Do you carry a spare tire?

[ontheroad101]

I am new to motor homes and was wondering how many of you seasoned motor home RVer's carry a spare tire. Did a search but lot of different things came up. We are not new to Rving, or this site, just MH's

[pnichols]

WesternHorizon,

Thanks much for the excellent info in your post above!

I'll look into a larger diameter axle tube for the top of my 12 ton dual lift hydraulic jack.

We have a Wilson cellular antenna bolted to the top of the roof ladder feeding a 12 volt Wilson cellular amplifier inside the coach. This setup can often bring in calls and get us out on calls when our standard cell phones show NO BARS ... amazing as it seems.

Would you please supply a link as to where I can order those larger 4X4 flat-repair-in-a-can sealant kits?

The only 12 volt air compressors I would trust for reliable enough and powerful enough use on motorhome tires would be one of these 100% duty cycle VIAIR models:

http://www.assuredautomotiveproducts.com/VIAIR-Compressors_c39.htm;jsessionid=F0DCC68B9077519098DEF7...

When we bought our RV I already had a small but powerful 100% duty cycle tankless air compressor ... which I now keep in the RV for emergency use ... powered by the built-in Onan generator.

The one thing I lose sleep over is -> an inner dual tire failure out in the middle of nowhere (we're rockhounds). I sure wish I could get road service for these kind of situations! I don't think that our Premium Coach-Net ERS would help us much then - even it we could get to them from our cell phones. Since our small Class C weighs only 11,800 lbs. and I keep our rear Load Range E tires at 80 lbs. of pressure, we can go a "little ways" on only one tire of a rear dual set in an emergency ... but not very fast, for very long, or on a very rough road surface.

[WesternHorizon]

> That axle pad is a good idea ... EXCEPT I'll bet my E450 rear axle tube is more than 2.5 inches in diameter!

They have models up to big rig size

> We have a long range cell phone system in our RV to help contact ERS

Details appreciated on that one, maybe a new thread.

> How well does that flat-repair-in-a-can work on the larger tires that RVs have on them? I know they work on sedans/SUVs ....

They have 4X4 sizes with an attached hose. Very large can. Idea for me is the sealant and then add more air if needed.

For 12 volts, I have had good success with the Master Flow MF-1050 on big 4X4 tires

MasterFlow MF-1050

Read the reviews; it is not perfect but has the longest duty-cycle (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) of a small compressor. Must connect directly to the battery and best to run the engine to avoid blowing the fuse.

[tommykelly]

Everyone should call their ERS and ask if they supply tires...

I did and I was surprised...AAA does not have that service..

they will only mount your spare. they will tow you to a tire shop and you can wait for it to open the next morning.

I have had AAA Rv Premier roadservice for years..Now I am with Coach-net

Coach-Net does "But" on a Sunday night you may be stuck when they just sold the last one they had.

12 volt compressors...You may make it with a 16" tire but may not
you better test it in your yard..I bought a 110 volt compressor and run the generator but only for emergencies not total flats.
If you have 19.5 or bigger "test" it I have seen a 12 volt compressor pump on a regular car tire but it was a slow process..great for bicycles though.
Let the air out of your tire and test it in your driveway.

Installing tubes in a wheel that is designed for a tubeless..
you might call your service provider .... see if they would even do that...For you that have 19.5 and bigger tires..."wow" you are tough if you are planning on breaking down that tire on the side of the road yourself.
I am old man I get tired just thinking of trying that.

My class C came with a spare..but my brother-in-law's class A did not
so we bought a new 19.5 tire and put it in a compartment making sure it is not exposed to road dirt..

After 5 years I start looking for new tires..some things get top priority.
I love r.v.ing I just try to cover the "what if's"

[Tdkeilman]

Rig did not come with a spare from the factory, but I put one on it. I do not carry the tools to change as I would call for road service, but feel more comfortable at least having a spare with me.

[pnichols]

That axle pad is a good idea ... EXCEPT I'll bet my E450 rear axle tube is more than 2.5 inches in diameter! What about jacking on the bottom leaf spring instead of the axle tube? Remember that the further you go inwards to jack the more that has to be lifted and the more instable the lift becomes. You should keep the jacking point out as far from the differential and as close as possible to the inner rear tire as possible - hence lifting on the bottom leaf spring instead of the axle.

Another concern is what to put under the jack's base so it's not forced down into the earth instead of the RV's axle going up? I carry several leveling blocks that can also be used under the jack's base. The hydraulic bottle jack I carry also has an extra tall lift (dual stage) in case the jack has to do it's thing in a slight ditch or road rut. I also carry a full size shovel along!

We have a long range cell phone system in our RV to help contact ERS when out of normal cell tower range. However, we go off paved roads out into the desert, so I sure wish that there were an ERS service available with 4X4 550/650 series trucks that would help you just about "anywhere" ... I'd of course pay a premium for the peace of mind that this type of service would provide. How well does that flat-repair-in-a-can work on the larger tires that RVs have on them? I know they work on sedans/SUVs .... but how about on truck tires?

For what it would be worth, we also carry along a 120V AC full pressure compressor that the built-in generator can run.

