just noticed that one of me van wheels is a bit flat, suspect puncture. now as van si on a slighly sloping drive (bit where axle is is level) was thinking about jacking it up and putting the spare on, thinking if i chock the opposite wheel and raise the legs a bit on that side it shouldnt move.
or as the flat tyre is going to be replaced at the start of next season anyway do i just leave the thing as i am not really caring much about that tyre. only concern is the weight of the suspension on a flat tyre. i could jack it up and shove an axle stand in, tried to slide a stand in but not enough space
another bodge i was thinking of was shoving a can of tyre gunk in but would that last until february when i plan to get a mobile tyre fitter to replace the tyres. yes i am a lazy
problem of jacking on a slight slope is the van could twist as you raise it.mine did one time,so as said fix it to the car first.a lot harder to jack up if it goes completely flat as the jack will not go under with ease.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Make sure that all the legs are wound down before you jack it up, hand brake on and as jtqu says try to attach to the car, ours was on our sloping drive when I changed the tyre, a bit unnerving to say the least.
tried shoving some air into the tyre it is the valve that is shot, so tomorrow when it is dry the car will be reversed in and tied on, legs down, van handbrake on, opposite wheel chocked, jockey wheel chocked then jack the bandit up with trolley jack and change the blooming thing, will take the weight out of the front locker too. the overall slope is barely 6 inches over 30 feet
did have to change a rear car tyre on a blooming steep slope like a foot over the car length once, that was scary. and it was bucketing with rain, thankfully there was a bloke laying a monoblock driveway that provided plenty of bricks as chocks
all i can say is thank god the valve failed on the drive and not on the motorway as i might not have much of a van left
job done, 2 awkward bits reversing the car on the slope, cheers to a neighbour for guiding me on and using the trolley jack under the van, you cant get the weight on the handle to pump it when you are lying on your back under the van. apart from that the van didnt move a thou. tyre valve is totally shot, tyre is okay otherwise no cracks or owt but will change them anyway at the start of the season. they will be 6 years old by then so no shame to them
quite pleased with myself as although i have changed car tyres plenty i havent done one on the van and i guess it is far easier on a dry drive as opposed to the side of the road in the p*ssing rain
Hi there. Yes bit late. My caravan storage is on my sloping drive. I live in a cul-di-sac so am unable to hitch my car up before jacking it up. Sods law says the valve always falls on the Alko locking point. The van is also between a wall at the back & gates at the front so due to the hole configuration in the wheel spokes being every other one (WHY??) I am also unable to manoeuvre the van to get the next hole. I have tried jacking it up before but it tends to skew. Any advise please as my insurance is prob void if I leave it off. Thanks.
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Ok, this was a bit of a bodge, but best solution I could come up with at short notice! I had need to remove my van wheels for tyre replacement whilst van was situated in it's just about adequate sized bay at the storage yard (don't ask why I NEEDED to do that, that's a saga in itself!), and no chance of hitching the car to it to stabilise it.
My solution was to make up a 4 point anchor to stabilise the jockey wheel to eliminate slew and provide a degree of braking on fore-aft movement. 4 strong ground anchor pegs equi-spaced and driven firmly into the ground, 4 hefty chains with turnbuckles attached to each anchor and the SHAFT (not the pivoting wheel!) of the jockey wheel. The turnbuckles were tightened to remove all slack from the chains and ensure the assembly was firmly fixed. Anchor points were spaced as close to jockey as I could get them and still fit turnbuckles, probably a little over a metre apart.
I then proceeded to jack the van (with it's proper jacking points on chassis, and a bottle jack), remove a wheel, place an axle stand under axle, lower van, and repeat on other side. It was perfectly stable, but have to say it was only on the slightest of slopes. It would have slewed and possibly rolled without stabilising the jockey wheel first.
Not sure I'd be too happy with that bodge if ground was sloping significantly though! Probably slightly better situation with your case, as only trying to stop slew, as a degree of fore-aft braking can be achieved with a chock on remaining wheel. Of course my solution also assumes you can drive ground anchors into your driveway!!!!
Good luck!
Damned Alko wheel locks are the invention of the Devil! - Even trying to use them normally, they are a PITA, on my wheels 2 out of the 5 apertures are unavailable to fit the Alko, as tyre valve obstructs one and stick on balance weights interfere with the fit on another! - Oh the fun we have shunting it back and forth to get the lock on!
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Topic: jacking up van on slight slope
via mobile 30/7/2026 at 10:44pm
