Yakima Rack and Roll Trailer

Advice
#1

I have a new Yakima Rack and Roll trailer for my canoe. Bad back made necessary. Really like it. But as a planner for things that may never happen, I am trying to figure out best procedures in event of flat tire.
Could try fix a flat but looking for best way to change wheel for spare wheel. Leave trailer upright and try to put new wheel on? Invert traile and work from bottom? Anybody ever done this?

#2

I had to change a flat tire on my small and LIGHT trailer and found that it was tough to keep the entire wheel from spinning as I tried to loosen the lug nuts. That was with the trailer just standing on its wheels. There wasn’t enough friction between the flat tire and the ground to keep the wheel from spinning.

I got a second person to sit on that side of the trailer and add their weight, which stopped the wheel from spinning. So, that might indicate that having the trailer upright with wheels on the ground would give you the best chance to get the lug nuts loosened (maybe by adding weight). Then once the lug nuts are loose, jack up the wheel to remove it.

1 Like
#3

Thanks for reaching out. But the Yakima trailer is pretty weird. No lug nuts. No axle. Instead one castle nut on interior side of separately supported wheels. New to me. Hoping to find advice from people familiar with such an arrangement.

#4

I have one. Why worry about it now? Frame is so high it is very hard to support to lift the wheel off the ground

but the frame is pretty light that 2 people should/may be able to do it.

People are not familiar, no lug nuts, single bolt with nut.

Cheap fix is to cut a 2x4 so it would lift the wheel an inch or 2 above the ground and prop the frame near the wheel. Only do this with the trailer attached to car so it cant move.

#5

Resparky. Bad back so hope not to lift too much. What about unloading any boat. Then lifting tongue (pretty light) so as to point it straight up? That exposes tires. Think that might work?

#6

To me high risk of falling straight up. If no boats, unhook, collapse/remove tongue and flip completely over. More prep time but easy off/replace.

#7

Sounds right to me. Guess if someone else there, they could steady it upright. Thanks for helping me think it through.