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Spare tire, location preference


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#1 klahanie

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Posted 26 October 2018 - 07:55 PM

Kicking around designs for a new rig and wondering about the membership's own preferences re where to store a standard size spare tire(s).

Infront of camper. We have a chassis cab with no provision for under frame placement and so chose infront . This has it's own merits but our version requires manual lifting of the 100# wheel and tire to deck height, something not practical for everyone.

Underneath. Next truck might be a pick up. It's been a while since I had one and I do like the idea of shorter truck length but may have forgotten the quirks of the spare being underneath. Around my area some company pick ups, run by logging, mining, ministry of conservation etc, carry a spare in the box, usually against a headache rack. These might be a second spare, but I suspect it is a convenience thing. Anyone know about this ?

Rear mount. No experience here but seems to me best suited for a side entry camper. Lots of swing out carriers around. Some I imagine are needed because of oversize tires but wonder about other considerations.

Ideal would be a location and system that is easy for both travelling adults to use.

Thoughts and experiences welcome.

~David

Edited by klahanie, 26 October 2018 - 07:56 PM.

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#2 Ace!

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Posted 26 October 2018 - 11:10 PM

If you're considering a new truck, under the bed.  The tire almost never gets used and that spot is consistent with keeping a low center of gravity, and it is usually otherwise out of the way.


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#3 DavidGraves

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Posted 26 October 2018 - 11:22 PM

Hi David

 

I just cannot imagine out engineering the factories on this one.

 

The under frame mount at rear with a handy winch to lift and lower it just works out pretty well for me.

 

I sometimes cheat and carry my recovery cable etc on top of the spare.

 

I know a lot of folks like the outback aussie look of a spare on the roof or hood but those mountings need some serious thought and fabrication work and they each have their drawbacks...and amount to window dressing... like a snorkel.

 

Biggest drawback to the rear frame undermount is if you bury the rig first and then get a flat tire....oh well....thats just an all around bad day.

 

David Graves 


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#4 larryqp

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 02:58 PM

Just an FYI, I have a rear frame spare tire undermount, which works well, on my Ford Ranger with an FWC Eagle. I had originally planned to leave the tailgate attached in the down position to act as a small porch. The camper would have extended about 6" onto the tailgate. Luckily the person I bought the camper from, told me that I would not be able to access the tire lift mechanism if the tailgate was down.

 

So I removed the tailgate. Make sure you can operate the lift mechanism with the camper installed.


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2016 F150, FX4, XLT super cab

2019 FWC Hawk Shell

2009 Ford Ranger 4x4, XLT, Supercab total loss on 7/30/19

2014 FWC Shell total loss on 7/30/19

Towed behind our home which is a 2005 Kountry Star Diesel Pusher


#5 oldhotrod

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 04:52 PM

Wilco off road makes a couple of rear tire swing mounts. On some truck models, there isn't enough room under the truck for a larger tire. The wilco mounts are also a good place to mount other items like gas or water jugs and a hilift jack. If you plan to stay on paved or maintained roads, access to the spare is less important than it is for others..
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#6 klahanie

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 07:11 PM

Thx folks.

 

It occurs to me that for those resource industry pick ups I mentioned, with a spare in the truck box - you guys in Oregon may have seen some - that it might be a worker safety issue; makes it easier to do a visual and functional check of vehicle equipment before starting a shift.

 

Agree under frame is a good spot, prob the best for most users. A bit awkward but not often needed. I guess question is, how awkward and how often.


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#7 oldhotrod

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 07:29 PM

The adage is, the farther you are from help, the more likely you'll need it. A long time ago, i was coming back from a trip to the tip of baja. In the middle of nowhere, i lost both right side tires after fuelling at a gas drum "station" along the highway. One and only time it ever happened but it can happen. So now i factor in proximity to help, food, ice, gas, criminals etc inti my plans...but in the end, just goin for it wins out more often then not...
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#8 ntsqd

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 07:39 PM

Our truck can fit up to a 35"/315metric spare under the rear, but that's starting to push it. I didn't like it there for the access reason. I have seen others have to dig out their spare with a rear flat and the truck not buried in muck. No doubt that was a unique situation, but I prefer not to repeat it. I was going to need to replace that spare winch anyway because the cable was fraying.

 

I also covet that space for a water tank. Prior to finding a 60 gal replacement fuel tank that roughly fits where the stock tank did I was planning on two tanks there, one a second fuel tank and the other a fresh water tank.

 

A further consideration is that under bed spares rarely get checked for correct air pressure. Much easier to do this when it's accessible. With OBA thisn't a big deal, but without it this is critical.

 

As to the weight of the spare, build the mount with the lifting ability built into it. You can see how I did this in my "So I built a Spare carrier" thread here. Survey pictures of true Expedition rigs, the real ones have some sort of spare tire(s) lifting mechanism on them. One of the iterations of Rob Gray's "wothahellizat" inspired my design.


Edited by ntsqd, 27 October 2018 - 07:40 PM.

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Thom

Where does that road go?

#9 klahanie

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Posted 27 October 2018 - 09:30 PM

Thing is, for the next truck I have to decide on carrying one spare or two. If one, the pick up and it's system looks attractive as long as it doesn't turn out to be a pain to access - what I'm wondering about.

 

If two then I'd prob put both at the rear and use the space under for a water tank or batteries or fuel (with another chassis cab). But then I might be pushed into a side entry camper, about which I'm yet undecided. Or use swing outs. Again, don't know how much of a pain swing outs are with a rear entry camper.

 

ntsqd, thanks for mentioning your spare tire carrier build. Dynamite. I well remember it. For the gentle reader who may have missed it:

 

http://www.wanderthe...e-tire-carrier/

 

oldhotroad, I saw a "two flats in a row" once, on a VW Golf on the Alaskan Hwy, Northern BC. Silly bug was in a road construction zone and had prob driven over the broken asphalt that was being repaired. Luckily there were crew around to get help and get them out of their way!. As we passed the couple standing at the side of the road my wife said, "now I know why you want to carry two spares".

 

That was one design element of the current truck, the ability to carry two spares. I had a punch list of places I wanted to drive with this truck. One was the Dempster, infamous for eating tires - we had no issues but saw some that did :( . Another was a similar length route of 1500km continuous gravel but remote with few to no services. Had a flat about 1/3 way in (say 300miles) and a second just before coming out.

 

Otherwise we get maybe one flat a year. So the pick up version should work. It's just that we are always solo and I do get nervous ...

 

Thx for the comments


Edited by klahanie, 27 October 2018 - 09:38 PM.

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#10 ntsqd

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Posted 28 October 2018 - 03:23 PM

Some food for thought:

In the avatar dune buggy we couldn't afford the weight and space of a spare. We carried a tube and some "tire boot" patches along with the tools needed to gain access to the inside of the tire. Large sidewall tears got the "boot" applied and then the tube installed. One such tear first saw the tire sewn back together using SS safety wire, then booted and tubed.

 

It is amazing what can be done with motorcycle tire spoons. They don't look long enough, but they worked. A trick that one of the guys came up with that made the tubes last a lot longer in storage was to use one of the big anti-ESD electronics bags to store the tube in, and then to use a 'Seal-A-Meal' vacuum bag sealer to pull a vacuum on the tube and seal the bag shut. The mylar foil of the bag kept out the sunlight and the vacuum removed most of the oxygen.

 

So an option might be to carry only one spare, but also the aforementioned tools and supplies to be able to put a tube in a tire that otherwise wouldn't hold air.


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Thom

Where does that road go?




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