Appropriate jack to change tire on 2025 Tab 400 Boondock- Black canyon

SavvyNurseCamper · June 8

So I am thinking ahead and wish to have an appropriate jack that will work if I get a flat tire on the road traveling. You would think NuCamp would create a nice painted spot where a jack should be placed and what jack would be appropriate . I am thinking that I need to have that sooner than later.

Recomendations would be fantastic. I am thinking a scissor jack would be light enough yet tall enough to get a fully inflated tire back on the lugs. I also plan on replacing the spare street tire with an appropriate tire that matches what is currently being used. Not a street tire that will have the trailer lean to the side that it is placed.

MOS2 · June 8

I too would like to know this also . Tow with Ranger 4x4 so I am thinking the trucks jack would work .
With that type of axle , one would think that jacking in the wrong spot could damage something

Thanks , All

qhumberd · June 8

So this Mandy Lea video shows the jack point for the 400.

On our 400 (2019) the jack point is the same but we carry 2 jacks as well as getting the jack under a completely flat tire requires a low clearance jack, and then to get it high enough to put a fully inflated tire back on may require a jack that goes higher

https://youtu.be/PQdY8RhysLQ?si=WltGOdEVwcSnajav

MOS2 · June 8

The 2025 400 boondock has a different axle . It’s pitch at an angle .

qhumberd · June 8

So the official NuCamp support site shows this:

https://nucamprv.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/44001800473-changing-a-tire

The published 2025 owners manual shows this arguably hard to decipher drawing:

If you could post some better quality pictures of the jack point for your 400 I am sure it will be helpful to others!

SavvyNurseCamper · June 8

@qhumberd Well that was insightful. 1st did not know the tire iron for my Trundra does not fit my lug nuts hurts to say the least. Does NuCamp give the correct lug nut wrench size? They should be standard so that any vehicles tire iron would work. What one do I buy? When I get it back from Blue Compass I will post pictures of the area under the trailer.

SavvyNurseCamper · June 8

@qhumberd Leaving it attached to the truck seems very appropriate to me. Hopefully I am in an area where I can change a tire.

andytabrv · June 8

This is "how I do it" and may not be the correct way. The jacking location in the current T@b's isn't great. The 2024 T@b 400 axle may be the same as the 2025. It is NOT the same as the axle show in the nuCamp link. I've attached several pictures of my 2024 T@b 400 axle. Forgive the bad imagery as that's as far down as I could get holding the phone under the T@b while avoiding ground-biting insects that think me tasty.

I use this 4-ton Bottle Jack. It's compact. You will need to consider that it does not have a large base so if using it you will need to put some type of large wide board under it. I carry a foot long 2x6. There is a big risk of it rolling if you are not on level ground. In conjunction with that jack I use a second scissor jack that I put up under the edge of the camper frame purely as a temporary protection if the bottle jack fails. It's an old scissor jack I got at some yard sale for $3 and I extend it until it is just touching the edge of the frame where the corroplast is screwed but without it pushing hard-enough to crush. Again, its intent is not to hold the weight but to be there in case the bottle jack suddenly looses support. I currently need to find a longer extension jack handle so I don't have to reach so far back under the T@b when I jack it up

As best I understand (knowledgeable people here please clarify) that there are two possible places you can contact the jack. I annotated the last image with two square red squares highlighting the area. The first has the question mark by it and is the thin metal edge under the axle. That's a very narrow edge to push a bottle jack end against with or without some type of jack topper. The second option that I use is the "slot" that the upside-down U-channel of the bracket creates into which the bottle jack end just happens to slide up into. It provides (in my opinion) a safer spot for the bottle jack I have to keep it from sliding left or right. I bought a cheap yoga mat that I carry so I can put it on the ground to get around under or beside the camper and it's one of the best $10 I've ever spent. I fit it, the bottle jack, and scissor jack all in the side T@b 400 passenger side back compartment.

I would LOVE for nuCamp to post a current video showing how someone should jack up their current axle with a bottle or other reasonable-to-carry jack (such as a scissor jack). It isn't realistic for most small camper towers to haul around a rolling hydraulic floor jack. Many such tire changes will happen on the side of the road in less than ideal circumstances. I've heard from many people (if you aren't calling a tow truck or emergency roadside repair service) that we should tow our camper to a safe level place to change the tire. There is risk in doing that to spoil the rim. But, a new rim is cheaper than hospital or funeral services.

Last thing. Once you decide which jack you're going to use, practice jacking up the trailer with your new jack(s). Have a pretend emergency where you lower and pull out the spare, loosen the tire nuts, jack up the trailer, remove the tire, put on the spare, lower the jack, then tighten the spare nuts just like you would in a real roadside situation. You'll have so much more confidence in case you have a flat tire. You do not want to be learning how to change a tire for the first time on the side of the road at night in the rain.

I hope that helps.