Spare Tire Mount..Rear Bumper Best Location?
We have been leaving our spare tire (mounted on rim) at home but with a upcoming trip to Arizona, we want to carry it. Is the rear bumper the best place to mount it? If so, should it be mounted in the...
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We have a 24 foot Itasca Class C on the Ford E450 chassis. Winnebago installed the spare up underneath between the frame rails in the rear just like where most pickup trucks carry their spare. IMHO, this is the 2nd best place for the spare on a Class C if it will fit there.
My 1st choice place for a Class C spare to be mounted would not be anywhere at the back, but on a spare tire rack mounted in the front. This helps keep the spare tire weight from unloading the front suspension - like it does if mounted at the back due to it's weight leveraging affect. Even though the spare doesn't "weigh that much", any lightening of the weight on the front suspension from stuff hanging off the rear is not advisable on a Class C due to it's negative effect on highway handling. Of course carrying the spare in the front not only doesn't unload the front suspension - it does just the opposite - it helps add a little more weight on the front.
Here's the 12-ton jack we carry in our Class C. Even though a 12-ton jack is a bit overkill on capacity, I bought this jack because it's a 2 stage jack, which gives it a long jacking-height capability. You never know what you might be faced with - such as lifting on soft ground, lifting on ground with ruts in it, having to lift on the frame instead of an axle or the springs, etc.:
https://www.amazon.com/Torin-T91208-Stage-Bottle-Jack/dp/B00028FB8Q
My 1st choice place for a Class C spare to be mounted would not be anywhere at the back, but on a spare tire rack mounted in the front. This helps keep the spare tire weight from unloading the front suspension - like it does if mounted at the back due to it's weight leveraging affect. Even though the spare doesn't "weigh that much", any lightening of the weight on the front suspension from stuff hanging off the rear is not advisable on a Class C due to it's negative effect on highway handling. Of course carrying the spare in the front not only doesn't unload the front suspension - it does just the opposite - it helps add a little more weight on the front.
Here's the 12-ton jack we carry in our Class C. Even though a 12-ton jack is a bit overkill on capacity, I bought this jack because it's a 2 stage jack, which gives it a long jacking-height capability. You never know what you might be faced with - such as lifting on soft ground, lifting on ground with ruts in it, having to lift on the frame instead of an axle or the springs, etc.:
https://www.amazon.com/Torin-T91208-Stage-Bottle-Jack/dp/B00028FB8Q
