Topic: Tire Carrier (Read 6798 times) previous topic - next topic

SUCCESS!!! FOR A WONDER:

After much thought, I decided to use a Reese 5 1/4 inch drop hitch upside down which gives about a 4 1/2 inch rise.
Added a receiver to the top and a post made from a 36" piece of receiver stock. Had to cut about 4 inches off. Also purchased 4 10-9 bolts the size of the studs on the Ford and 4 original lug nuts so the 21mm socket could remove this tire too. The tire is mounted using the 4 bolts and if for some reason I lost a lug nut I could take one from the spare.

A friend of mine did the welding as he is a retired welder and inspector. He had the plate that the bolts are attached to. Holes were bored in the plate, the bolts passed through and then welded on the back side. Wonderful job.

Anyway attached are photos showing the unpainted build and the mounted carrier with a tire & rim. Got the tire & rim from eBay. It was a takeoff and had never been bolted on (paint still around all of the mounting holes). I assume it was a spare. Tire & rim was $190 shipped and is the same tire size & brand as is on the transit.

Looks great, do you have all the tools and Jack to remove a wheel?
What is the torque on the lug nuts?

I have the tools to get the spare off - socket, extension and breaker bar.    Never thought about torquing them - just got them very tight.  It won't be rolling down the road so not sure if they need to be.  Now you've got me to thinking whether I should or not.

I do not have a jack to remove a wheel. I may get one later but I have other items I want so it'll have to wait.  I also have to get a cover. I wanted to have a tire so that road service could change it on the spot and not worry about getting a tire from somewhere that would probably be a mismatch to the ones on the RV.  If roadside service found a tire, I'm not sure they can mount it on a rim.  I've read stories of it taking hours to find a spare and then some have posted that the prices charged are extremely high. 

All vehicles I've ever owned had a spare.  Just feel more comfortable with one.

All valid reasons for carrying a spare.
In my last 20 years of rving, did not carry a spare, never a need to call road service, I guess just lucky!
Nect, that is a metal wheel, any concerns mounting it nect to an alloy dally wheel?
Do you know the date of the spare tire, it may have been aging out in the sun for years, 

I have steel wheels with the simulators.  I've read that you aren't supposed to put steel and aluminum rims together on the rear.  It has to do with the different metals and it can cause them to corrode.  But if this was used for a couple days - until you could get the original one fixed and put back on, I don't think that would hurt anything.  A spare aluminum wheel would be pricey.

Tire was manufactured 0818 which is in the 8th week of 2018.  It was in a box that appeared to be made specifically for the tire and it had not been balanced.  The little rubber hairs (actually called vent spews) were still on it too. It had never been on the ground.

Great, all ok!

Well, I just realized that i never posted the final results.  Here are photos: