Spare Tire Project

[mrnoyb]

After 6 months of ownership and over 5,000 miles of travel I'm finally finished driving my class c without a spare tire. I've purchased a new OEM wheel and a matching Michelin tire.

The only remaining decision is how to carry the spare. Do I just pack it along with the rest of the gear in the storage compartment or try to mount an exterior carrier?

I spoke with the factory & they advised the 4" square bumper can accommodate a carrier and in fact the units they build for rental service are equipped with bumper mounted spare tire carriers. However they don't carry the accessory in parts.

I've researched the Stromberg Carlson TR-1 bumper mounted carrier and it seems like it might work but I'm a concerned it may not snug down properly because of the dually wheel.

I would appreciate any information anyone could share regarding bumper mounted spare tire carriers for a class c motor home.

Thank you.

[F1bNorm]

FWIW- Our Winn Aspect has a nice factory, center mounted spare on the rear of the coach. The problem is it's in the way of my utility trailer tongue jack and I have to use a hitch extension when using a motor bike rack. The solution for the trailer was to remove the jack and replace it with a folding, side mounted jack.

If wasn't already in place, I would look for spot underneath, inside or at least off to the side.

Norm

[mrnoyb]

I've installed a quiet hitch as several had suggested and it definitely eliminated any free play.



I'll probably never need to use the spare but I certainly feel better knowing it's back there. If or when I ever purchase another RV, the first item I'll check will be a spare tire. No spare, no deal thank you.

[mrnoyb]

txhood wrote:
I too have a Chateau 22E. It came with a spare tire mounted on the back wall of coach. This mount is obviously an after market mount. Bolts go through back wall of coach. If I was at home I would post a pic.

Please post an image of your spare tire mount. I know a spare is offered as an option on this model but I haven't seen how it's mounted when it comes from the factory.

I've ordered the Roadmaster Quiet Hitch. I can't argue with the logic that it would reduce or eliminate any free play.

[pnichols]

Roger_Ohio wrote:
I got 100 cu ft with space for the included spare in my 21' Coachmen.

Is that the Coachmen model I've seen at RV shows with the rear floor of the coach raised up so that there is a huge across-the-coach storage chamber in the back? If yours is that Coachmen model, then it's uninterrupted large storage bay is indeed very nice for a few big things like non-foldup bikes, lawn chairs, an inflatable boat, or a spare tire.

However, if so:

- We could never put up with stepping up/down all the time when going back and forth while camped and moving around inside the coach.

- That huge storage capacity is of course made up of all one compartment making is difficult to keep things separate without piling stuff on top of each other ... unless one installs a bunch of shelfs or uses a bunch of plastic storage containers.

Part of our 38 cubic feet is a large enough storage bay that could hold an inflatable boat and does hold lawn chairs - but not large enough for non-foldup bikes. Our other five(5) exterior storage bays are excellent for keeping categories of gear separated - like fishing poles, BBQ equipment, leveling blocks, tools, and other long items such as shovels/brooms/beach-umbrellas/tree trimmers.

We have two(2) more exterior storage bays that are not included in our 38 cubic foot specification ... one bay for electrical and one bay for plumbing.

[txhood]

I too have a Chateau 22E. It came with a spare tire mounted on the back wall of coach. This mount is obviously an after market mount. Bolts go through back wall of coach. If I was at home I would post a pic.

[Roger_Ohio]

pnichols wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
We measure 23'-8" long and like you, we have the 158" wheel base, but we have only 2" height difference between floors. That must be making the difference. Our rig has a lower profile than most with the over-all height at 9'-10" to the top of the a/c unit.

How tall is your rig to the top of the a/c unit?

Due to our ~7" cab-coach floor heights difference, our 24 foot Class C is specified by Winnie to be 11'5" tall (I assume this means to the tallest spot). About 1" of this may be due to the slightly taller E450 chassis from, probably, it's heavier springs.

For this extra height I get a spare tire mounted out of sight and up out of the way in the back, 6'8" of interior height, and 38 cubit feet of exterior storage space. However, I don't know whether or not this exterior storage includes the two special lateral storage cabinets - for long items - that span across the motorhome and lying between the bottom of the coach flooring and the top of the chassis frames.

Response deleted by author. Safe travels to all

[pnichols]

ron.dittmer wrote:
We measure 23'-8" long and like you, we have the 158" wheel base, but we have only 2" height difference between floors. That must be making the difference. Our rig has a lower profile than most with the over-all height at 9'-10" to the top of the a/c unit.

