Changing Trailer Tires Yourself: Manual Changer, Sizes and Limits

Mounting new tires on trailer rims you already own is a job a manual tire changer can do, within its size range. This page sorts trailer wheels by size, names the tool for each and lists the points where a trailer wheel differs from a car wheel. We have run no trials.

Which trailer wheel, which tool

Read the rim diameter from the tire: in ST225/75R15 it is the 15 after the R. How the ranges of the different tools are documented is laid out on the page about rim sizes.

8 to 16 inches: the floor-post changer

Our pick: car & light truckAd

VEVOR

VEVOR Manual Changer 8–16 in.

The Amazon counterpart to the store-bought reference machine: post, bead breaker and lever bar for 8 to 16 inch wheels.

Why here: Its maker states 8 to 16 inch tires and a base with mounting holes on its own product page, and names trailers next to cars and trucks. That covers the usual utility, boat and travel trailer wheels in this range.

Best for: Steel and basic alloy wheels up to 16 in. on cars, trailers and older light trucks, in a garage where the base can be bolted down.

Type

Floor-post changer with bead breaker

Wheel range

8–16 in. (manufacturer)

Mounting

Bolt-down base, three holes

Weight

30.9 lb

Size

18.1 x 15 x 37 in.

Price class

Budget

What it does well

• Stated range of 8 to 16 in., the range the reference manual of this design covers
• Bead breaker and mounting post in one stand; no power or air line needed
• Base with three mounting holes for bolting down (manufacturer)
• Same price class as the Harbor Freight machine, delivered to the door

Where it falls short

• Has to be bolted to the floor or to a base that takes the lever force
• Stops at 16 in.; not for 17 in. and larger or low-profile wheels
• Steel bar on the rim edge: marks on alloy wheels are possible
• The maker's page states no warranty terms, and we have not read the user manual

View on Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on AmazonRead the comparison

The same layout from another brand is the TUFFIOM changer^* (paid link), which its seller lists for 8 to 16 in. tires; for it we have the Amazon listing only. All stands of this type are in the comparison of manual tire changers.

Three things to check before you order:

• The base. According to the copy of the reference machine's owner's manual on ManualsLib, a floor-post changer is not to be used without mounting it to the floor. A trailer owner who wants to take the tool along should read about portable tire changers first.
• The center hole. The wheel sits on the center post. We found no post diameter in the documents we read, so measure the center hole of your trailer wheels and ask the seller if in doubt.
• The use. VEVOR's page says the changer is not suitable for commercial vehicles. A private utility trailer is one thing; a fleet is another.

Under 8 inches: small trailer wheels

Floor-post changers start at 8 in. Small utility and boat trailers can run on smaller rims. For those the tool is a small-wheel changer such as the manual changer for small wheels^* (paid link), which its seller lists for rims from 4 to 16.5 in. We know it from the listing only. The class and its limits are covered on the page about mini tire changers.

What is different on a trailer wheel

ST tires stay ST tires. The tire makers' care manual explains that tires designed for trailer use in highway service have ST molded on the sidewall, as in ST225/75R15, and that they have different load capacity characteristics. Its conclusion: ST tires should not be replaced with any other type of tire. Buy the replacement by the trailer's certification label.

Valves. The care manual says to install a new valve assembly whenever a tire is replaced and that rubber valve stems must always be replaced with the tires. It adds that for inflation pressures above 65 psi a high-pressure valve must be used, and that the valve has to suit the tire and wheel application. Check the maximum pressure molded on your trailer tire against the valve you are about to pull in.

16 is not 16.5. Rims of 16.5 in. exist next to 16 in. rims, and the care manual is blunt about the pair: never mount a 16 in. tire on a 16.5 in. rim, and never a 16.5 in. tire on a 16 in. rim. The smaller tire can be passed over the flange of the larger rim, but it cannot seat, and trying to force it with air will break the bead with explosive force.

Old rims. The care manual notes that older rims and wheels may not be approved for use with radial tires and sends the reader to the vehicle or wheel manufacturer. The tire makers' mounting bulletin adds what applies to any rim: corroded or dirty rims are cleaned thoroughly to get a clean bead seat area, and bent or cracked rims are destroyed and replaced.

The full procedure is on the page how to seat a tire bead.

Heavy trailers are truck work

The federal workplace standard 29 CFR 1910.177 covers employees servicing rim wheels of large vehicles and names trailers among them. It does not apply to automobile tires or tires designated LT, and it addresses employers, not private users. For a trailer on large commercial wheels, on tube-type tires or on multi-piece rims, the manual stand on this page is the wrong tool; the hand tools and rules for that class are on the page about truck tire changers.

Which one for your trailer

Which tool for which job

1. 1

   If your trailer wheels are 8 to 16 in. and you can fix a post to the floor→ VEVOR Manual Changer 8–16 in.

   View*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon
2. 2

   If your trailer rims are under 8 in.

   Mini tire changers
3. 3

   If your trailer runs on large commercial wheels such as 22.5 in.

   Truck tire changers
4. 4

   If you cannot bolt a stand down

   Portable options

Balancing after mounting is covered under bubble wheel balancers. All manual tools by wheel type, including bead breakers for stubborn small tires, are on the manual tire changer homepage.