked with the tongue facing out. My wife has gotten pretty good at navigating the turn-around and the parking with me at the wheel. Still… it's a pain 

Chametzoo, you should have seen me the night we got home from our cross country trip. Tried to get here before dark, but didn't make it. Our driveway is about 100'(and fortunately straight).

I have to back the camper in and then make a sharp left turn to park it. There is no room to turn around. In daylight, when I haven't been driving for 7 hours I can do it no sweat. But that night I was totally fried, no back up lights on the camper, it was a very dark night and I couldn't see worth ----! I must have been out there for 20 minutes at least, smashing into the puckerbrush and trying over and over to get it parked. I am most likely going to install back up lights 'cause we seem to have a tendency to arrive late everywhere we go and usually sites require backing in!

Now that I'm thinking about it I could have just pulled frontwise and parked, then backed it out in the morning, except I worry about blocking access to the house by emergency vehicles.

Yaz, loved that Mexico story, my dad had a setup like that 50 years ago.

Turbo… that's what I've done in the past when arriving after dark: just park it nose first and connected to the TV, go inside and have a beer and deal with it in the morning!  My maneuver is a doozy, but my wife and I have it down to a science.  The 3 point turn I could probably do myself, but getting the trailer (backed) into it's canopy (only a foot wider on each side than the trailer) takes precision and some patience… but we did it remarkably quickly today and put the tires almost exactly where they were when I left this morning.  It's tight but actually a great parking spot in that I have a water spigot, electrical outlet and sewer clean out, all within a few feet of the trailer.  Geez, now that I think of it, I could charge $50 a night for that spot  !

I've heard about that site which trades space on private property for trailer travelers.  I think I'm mostly kidding when I made the "$50" comment.  Insurance and liability would be a complication.  My lovely parking space at my rented house is directly under a very large, mature Siberian Elm tree.  At the height of its powers and very hearty, but potentially vulnerable to lightning strikes… so I worry sometimes.  A large limb would total my trailer, and while very insured, would not cover my true blood, sweat and tears investment.

Yes, my canopy is a very nice cover… meant to be temporary (aluminum poles, tan nylon top with an bowed, not A frame, roof… only one like it I could find), but my architectural background allowed me to make structural modifications that make it very stable and resistant to blowing away.  I'll post a picture when I have time.  I've also bungee strung nylon, translucent mesh tarps around the sides that protect from the brunt of the weather, esp. hail which we sometimes get here in the summer.

Chametzoo, the trick is to use a temporary or "toy" spare. They fit well and are easy to stow. Once you reach a reasonable sized town, the tire shop should be able to repair/replace your flat trailer tire.