Traveling without a spare tire

[WilBoud]

Reaching out to those with experience.

We are in planning stages to take our Jayco Greyhawk 29MV Class C to Fairbanks (about 12,000 miles round trip) from south Louisiana in mid May through June.

In my planning, I suddenly realized the coach doesn't have a spare tire.

Has anyone here tackled such a drive without a spare......???

Where would someone carry a spare on a Class C coach ...???

[darsben]

Sam Spade wrote:

j-d wrote:
I think road service can dismount/mount tires at the roadside.

What they CAN do means nothing.
What your contract says means EVERYTHING.

If you find a road service company that covers mounting a tire at the side of the road please tell us. Literally thousands of vehicle owners will thank you; probably more like millions. I don't think one exists.

Your only options usually are:
Install a mounted spare
OR
Tow your vehicle

That is incorrect. I have had tires mounted roadside. The cost to mount is not paid for by the road service company. Just tell the dispatcher what you need.
With GSRA it would be under

rv roadside Mechanical repairs
If necessary and whenever possible, depending on the RV disablement, there may be a local mobile mechanic available that can perform minor repairs or adjustments to your RV. In these situations, we’ll attempt to bring a mobile mechanic to your location as an alternative to towing your vehicle. You are responsible for the cost of parts and labor.
You may have to be towed but probably not.

[Sam_Spade]

j-d wrote:
I think road service can dismount/mount tires at the roadside.

What they CAN do means nothing.
What your contract says means EVERYTHING.

If you find a road service company that covers mounting a tire at the side of the road please tell us. Literally thousands of vehicle owners will thank you; probably more like millions. I don't think one exists.

Your only options usually are:
Install a mounted spare
OR
Tow your vehicle

[DrewE]

Dusty R wrote:

I don't see a way to send you an e-mail.

Dusty

Dusty--you can click on the member name to the left of a post, then click on the "send private message" link that mysteriously appears. It's certainly not the most obvious function.

[pnichols]

Cooncatz wrote:
You would be foolish to take a RV to Alaska: through Canada and up the Alcan without a spare tire and other emergency equipment.

Never mind Alaska! This is stuff right here in the good old U.S. of A.:

1. We had an outside rear dual flat on our Class C in the Eastern U.S. and had to drive 5 miles on the remaining grossly-overloaded inside tire to get help.

2. Try getting a flat way out in the middle of nowhere at Dubinky Well in Utah. We were out there in our Class C, but thankfully those Michelin tires held up so we did not have any tire issues.

3. Once we were in the Oregon Outback at a spot where we had to travel 25 miles each way at only 7-10 MPH due to the roads. There were no cell signals way out there for normal equipment, but we had cellular signal boosting equipment on board our Class C so we could get one bar on our phones ... but probably no ERS would have ventured out there anyway.

4. A few months ago were in out in the Conneticut hill country in our Class C on Friday afternoon at the beginning of a 3-day holiday weekend when we experienced transmission problems. Good luck in that kind of situation ... right here in the U.S..

Yes - always carry a spare along plus other emergency equipment - whether going to Alaska or not. We even carry extensive tire repair equipment along for dealing with puncture holes without removing the tire from the RV ... along with a high power tire compressor, several blocks of wood, and a 12-ton jack. You never know what can happen when you're out and about in your rig.

[Dusty_R]

Greydennyhawk wrote:
If you need one, I have a new Michelin on a new ford rim cheap!
I carried it in the back of my Greyhawk for 2 years
E mail me.

How much to be sent to Michigan?
I don't see a way to send you an e-mail.

Dusty

[Cooncatz]

I lived in Alaska for eleven years. I have made two round trips from Maine to Alaska towing a fifth wheel ( I now have a Class C)

You would be foolish to take a RV to Alaska: through Canada and up the Alcan without a spare tire and other emergency equipment. Even thought the Alcan highway is much improved there are places where you are hours (not minutes) from help and areas where there is no cell phone service. In many areas of Alaska the roads are unpaved and in rough shape. RVing to Alaska is not a Sunday jaunt, it is an adventure. And remember that if something can go wrong, it probably will. A spare tire is a small expense compared to a ruined vacation caused by a blow out or flat in a remote area.

[wbwood]

The Logans wrote:
We would never travel without a spare...

