I would recommend 2 ton bottle jack with the saddle for the axle tube, or you could use a small block of wood between the jack and axle. The bottle jacks are nice, small light weight, just do not store on its side as some will leak out of the top.

Brian

I second the bottle jack. Light compact, quick, and most of all they are orientation independent. Scissor jacks have limited orientation due to collapsed length and handle access for turning the screw.

Not to mention, you can pick up a replacement bottle jack at tractor supply or most farm fleet stores while traveling should there be an issue with it's seals.

Look at the Trailer Aid Plus. It’s not as versatile as a jack, but it’s far more stable.

Jkwilson Be advised that not all systems will lift the opposing wheel on the equalizer high enough to replace a failed wheel with a fully aired one. Also you will intentionally be overloading the spring on one axle using that setup.

Two ways to do this.

1) Using a stack of Camco supports, you can get the height to jack up the rig by the frame with a bottle jack. I have two packs of these and can easily raise the rig by the frame.
2) Use a bottle jack adapter to raise the axle out on the end (always raise at the end close to the wheel or you can bend the axle)

The drive on ramps as other have stated will overload the good tire that is being use to raise the rig.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Levelin...80414&sr=8-191

https://bottlejackbuddy.net/

https://www.amazon.com/Torin-Hydraul.../dp/B004PX6QYC

Jim

No different than the way the factory techs and most owners change a tire with a bottle jack on the axle.

Except you are not lifting the trailer by one axle to change the other tire. When you jack only one axle and lift both, then you have overloaded the spring on the jacked axle. When jacking a flat axle, the other one is still carrying load.

I have used the Trailer Aid lift for 4 years now with no reportable problems. I'll second the notion it is much more stable than a bottle jack. I had to screw a 2x6 to the bottom of the Trailer Aid to get enough height to clear the replacing tire.

It may work once or many times but the spring and tire is being overloaded in using a single tire to lift one side of the rig. If it was not overloaded, we would have one axle.

Jim

Jim, do you know if the Bottle Jack Buddy is truly universal, l or do I need to determine the size of my axle before purchasing? Or, is method 1 just as effective? I have a ton of the Lego blocks on board. Just need to purchase the bottle jack.

Mike, yes you need to purchase based on your axle diameter.

Jim

To all the contributors, thanks for all the useful information. I thought this thread would address my question, but not sure it does. I had my first need to jack my Reflection 150 260RD last week when we had a blowout on the road. That's when I found out my 2 ton bottle jack did not have enough lift to raise the wheel from where it was with a completely flat tire to high enough to put a fully inflated spare on. It was certainly hopeless jacking up the frame due to spring extension; unfortunately I had not read the warnings about putting the bottle jack directly on the axel; although it wasn't there for long, I guess I need to inspect for visible damage. The tire shop seemed uncertain the best place to put their jack, but I'm sure it was large enough to span the U-bolts and distribute the weight through them.

Back to the crux of my question; my 2 ton bottle jack only has about 4" of lift, and it looks to me like I need at least 6" to get the inflated spare to clear. I picked up a 6 ton at HD, whose specs looked like it would have enough lift, but when I got it home and measured it's only about 5 1/2". (The specs implied more like 8" of lift based on minimum height and maximum height. I tried to see what the specs are indicating; the minimum height spec is easy enough, it seems right. But the maximum height in the spec is higher that when fully lifted and the screw extension down, but not as high as when the screw extension is fully extended.) Given that, I'm reluctant to order online when I can't match specs to reality.

So what's a recommendation for a jack that will fit under when tire is fully flat, and lift enough to get inflated spare on? Preferably compact enough to take along without too much space or weight.

RGEarley

For my (smaller) trailer, I carry an 8 ton bottle jack that can lift between 8" to 17" (approx), that had enough lift when doing our equalizer and shackle upgrade. This is the specific one I have from every Canadian's favorite store, Princess Auto
https://www.princessauto.com/en/8-to...t/PA0008760886

But it does look like Harbour and Freight has something similar

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-ton-...ack-56734.html

Either way, you should also pickup an axle saddle to put between the jack and the axle tube, or the jack buddy solution mentioned above.

https://www.princessauto.com/en/axle...t/PA1000000408

If you can, take to a welding shop or someone you know with similar equipment to put a section of pipe on the saddle to make a secure point for the jack ram to sit in, like the Jack Buddy
Forgot to mention, I also carry a jack stand to put under the frame when the axle is lifted, and several blocks of 6x6 for any required cribbing.​​​​​

My 312 BHTS manual says to jack via the frame. Use a 6 ton bottle jack and some wood blocks to get it up there. Easily raise both axles this way.