Caravan tyre fitting is the job nobody thinks about until the van is hitched, the kettle is packed, and a crack appears in the sidewall. Then the whole trip hangs on one tyre that’s been quietly ageing in a driveway for years.
That’s why mobile tyre fitting suits caravan owners so well. A fitter comes to the van, so you never have to tow a tired tyre to a garage and hope it makes the journey.
This article sits alongside our complete guide to mobile tyre fitting and covers what caravan owners most need to know. We’ll look at tyre age, the right specification, winter storage, and what a mobile visit involves.
We’ve spent ten years fitting tyres across Hertfordshire and North London, and caravan calls follow a pattern. They bunch up in spring, when everyone wakes the van from its winter sleep and finds a soft tyre or a cracked wall.
October is a smarter time to look. The season is winding down, the van is heading for storage, and a fitter can sort the tyres without anyone’s holiday on the line.
Read on to see how to check your tyres now and what to ask for when you book.
Caravan Tyre Fitting Without Hitching Up
A caravan is awkward to move, and a damaged tyre makes it worse. So the easiest fix is a fitter who brings the garage to the van.
Caravan Tyre Fitting Where Your Van Sits
Our caravan tyre fitting service covers caravans and campervans anywhere in Hertfordshire and North London. That might be your driveway, a storage yard, a campsite pitch, or the roadside.
Our fitters bring a rated jack, a torque wrench, and a balancing machine. They fit the new tyre, balance it, set the pressures, and check the spare before they leave.
Cost depends on your outfit. A small single-axle tourer and a large twin-axle van sit at opposite ends of the price range.
Most jobs fall between roughly £100 and £250, depending on the caravan and the tyre. Call us with your details and we’ll give you an exact figure.
Help When Time Matters
Most caravan jobs are planned, so booking is quick and simple. If a tyre fails on the way to a pitch, our emergency tyre fitting service is there for exactly that moment.
Owners in Harpenden and across North London can book a slot that suits the school run and the working week. We’ll agree a time and finish the job on your drive.
Why Age Matters More Than Mileage
Caravans cover far fewer miles than cars, so the tread rarely wears out. The tyre itself still gets old, and that’s the part many owners miss.
Five Years, Seven Years, and the Date That Counts
The Caravan and Motorhome Club recommends replacing caravan tyres when they reach five years old. It adds that a tyre should never be used once it’s more than seven years old.
The clock starts on the day the tyre was made. A tyre that sat on a shelf for a year before it reached your caravan is already a year into its life.
We follow that guidance. Check the DOT code on each tyre, including the spare, and treat five years as your planning point.
Spotting Trouble Early
Tyres can look fine and still be past their best. TyreSafe, the UK tyre safety charity, explains that sidewall cracking is typically caused by a tyre being too old or over-exposed to UV light.
If you see cracks, get a qualified person to inspect the tyre straight away. If you can see the cords, the tyre is both unsafe and illegal and needs changing immediately.
Getting the Specification Right
Caravan tyres differ from car tyres in ways that matter. The right size and load rating protect both the van and the car towing it.
Load Index and Size
We match the existing tyre on width, profile, rim size, and load index. Caravan tyres often carry a much higher load rating than a car tyre of the same size, so a cheaper car tyre is never a safe swap.
On a single-axle caravan, each wheel has to carry at least half the weight of the van. Check your maker’s recommended load index before you buy, and tell us if you’ve added a bike rack or a heavy awning.
Tread and Pressure
The legal minimum tread is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, and caravans share that limit with cars. Our tread depth guide shows you how to check it in minutes.
Pressure matters just as much. Your caravan handbook gives the correct figure, and our tyre pressure guide covers the check step by step, spare included.
Putting Your Van Away for Winter
A caravan that sits for months faces its own tyre problems. A few simple habits keep the tyres in shape until spring.
Storing the Wheels Well
The Caravan and Motorhome Club suggests removing the wheels for long storage and keeping them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. It advises covering them with natural material, never plastic.
If the wheels stay on, move the van a little now and then. That stops the weight resting on one patch of rubber for months.
Checking Before the First Trip
Check your pressures before you hitch up. TyreSafe also advises checking pressures at least once a month or before a long journey.
A spring check often turns up a problem you could have fixed in October. Book a visit now and you’ll head out in April with fresh rubber and nothing to worry about.
The Spare You Forgot About
The Caravan and Motorhome Club strongly advises carrying a spare wheel and tyre. A spare that’s gone soft or perished in its bracket is no use at the roadside.
Make sure the spare matches the others, and check its age and pressure when you check the rest. We look over the spare on every caravan visit.
A Ten-Minute Walk-Round
Run a gloved hand over each tyre and feel for raised or uneven patches. The Club advises replacing any tyre that has blistered, ruptured, or been cut by an object.
Remember the side facing away from you. It takes ten minutes and could save your holiday.
What Happens on the Day
A mobile visit is simpler than most owners expect. You don’t need to hitch up or rearrange your week around a garage appointment.
From Arrival to the Final Pressure Check
Our fitter parks close to the van and checks the access and the ground around the wheel you need changed. A firm, level surface helps, but you don’t need a perfect driveway.
The van goes up on a rated jack, the old tyre comes off, and the new one goes on and gets balanced. The fitter then sets the pressure to your handbook figure and checks the spare before packing up.
Your old tyre leaves with us, so you won’t have a rubber pile to dispose of later.
Bedding in Your New Tyres
New wheels need a second look after a short drive. TyreSafe advises re-torquing wheel nuts after the recommended bedding-in distance, which is typically 30 miles.
Check the nuts at that point with a torque wrench, and keep an eye on the pressure over the first few weeks. A sensible habit now protects the tyre for years.
What to Have Ready When You Call
A few details help us quote accurately and bring the right tyre first time. You’ll find most of them on the tyre sidewall or in your handbook.
Have these to hand when you phone, and the conversation takes about two minutes:
- The make, model, and year of your caravan or campervan
- The tyre size and load index printed on the sidewall
- The date code, so we know how old the current tyres are
- Where the van is parked and how easily a fitter can reach it
- Whether you have a spare and whether it needs replacing too
If you’re unsure, read the sidewall markings out over the phone and we’ll work through them with you.
Making Touring Season Simple
Caravan ownership should be about the pitch and the view. Tyres should be the last thing on your mind.
A single visit now takes care of ageing and specification in one go. That leaves you free to plan the trips, not worry about the rubber underneath them.
A Word on Trailers
Towing is harder on tyres than most people expect. TyreSafe analysed Strategic Road Network data from 2022 to 2025 and found that trailers account for 48% of tyre-related incidents nationally.
Tyres cause between 25% and 28% of towing-related breakdowns. Long idle periods are part of the reason, because tyres degrade when they sit, even with legal tread.
Our caravan service covers tourers and campervans. If you tow another kind of trailer, call us with the details and we’ll confirm what we can do.
Book Your Caravan Tyre Check Before Winter
Call us with your caravan’s make, model, and tyre size, and we’ll talk you through the options. We cover Hertfordshire and North London, and a fitter will come to wherever your van is parked.
Call us on 07411 448680.
