Hauling the spare tire around - Not easy

[Molaker]

Coachnet...Good Sam...most any of those services are good to have (I have Good Sam), but the places I go are often cell dead zones and even if not, not very close to a roadside service provider.  In many cases, if I could/can change a flat and be on my way in 30 mins.- 1 hour I'd probably be well ahead of the game - not that I'm any spry spring chicken and those danged things are heavy.  I just don't have the patience to wait half a day to get a tire changed.

 

[SargeW]

Hey, I'm retired. Iv'e got nothing but time....  I'll contact Coach Net, open a beverage and put a movie in and wait.....

 

[tennsmith]

I've got 22.5" rims on my Itasca as well.  My big problem is that I have 3 different types of rims on my coach...inner rear (steel); outer rear (Aluminum) and front (Aluminum but different from outer rear).  Which would I carry?    The idea of carrying an unmounted spare is a good one if you have the space....it would make ERS service call pretty easy to accomplish.  Right now, I just hope my tires, with proper care, will run the nominal 7 years without problems and carry no spare.

 

[Mark R.]

Bob the use of steel wheels on rear inside is just to save money on the coach build, I have Alcoas all around but purchased a good used steel rim  (30.) for a spare( they are all the same on your coach, material aside). I have roadside service also but I am not big on sitting around for hours on the side of the road waiting to have someone change my tire, I am not retired, and have very oddball size tires and would hate to pay top dollar for a non matching tire from road service. I am going to fabricate a tire mount for my coach ( rear continental style) and have already ordered a nice tire cover for it, I hope to never use it but I will feel better knowing its there!

 

[Lou Schneider]

problem is that I have 3 different types of rims on my coach...inner rear (steel); outer rear (Aluminum) and front (Aluminum but different from outer rear).

The front and outer rear aluminum rims are the identical - just turned around so the offset is towards the inside on the rear axle and towards the outside on the front.

The inner rear rims are likewise the same except for the material.  They're mounted in the same manner as the front rims, with the offset towards the outside of the coach.

So you only need one rim - steel if you're cost conscious, aluminum if you want it to match the others.

 

[RobertR]

My 2004 Journey did not come with a spare tire.  tire is to big to carry in compartment, so I bought a boat winch, welded it to the frame under the coach.  Put a cross tie along top of frame and a pully dangling down from it.  Ran steel cable through it.

I hook onto the tire, crank the boat wench and reel it up under the coach.  Then I secure it with a ratchet and straps. 

First trip I took to Vegas, has to change the tire.  That requires an 8 foot cheater bar to break the lugs. 

I can't see running up and down the road with out a spare.  Just asking for trouble.

 

[Mark R.]

8 foot cheater bar,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Just get one of these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uribk1Yha6M&feature=related

 

[rsalhus]

I carry a spare tire without the rim.  It's in a pass-through basement compartment so I can get it out from either side.  Hopefully, I'll never need to. 

 

[mrschwarz]

...I bought a boat winch, welded it to the frame under the coach.  Put a cross tie along top of frame and a pully dangling down from it.  Ran steel cable through it.

Any photos. I have a similar coach and concern.

 

[odie1234]

These spare tire/no spare tire threads that come up frequently in rv forums are really fun to read. Sometimes those strongly advocating carrying a spare are quite emphatic - almost like a spare tire and the ability to change a tire is somehow a measure of manhood or independence. Many (me included) would not attempt to change a motorhome tire even if we had the tools and the spare tire to do so. In my lifetime of over 50 years driving all different kinds of vehicles on all types of terrain, I have never had a blowout, only a couple of "driveway flats" repaired by road service. Even when we had the farm, the local co-op's mobile service took care of equipment flats. We own 3 automobiles now that are several years old and, other than checking the air pressure in them occasionally (annually?) the spares have never been touched. For those of you who would not feel right without a spare please carry one. The rest of us will blissfully use the weight capacity and space for something else. We might have to unhook and drive the towd to a cell coverage area, wait in a campground somewhere while a tire is located (such deprivation - stranded with all the amenities), and pay an outrageous price for a replacement, but we make those choices. That is what is right with this discussion - we are all free to do as we think is best.

 

[PancakeBill]

I carry a spare.  Almost got rid of it, and something (old Yankee upbrnging, waste not want not), made me keep it.  Shortly after on my way to Needles, CA I had a rear inner delaminate and the spare was nice to have.  Still considered ridding myself of it, and (after replacing all 4 rears), I was on 17s in Phoenix and had a rear blowout.  Used the spare, replaced the blowout, put the spare back. 

My coach uses the little tiny tires, and carried center between rails in back. 

 

[Mark R.]

Well I built my spare tire holder, have a look.

 

[Mark R.]

Mo pictures I hope

 

[Mark R.]

Tried out the setup, it works fine, swings to give access to my rear doors. Takes very little effort to lift and set tire , as long as you start lift with cable between any two holes in rim the wheel drops on the mounting studs all by itself, you add the lug nuts. winch is stowed in rim for travel. with wrench in hand it takes just a couple of low effort minutes to be rolling tire away, same for putting blown tire on rack. I hope to never have to use it.

 

[Mavarick]

Nice job. As long as you have it you will never need it! Good thinking. 

 

[rsalhus]

Looks good, Mark.  Rube Goldberg would be proud of you!

 

[Mark R.]

Thanks Rolf, Rube is my idol!

 

[max49]

    I envy all of you guys who have all the time in the world and can just sit back and relax , have a brewski and watch a movie on the side of the road, waiting for hours, maybe even a day or 2 for some one to replace your flat or ruined tire.
  I could never relax like that.  I'd hate all that rockin and a rolling from the wind , when the semis blow by and it'd make me nervous that some one would crash into us. I would feel that the longer we sat there , the odds of getting hit would be greater.  Also with my luck there would be no shoulder or a shoulder leaning so bad that I'd have to turn off the fridge.  Maybe some day I could just learn to relax and have confidence that some one else will take care of me if I pay them well, but regardless of price , it may still take time especially on holidays or even weekends.
  I've used my spare tire on many vehicles, many times.  Many more times than I have used my collision or liability insurance, but I carry insurance in case I need it and my spare tire is also insurance.
  Now if I happen to get a flat right at my camp and am not in any hurry to leave any way, I'll call my roadside assistance to R&R my flat tire with my spare, well if I can get a cell phone signal.

 

[Icemaker]

If it was put to a vote I would vote yes on keeping my spare..Granted it's a royal PITA being kept under my coach. It did come in handy tho when I recently blew a front tire on I-77 Christmas eve. No replacement tire available but having a spare meant the road service could mount it and I could get off the highway and be safe till the sun came up and I could make an informed decision. No spare would have meant a sizable schedule modification and my options limited.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I guess if you have a history of tire problems, then it is wise to carry a spare. But I've had exactly one roadside tire problem in 13 years of motorhome use (a failed valve stem) and Coach-Net got a service truck to me within an hour and I was back on the road in two hours. Now if we were talking a trailer, I would agree on carrying a spare. Had a lot more incidence of tire failures on our trailers than on our motorhomes or cars.

According to a report I saw that supposedly came from AAA data, you are far more likely to need a spare battery than a spare tire, i.e. most roadside service calls are for jump starts rather than flat tires.