spare tire?

[coyote]

Never needed it, but my spare is on an extra hub, with greased wheel bearings, seal, washer, nut, cotter pin and hub cap. ( heck, there's even a baggy with rubber gloves for the grease). ( Can you say obsessive compulsiv?)

[desertmoose]

( Can you say obsessive compulsiv?)

Not at all. Just prepared.

Sam

[TimC]

I will have 175/80-13 (4on4 wheel) tires on my TD. I want to save space, weight and money so I am planning on using a 12" wheel/tire (4on4) for the spare. Any concerns other than limited range with a smaller spare?

[bobhenry]

Hell don't laugh !

I take an 8" as my "space saver spare" for the 12" tires on Chubby !

[KCStudly]

Depending on which 12 inch tire, that could be up to about 3-1/2 inches difference in diameter. I think it would be okay in a pinch to get you off the road (or back to the road) but I suspect that you might (maybe) get some tire scrubbing or sway at higher road speeds. So I would be mindful, should you be unlucky enough to have to swap on the spare, to get it fixed right away and avoid any high speed runs; or at least approach the situation cautiously, building up speed gradually to see how the trailer reacts and testing/checking frequently for heat and abnormal wear (at least at first).

[dguff]

I have a spare for the trailer. It is a "mini spare" from a late model Ford Crown VIc which just happens to have the same bolt circle as my teardrop wheels. Not quite the same size but will work if needed. I just carry it in the tow vehicle on a trip and store it in the garage when not traveling.

[KennethW]

Is a Crown Vic wheel bolt pattern the same as a standard bolt trailer hub? I take it that means that a Crown vic is rear wheel drive the wheels don't have the big offset.

[PKCSPT]

Went to the junk yard and got one of those small spares for $5 and feel a lot better. I may be old fashioned but I like a spare

[GuitarPhotog]

Is a Crown Vic wheel bolt pattern the same as a standard bolt trailer hub? I take it that means that a Crown vic is rear wheel drive the wheels don't have the big offset.

There is no standard trailer hub bolt pattern. I have 15" rims with 5 on 5-1/2 bolt circle on my teardrop and 14" rims with 5 on 4-1/2 bolt circle on my Lo-Liner.

<Chas>

[dguff]

The Crown Vic bolt pattern is 5 by 4 1/2.

[Werdahekrwe]

Hey, Coyote, you are NOT obsessive, compulsive. You are just like me, a belt AND suspenders guy. Nothing wrong with that. Like the sign over the high altitude chamber at the Air For Academy says: "It is better to be down here, wishing you were up there, than being up there, wishing you were down here." In fact I am pretty much that way. I am DEFINITELY going to have a spare and probably spare bearing and grease (and gloves), because it is a LOT better to be safe than sorry. Not to mention having a week, or even a weekend shot because one "didn't plan aheaD'. Oops. Wives tend to get a LITTLE upset when things don't go well. RIGHT? And it is a LOT more comfortable sleeping in the rig than the tow, right?

[DrewsBrews]

Usually "good enough" is preparing for the most common mode of failure. In the case of trailers, I don't think Slime quite meets that criteria.

The longer you run on a flat the more damage the tire takes from overheating; and the more chance for damaging the wheel, ruining it for further use. Since it's not on the TV it can be more difficult to "feel" a flat while on the move, and if the trailer is narrow enough you may not be able to see the tires from the mirrors. So you may not even realize it until the tire finally begins falling apart, or the tire has sustained enough damage and internal delamination that just sliming and airing back up is only going to result in a blowout a few miles down the road.

[Jdw2717]

I run with a spare mounted on the tongue and I also carry one of the complete pre-greased hub and bearing sets that come packaged in the round plastic case that northern tool sells by ultra tow. I figure if I have the parts I am less likely to need them.

[Franco Novo]

Oh yeah. And, I just arrived yesterday in Florida from Pa. in the little Gypsy wagon.
Very first trip, and it was about 1200 miles.

Since it was built on a Harbor Freight folding trailer , and because of all of the cautions and fine advice I read on these forums, I bought a spare tire
Interestingly, (and knock wood}, the trailer towed just fine..and it only has the original 12" class B tires
hubs stayed quite cool, lots of checking it at rest stops. (Glad I repacked those bearings when I put it together)

And..the whole ride down was in drizzle and rain, until Florida, which of course, there were absolutely blackout pounding showers, you know, the usual in Florida... lol
I didn't do any camping in it...it was built mostly to haul cargo down...loaded it was about 1000 lbs. towed with the 4 cyl. Ford Focus Wagon
Averaged about 27 MPG..(can't beat that) ..and speed was approx. 60-65 mph. all the way down.

Very pleased , since it was my first build.

Having had flats before on my car running the Fla. to Pa. run before, Remember...a lot of times the purpose of a spare, any spare, is to get you off the highway, to the next town for a repair and a night in the hotel if need be. Beats sitting on the side of Interstate or unhitching and leaving your trailer behind whle you go and try to dig up a spare in towns you're so very unfamiliar with.
especially, if it's nightime, and raining...

best to all,
Franco
[album] [/album]

[daveesl77]

Well, with mine, since on the initial trip, within 250 miles of our starting point, the hub actually came apart (not the bearings), I bought another hub at Tractor Supply to do the trip with and everything worked fine from then on. Once I got back I took the pieces back to HF and they gave me a new hub with tire mounted. So, now I have the complete unit just in case I ever need it. I tow with a pickup, so space isn't a problem and the spare rides in the truck bed.

dave