Now ... getting that full size and full weight spare tire and wheel dropped down from the E450's frame in the back and pulled out could be a whole nuther problem. I'd have to just put the flat tire inside the motorhome on the floor after I changed it.

I do run with full pressure in the rear duals so that I can limp along very slow for some ways on the one remaining and over-loaded tire in a rear duel set. This can be done carefully - and I have done it. The tire I over-loaded lasted for another 20,000 miles or so, too.

ERS is nice ... but it shouldn't be relied upon solely for certain camping styles. After all, the whole point of "camping" for some of us is to be where people aren't normally living at.

[Desert_Captain]

gkainz wrote:
someone may have said it already ... but "yes, I do, but I am dieting" ... so enough of the fat jokes, ok? LOL 😄

Oh come on man... just a few more(courtesy of my rather large SIL):

She was so fat she stepped on her dog's tail.... and he died.

The buffet's make her wait until they can lay down speed bumps.

Went to Sea World and saw Shamoo, when asked what she thought she said "Does it come with fries?

:B

[MarshaNichols]

I have a Born Free and they do not come with a spare! They are heavy RV's and really no place for one. It's a major concern among many of us, but Born Free hasn't solved that yet. A wonderful company and RV, otherwise!

[gkainz]

someone may have said it already ... but "yes, I do, but I am dieting" ... so enough of the fat jokes, ok? LOL 😄

[OldRadios]

garyhaupt wrote:
Is there a good reason to not go to a tube? No weight, no space.
Gary Haupt

A tube will only work for a puncture. It won't work for a blown sidewall or slice. Many times the tire is destroyed by the time you stop.

I carry a 150 Lb./6 gal. air compressor and a new spare on a rim. No jack. I'll call Coach-Net or AAA.

[garyhaupt]

I'd like to ask the question of the spare tire. Why not just a tube? I had posted that I have a spare, so carry it, but if I didn't, I'd just carry a tube for the ERS person to use.

Is there a good reason to not go to a tube? No weight, no space.


And yes, I know that many of you carry the jacks and bars and stuff to do your own. I don't.



Gary Haupt

[WesternHorizon]

I have a '95 Class C with duals. Was thinking about how far the tire tech had to crawl under to reach the axle with his long pneumatic / hydraulic axle jack when I got TireMan extenders installed.

I have a spare but would tend to call roadside assistance; that's what I have insurance for. The thought of being under a 7 ton vehicle with a bottle jack is pretty scary.

On the other hand I go way off the beaten track and need to be prepared for anything.

I use TireTrakers to give early warning of air leaks. They are not cheap and almost comically inaccurate compared to Tekton 5941 and SKS Air Checker gauges (which are always within 0.5 lbs of each other) but they give early warning.

First thing I would do is use my big can of fix-a-flat and see if that can get me back to a civilization.

Then I would try to reach roadside service.

But I go way out of cell range, so as a final option I am still thinking about a bottle jack but only with an "axle pad" that I just discovered in some web searching:

Bottle jack axle pad

Like it says "The pad has 12X the surface area of the jack ram alone." That's good but the fact is you are under the vehicle unless a pneumatic / hydraulic (air motor running a pump) type jack is used.

From what I can find, it looks like these require about 7 CFM to operate so there is no way a small compressor is going to work.

[rockhillmanor]

PSW wrote:
....
Another thing I wouldn't leave without is a good set of jumper cables that are long enough to reach from my coach batteries to the chassis battery. PSW2013 Phoenix Cruiser 2350

I carry this portable jumper. This little bugger has saved my hinnie starting the MH and Toad several times! AND doubles to plug in a lamp, TV, radio etc., in power outage using a small inverter. Also will air up a big SUV tire too!

I have also started countless other MH's over the years with it.
I don't leave home without it. :C

===

[Cousin_Eddie93]

PSW wrote:
I have a built in spare and I also carry a can of self inflating tire sealer designed for trucks (Walmart-less than $10), a good jack and a small aircompressor capable of 100psi. I have used all three of these on various rigs over the years.

Whoops! Almost forgot. I also carry one of those little tire repair kits from Harbor Freight whereby you pull out a nail, ream out the puncture hole, insert some self vulcanizing plugs and make a temporary repair. I have no idea if they work or not but I have one in case I am desperate.

Another thing I wouldn't leave without is a good set of jumper cables that are long enough to reach from my coach batteries to the chassis battery.

PSW
2013 Phoenix Cruiser 2350

Jumpers are a must. Many a morning did I need to jump the Genny because the dumb house bat was too low.

[PSW]

I have a built in spare and I also carry a can of self inflating tire sealer designed for trucks (Walmart-less than $10), a good jack and a small aircompressor capable of 100psi. I have used all three of these on various rigs over the years.

Whoops! Almost forgot. I also carry one of those little tire repair kits from Harbor Freight whereby you pull out a nail, ream out the puncture hole, insert some self vulcanizing plugs and make a temporary repair. I have no idea if they work or not but I have one in case I am desperate.

Another thing I wouldn't leave without is a good set of jumper cables that are long enough to reach from my coach batteries to the chassis battery.

PSW
2013 Phoenix Cruiser 2350