I just removed my spare tire from the back of my rig in order to strap on a scooter. I'd like to know if I should have the (huge) spare tire fastened to the roof instead of storing it somewhere. Nancy
I think it is a huge advantage if you can "find" a spot to carry your spare. The new rigs are not coming with them anymore. I ask the salesman and was informed that the rv industry finds it dangerous for the owner to be changing their own tire. You are luck you have one. When you do have that blowout, you are not at the mercy of the tow/tire service. I once paid $500 for an offbrand tire while stuck on side of road.
Whether or not you decide to take a spare with you probably depends on several things: 1. How old are the tires on your rig? The older they are the more chance you could have a blow out. 2. What kind of roads do you travel on? Even some interstates have huge potholes. 3. How far off the beaten path do you go? 4. Do you have a road service that will find you a tire, bring it to you, and change out the bad one? 5. How lucky do you feel? When we purchased our current MH several years ago, it did not have a spare tire. Our previous MH had one. Good Sam was our emergency road service, so we asked them if they recommended having a spare with us. They assured us that if we didn’t, they would still tow us to a tire facility even if it was many miles away, but they also said it would be more convenient for us if whoever came out could just change the tire on the spot. We also considered the possibility of having a flat on a weekend or holiday when stores may not be open to purchase a tire. And tires the size we need are not always easy to find even on regular weekdays. So we went through the hassle and cost of buying a tire and the rim, and having the tire mounted on the rim. Not cheap! After this was all accomplished, we got the tire home only to discover that it would not fit in any of the bins (our previous one did). We thought about carrying it the back of our Jeep whenever we went on a trip, but it really was too heavy and took up too much room for us do this. So it sat in the garage for a year. Finally we decided that since we weren’t using it, we would sell it, but no one wanted it, so we decided we needed to come up with a way to mount it on the MH. I would never put it on the roof because of its weight and having to get it up and down, not to mention being unsightly. After doing a little research we came up with an idea of building a small platform that would hold the tire and incorporate it into the hitch for the tow vehicle. We took our plan to a welder who built the platform and hitch for us. It worked out just great, and now we always have a spare with us. We have never had to use the spare, but we feel better knowing that if we get stranded on some deserted highway, we will have the parts that the road service needs to get us moving again. BTW, we would never attempt to change the tire ourselves. We would definitely leave that up to the road service.
We do not carry a mounted or unmounted spare. Although a tire could blow out as we drive today, in over 50 years of driving all kinds of vehicles on all kinds of roads, I have never had an on the road blow out or flat. We carry cash, credit cards and Coach Net in case we are unlucky enough to have our first. We tried carrying an unmounted spare, but after one season of it getting in the way and realizing that it added weight and took space for an unlikely emergency we got rid of it. If you are traveling somewhere remote enough that help could not get to you, or your skill level and physical abilities are high enough that you feel you should change your own tires, or if paying a few hundred dollars more than a road service tire is really worth will ruin your psyche, or if you are stranded in your rv for a couple of days waiting for a replacement tire to be shipped to you will be a huge problem, then you should carry a spare. If you decide to carry one, remember to check its condition and inflation pressure regularly. Enjoy your travels.
I always carry a spare. I have used them a few times for myself and a few times for folks that didn't have one. One time I loaned one to a couple that didn't havea spare, they were stranded on the Glenn Hwy about halfway between Tok and Glenallen Alaska...it was a long way between either place and would have been incredibly expensive if they needed road service (they were not members of AAA, GS or any other). Maybe I'm one of the unlucky ones that needed mine but I sure was glad to have it.
Our spare tire is carried underneath the 5er. You insert a crank into a hole on the side and the tire lowers. We would never go out without a spare tire, especially since we had three flats in five days last summer. Ended up buying five new tires. Not planned for in the budget.....
Everyone needs to remember a tire not used or run on the ground each month or so will dry rot out very fast. The tire will look OK but as soon as you use it the tire could fly apart. We all need to use tires and roll them under load to keep them in good shape. Lots of good information under Google over this problem. To me we do not need a spare as the spare could in poor shape in a short time. We also use truck tires and they are hard to wreak and last a long time.
I have found it is a lot easier to get roadside service if I have a spare and always have had one. There have been a few times it was more expedient to change the tire myself to get to a tire store. As an example just a couple of weeks ago we were in a state park in Walsenberg CO and I got up in the morning to leave and had a flat. I called roadside and they came out and put the spare on for me and I got to town a few miles away and bought a new tire as I had evidently hit a pot hole and damaged the flat tire. I am in fifth wheel. If I was in a motor home I am sure the scenario would be different.
QUOTE(togators @ May 10 2012, 12:40 PM) [snapback]29494[/snapback] I think it is a huge advantage if you can "find" a spot to carry your spare. The new rigs are not coming with them anymore. I ask the salesman and was informed that the rv industry finds it dangerous for the owner to be changing their own tire. You are luck you have one. When you do have that blowout, you are not at the mercy of the tow/tire service. I once paid $500 for an offbrand tire while stuck on side of road. I have to agree. If you can carry one, it is an advantage. If you are short on storage space one has to weigh the pros and cons though. Last year we had a flat while driving on a busy freeway in the rain. Road Side said they were two to three hours away. I changed it myself as I thought it too dangerous to sit there for even an hour. I don't know what I would have done without the spare. I think I would have hobbled the rig to safety and ruined the wheel and tire. Our new coach has a spare. I was one of the factors we used when buying it.
I have had a tire blowout on my Class A (front right) and I would never attempt to change it myself. We were able to use the leveling jacks to lift up the corner of the coach to change the tire. I have Good Sam Roadside service and they called and I bought the tire at a pretty good price and they brought it out, put it on my rim and we were off.
QUOTE(Nancy39 @ May 10 2012, 03:15 AM) [snapback]29490[/snapback] I just removed my spare tire from the back of my rig in order to strap on a scooter. I'd like to know if I should have the (huge) spare tire fastened to the roof instead of storing it somewhere. Nancy All I can say is, have you lifted the tire yet? Can you get it up on top of the roof and off again? If so, go for it. But have it covered some how. Unless of course you are going to have your road service come out and change it. Just better hope the service guy/gal will remove it from the roof. We have a spare tire for our trailer. Won't be without it.
