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©2022 TAXA INC. v.4.2.010122
©2022 TAXA INC. v.4.2.010122
Excessive loads may lead to abnormal tire flex, tire
overheating, and ultimately, tire failure. As travel
habitats may be set up and loaded in varying
ways, proper air pressure should be determined
by referencing the information on your tire. Please
also refer to the Tire and Loading Information
sticker located at the front exterior of your habitat.
The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is referred
to as the “recommended cold inflation pressure.”
Proper pressure depends on many conditions:
terrain, temperatures, altitude, etc. A “cold” tire in
this sense is one that has not been driven on for at
least three hours. When you drive, your tires get
warmer, causing the air pressure within them to
increase. Therefore, to get an accurate tire pressure
reading, you must measure tire pressure when the
tires are cold or account for the extra pressure in
warm tires.
WARNING: IMPROPER TIRE PRESSURE CAN
QUICKLY LEAD TO EXCESSIVE WEAR AND
DANGEROUS SITUATIONS.
Diagnosing Tire Inflation Level
TIRE PRESSURE STEPS
1. Locate the recommended tire pressure
on the vehicle’s tire.
2. Record the tire pressure of all tires.
3. If the tire pressure is too high in any of
the tires, slowly release air by gently
pressing on the tire valve stem with the
edge of your tire gauge until you get to
the correct pressure.
4. If the tire pressure is too low, note the
difference between the measured tire
pressure and the correct tire pressure.
These “missing” pounds of pressure are
what you will need to add.
5. At a service station, add the missing
pounds of air pressure to each tire that
is under-inflated.
6. Check all the tires to make sure they
have the same air pressure (except in
cases in which the front and rear tires
are supposed to have different amounts
of pressure).
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
• Do not exceed the maximum
recommended pressure.
• The air pressure recommended on
the tire information placard is for the
original standard equipment tires only.
Your habitat may be equipped with
optional-sized tires. Always follow the
pressure recommendations stamped
in the tire sidewall for any replacement
tire.
• Rotate tires every 5,000 miles or as
recommended by the tire manufacturer
TIRE SAFETY CHECKLIST
1. Check tire pressure regularly (at least
once a month and before any extended
trip/traveling), including the spare
tires, if any… Note: When checking air
pressure, be sure that all tires have both
the correct and identical pressure before
getting on the road;
2. Check and torque wheel lug nuts
regularly;
3. Inspect tires for cuts, slashes, punctures
and other irregularities at least on
a monthly basis and before every
extended trip/traveling;
4. Remove any foreign objects (i.e. pieces
of glass or metal, etc.) wedged in the
tread;
5.
Confirm all tire valves have valve caps;
6. Do not overload your tow vehicle or
habitat;
7. Slow down when having to go over a
pothole or other object in the road,
and avoid running over curbs and other
foreign objects in the road and when
parking if you can safely do so;
8. Replace tires when tread depth
approaches and/or reaches 1/16 of an
inch;
9.
Have a qualified technician perform tire
service, maintenance and adjustments
as needed.
WHEELS
TIRES
WHEEL NUT TORQUE
Proper wheel nut torque is essential to safe towing.
The wheel and axle systems used in habitats are
similar in many ways to those found in motor
vehicles. However, they differ in several important
ways. First, habitat wheels do not steer, and are
subjected to high side load stress when making
tight turns around corners. This tends to flex the
wheel and may loosen the wheel nuts. Wheel nut
torque requirements vary depending on the size
and manufacturer of the wheel.
WHEEL NUT TORQUE ADJUSTMENT
Setting torque value on a dial indicator wrench:
1. Make sure your indicator needle is set to
“0”.
2. As you apply clockwise pressure to the
wheel nut, both needles will show the
current amount of torque being applied.
3. When you reach your desired torque
value, stop applying pressure and your
indicator needle will stay at the highest
torque value reached.
Setting torque value of adjustable dial wrench:
1. Unlock the handle and set the dial to
your desired torque value.
2. Lock the handle back in place.
3. As you apply clockwise pressure to the
lug nut, you will hear an audible “click”
when the desired torque wrench value is
reached.
4. Do not apply further pressure once you
hear the “click”.
PRE-TRIP TORQUING PROCEDURE
Be sure to tighten the wheel nuts and torque to
90 ft/lbs. Follow the torque sequence and torque
table provided next:
Wheel Nut Torquing Table
1st Stage
20-25 ft./lb.
2nd Stage
55-60 ft./lb.
3rd Stage
85-90 ft./lb.
Stage 1:
Set your torque wrench to the 1st stage
value on the Wheel Nut Torque Table. Begin with
the appropriate bolt for your wheel (12 o’clock
position for 8 and 6 hole wheels and 2 o’clock
position for 5 hole wheels) and apply torque to
all wheel nuts following the star pattern as shown
in the Wheel Nut Torquing Sequence illustration
shown here.
Stage 2:
Increase your torque wrench setting to
the 2nd Stage value on the Wheel Nut Torque
Table. Begin with the appropriate bolt for your
wheel and apply torque to all wheel nuts following
the star pattern. Following stage 2, the wheel can
support the weight of the habitat and may be
lowered off of the jack stands.
Stage 3:
Increase your torque wrench setting to
Final Torque value on the Wheel Nut Torque Table.
Begin with the appropriate bolt for your wheel and
apply torque to all wheel nuts following the star
pattern.
Follow-up:
If the wheel was replaced, check the
torque again at every 50 miles for the first 500
miles and prior to each trip thereafter.
If you notice a wheel wobbling or hear a rattling
sound coming from a wheel, especially at low
speeds, a wheel lug may have come loose. This
problem is usually caused by improper tightening
or by faulty or damaged lug bolt threads. If you
have reason to believe a lug nut has come loose,
safely stop the vehicle at the side of the road as
soon as possible. Put up warning devices. Remove
the lug caps and check the tightness of all the lug
nuts. If lug bolt threads are damaged or faulty, get
professional services help.
WARNING: DO NOT TOW THE HABITAT WITH
MISSING LUG NUTS OR FAULTY LUG BOLTS.
BALANCING, ALIGNMENT AND LUBRICATION
To avoid vibration or shaking of the vehicle when
a tire rotates, the tire must be properly balanced.
This balance is achieved by positioning weights
on the wheel to counterbalance heavy spots on
the wheel-and-tire assembly. A wheel alignment
adjusts the angles of the wheels so that they are
positioned correctly relative to the vehicle’s frame.
This adjustment maximizes the life of your tires.
These adjustments require special equipment and
should be performed by a qualified technician.
Wheel bearings should be repacked every 6000
miles or every 6 months. Every time the wheel hub
is removed, the wheel bearings must be adjusted.
Please refer to manufacturer instructions or
schedule maintenance with a qualified technician
to repack wheel bearings.
