Community Forums

matt.brown · 01-18-2012, 03:23 AM

Taking a trip from Texas to Alaska this coming summer. and looking for ideas where to stow a spare tire for on my Class C, Gulf-stream (31 ft). Any suggestions?

new rver · 01-18-2012, 04:32 AM

we went to ak last year.what a trip.do some web searching they make a double hitch one on top of other. u can put a basket on the top one as long as it don't bother your toad.
safe travles bob,linda & missy

Gma-n-Gpa · 01-18-2012, 09:48 AM

i put the spare in the trunk of the toad... course that won't work if you don't have a toad..... just thinkin'

matt.brown · 01-18-2012, 07:34 PM

Thanks for the ideas. I'll check out the hitch. I also thought about stowing the tire in the toad, but its a jeep wrangler and not sure it fit between the tailgate and rear set.

W4MBG · 01-19-2012, 08:10 AM

is it a ford e450? no spare tire rack under the coach?

matt.brown · 01-19-2012, 04:32 PM

Yep, E450, plenty of room to stow a tire underneath but no rack.

bearaboo · 01-21-2012, 08:59 AM

Check local salvage yards. The E450 is a very common cutaway chassis. You might find a useable rack. You could also go to a local welding shop to fashion one for you. It is really only 2 angle irons forming a triangle bolted onto the frame for movement up and down. The other end is attached to the frame to hold up the tire.

R1Kirby · 01-26-2012, 07:19 PM

Try Stongburg Carlson tire racks. they mount on the bumper of the motorhome and are available at CW and they're inexpesive.

frankdamp · 01-26-2012, 07:47 PM

My Class A has a spare wheel attached underneath the Propane tank compartment, held in with a chain and hook set-up. I haven't tried to figure out how to get it down, I reckon that's the travelling mechanic's task! I think the tire and wheel would be too heavy for an old fart with a (so far corrected) cardiac problem.

Always-RVing · 01-31-2012, 04:34 PM

I found out from a Fleetwood brochure that this unit has a spare tire compartment... What?? Where?? I called Fleetwood and asked them about it.. Sure enough, there's what you might call a spare tire compartment. It's using the pass-through and placing a spare tire in the middle.

I found out more.... The road services will not replace your tire with a new unless you have a tire for them or you are willing to pay 3 times the price for it while sitting stuck on the road. Will they replace a tire with an unmounted? Does the spare require it be mounted?

If you have a dually, you can sometimes spare out one of them for the front if needed. That'll get you to the nearest tire store.

So, I bought a very nice used Michelin 275/70/22.5 XRV tire (I think that's the size) with a date code of 2010. It weighs over a hundred pounds unmounted. But... I now have a spare tire.

Side-note.... I asked the tire dealer about why the Michelin used tire was in excellent shape and had a date code of 2010 about selling it soooo cheap. He told me, some people just don't like a tire for some reason and can afford to change out perfectly good tires.

Well,,,,,, I'm thinking, when the day comes to replace my tires, I'm gonna look for some more like these. It would save me literally, $3,000.00 when you consider they cost $600-$700 each new. The spare tire I now have is in excellent shape for only $100.00. I was thinking about buying 5 more and putting them up, but then they would be outta date before I'd use them.

Check with your Roadside emgency service and see exactly what they do if you have to replace a tire on the road. You might be shocked. You might not be shocked.

Well, at least I have a spare tire to work with if ever needed. Most road service trucks can field change a tire off the rim using tire spoons if the tires are 22.5. There is a U-Tube video that shows how easy it is to take a 22.6 tire off the rim using spoons and put a replacement tire back on the rim while the rim is on the vehicle. I've seen them do it with the wheel on the ground.

All of this we do to write things up, but the articles just get buried in the flood.

LadyFitz... · 02-01-2012, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batman_777

...If you have a dually, you can sometimes spare out one of them for the front if needed. That'll get you to the nearest tire store...

That is dangerous advice. The remaining tire will be overloaded by as much as 100%. It might (a mighty big might) get you to a tire store but it will probably be damaged, if not destroyed. The same applies when one tire of a dual pair blows or otherwise goes flat. Unless one can stop immediately, the remaining tire will be damaged or destroyed.

Tires that have been damaged from overloading may still look fine but the plies will have separated inside. The tire has to be dismounted to examine it from the inside to determine if it has been damaged.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batman_777

...Well, at least I have a spare tire to work with if ever needed. Most road service trucks can field change a tire off the rim using tire spoons if the tires are 22.5. There is a U-Tube video that shows how easy it is to take a 22.6 tire off the rim using spoons and put a replacement tire back on the rim while the rim is on the vehicle. I've seen them do it with the wheel on the ground...

My Daddy taught me how to mount a tire on a car rim. I have mounted 7x22.5s (a lot lighter than that tire you have!) on rims using leaf springs for spoons, a job I'm never doing again (this old age business is for the birds)!