How tall is your rig to the top of the a/c unit?

Due to our ~7" cab-coach floor heights difference, our 24 foot Class C is specified by Winnie to be 11'5" tall (I assume this means to the tallest spot). About 1" of this may be due to the slightly taller E450 chassis from, probably, it's heavier springs.

For this extra height I get a spare tire mounted out of sight and up out of the way in the back, 6'8" of interior height, and 38 cubit feet of exterior storage space. However, I don't know whether or not this exterior storage includes the two special lateral storage cabinets - for long items - that span across the motorhome and lying between the bottom of the coach flooring and the top of the chassis frames.

[EsoxLucius]

I think the Roadmaster Quiet Hitch is worth it even if you think you won't be bothered by movement in your spare tire assembly. I have the same set up, except on a front receiver hitch, and believe me you would want the Quiet Hitch if you could see how much movement (and subsequent wear) it eliminates.

[mrnoyb]

...a "Quiet Hitch" will eliminate the side-to-side rocking of the spare tire and the deformation to the hitch over time. Without a Quiet Hitch, the rocking will slowly get worse...

I have no doubt this device reduces movement and noise but I don't see the need.

I towed 2 travel trailers before acquiring the class C and there was always slight movement of the hitch within the receiver. If there wasn't, you wouldn't be able to remove the hitch without a lot of effort.

There's no way I'll be able to hear any noise from the hitch.

This is a 5000 lb towing capacity / 500 lb tongue weight hitch. I doubt a combined weight of 90 lbs can deform the receiver.

[ron_dittmer]

pnichols wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
For the record, there is inadequate room under the rig behind the rear axle. I think it allowed the RV manufacture more flexibility in floorplan design of their various models without giving up the spare.

Ron,

I wonder what's driving the difference in our two base motorhome designs ...?

I believe yours is approximately a 24 foot rig on the E350 and ours is approximately a 24 foot rig on the E450. Our wheel base is 158 inches ... what is your wheelbase?

Since ours is a basement design (~7 inches height difference in the cab and coach floors), our 29 gallon grey tank can actually fit up between the spare (which is mounted between the longitudinal frame members) and the coach floor. I wonder if this is causing the difference in our spare locations?

We measure 23'-8" long and like you, we have the 158" wheel base, but we have only 2" height difference between floors. That must be making the difference. Our rig has a lower profile than most with the over-all height at 9'-10" to the top of the a/c unit.

How tall is your rig to the top of the a/c unit?

[Roger_Ohio]

mrnoyb wrote:
I decided to mount the spare on a Curt trailer hitch carrier. The other alternatives I found didn't seem to provide the support needed to securely carry the combined weight of this size wheel, tire and carrier. I used Trimax receiver & spare tire locks to secure the carrier along with a Camco cover.

The investment in time & money was well spent.

Response deleted by author. Safe travels to all

[Roger_Ohio]

Bordercollie wrote:
Not safe to carry spare loose in storage compartment. Ours is mounted to the front wall of storage compartment in our Tioga 26Q.

Response deleted by author. Safe travels to all

[pnichols]

ron.dittmer wrote:
For the record, there is inadequate room under the rig behind the rear axle. I think it allowed the RV manufacture more flexibility in floorplan design of their various models without giving up the spare.

Ron,

I wonder what's driving the difference in our two base motorhome designs ...?

I believe yours is approximately a 24 foot rig on the E350 and ours is approximately a 24 foot rig on the E450. Our wheel base is 158 inches ... what is your wheelbase?

Since ours is a basement design (~7 inches height difference in the cab and coach floors), our 29 gallon grey tank can actually fit up between the spare (which is mounted between the longitudinal frame members) and the coach floor. I wonder if this is causing the difference in our spare locations?

[ron_dittmer]

One issue I have with a hitch-mounted spare is that the hitch can't be used for anything else like for towing or for a hitch-mounted bike rack. If your hitch doesn't serve you in any other way, then good for you.

Since others are sharing their spare tire storage means, here is ours, tastefully stored out of the way. It's bolted in there solid, well protected from the elements and under lock & key. For the record, there is inadequate room under the rig behind the rear axle. I think it allowed the RV manufacture more flexibility in floorplan design of their various models without giving up the spare.


mrnoyb,

I would install a "Quiet Hitch" shown here which will eliminate the side-to-side rocking of the spare tire and the deformation to the hitch over time. Without a Quiet Hitch, the rocking will slowly get worse.