Ours is mounted on this:

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/products/spare_tire/index.html

It's rock solid, and still allows you to use the hitch for a toad, bike carrier, etc.

Nice...never seen it...but at $565, I will keep mine in my bay...lol

[scbwr]

darsben wrote:
Okay now to answer your question.
If you travel without a spare you will be at the mercy of whoever supplies the tire. It may not be the same quality as your others and may be a poorly made china junk tire. You may pay top dollar for the piece of junk tire and it may be a NOS tire that has been hanging around a long time . You do not HAVE to have the spare mounted on a rim in order for it to be useful.
So for peace of mind carry a spare.

That's how I would reply!

[The_Logans]

We would never travel without a spare...

Ours is mounted on this:

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/products/spare_tire/index.html

It's rock solid, and still allows you to use the hitch for a toad, bike carrier, etc.

[j-d]

Our present C is a Jayco, see Signature and it had he spare mounted "Lollipop Style" (with a bracket clamped to the 4" square tubular steel bumper) and a cover over it. That weight, bouncing all those miles, started to tear the tubular steel where it's welded to the brackets attaching it to the frame. We reinforced and re-welded the brackets BUT I took the bracket off and put the spare under the bed. Only space that'll fit it on the Escapade. No outside compartment is big enough.
That bumper LOOKS impressive at 4" square but the material is essentially sheet metal. For that reason, DON'T use it as sewer hose storage. It'll rust through from the rubbing and wetting.

[moebedick]

Just a thought. Did you happen to look under the rear of your camper to confirm you have no spare?
My B+ had a spare under the rear between the frame rails. I was pleasantly surprised to find it,but I had no idea how it could be accessed if needed. It was huge and must have weighed o ton. I think that is why God invented AAA.

[wbwood]

I went to Discount Tire and bought a spare tire and they found a used wheel. I paid a total of $350 I believe. A new wheel from Ford was $400-500 by itself, so wasn't doing that. I put the tire in one of the storage bays. You can put it on a hitch receiver thing, but if you use the receiver for something else, then out of luck. Pus I don't like how the ones look (angled). I couldn't find any other type of mount (even for bumper) that would support the weight of the tire/wheel. We have plenty of room for it to go in the bay and it was free.

If you don't have a spare, you will have to pay Good Sam for a spare. You will have to wait and you will have to overpay for it. You will then also have to pay up front $150 I believe it is for them to mount an un inflated spare on a wheel.

So you could sit for hours while they try to find you a tire and end up paying $400-500 to get a new spare tire and mounted. Or you can spend a little up front and be prepared. Then you r only wait time is for them to get tot you and change your inflated spare for you and at no additional cost.

[mgirardo]

I'm surprised Jayco stopped putting spares on the Greyhawk line. Our 2009 came with a rear bumper mounted spare that we removed and put under the back bed. At that time, some of the Greyhawk Motorhomes had spares mounted under the chassis, between the frame rails.

I wouldn't chance driving more than a couple hundred miles from home without an inflated spare. I'd worry about it the entire trip. At the very least, get a tire without the wheel. Hopefully road side assistance will be able to swap tires. Some may charge extra to swap a tire.

-Michael

[j-d]

Those big Diesel Pushers have such heavy tires/wheels, and require so much lug and nut torque, let alone the jack to lift that coach, that most owners can't change a flat even if they have a spare. Same as the 18-wheelers. ON EDIT: Seems an unmounted spare would work well for those. I think road service can dismount/mount tires at the roadside.

Class C? Our first one had a spare and I carried jack, blocks, wrench. Needed it after a blowout. The C we have now came with one that was never used in 15 years. Not in first owner's 30,000 miles or our 10,000 so far. We just got new tires and we bought seven to have a new spare.

So, I have mounted spare and everything needed to change it. I hope 1. It'll never happen, 2. Somebody else will change it, 3. Somebody will come to change it but needs the jack or socket or whatever they forgot but I have, 4. Somebody'll help me change it. Finally, 5. I'll remember how to change it safely and be thankful I was equipped to do it.

Carry at least a Tire, hopefully Mounted, and Wrench(es) needed to change it. to get the Wheel Simulators off first too...

[Sam_Spade]

darsben wrote:

So for peace of mind carry a spare.

And ask the dealer where to mount a spare.
My C has a carrier under the rear.