Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Just got back from my first camping use of the CTC. Things went really good. Wife and I are happy with how it all turned out. We did start thinking about how we could make things better. I currently have the trailer spare mounted on an e-Track rack inside. I need to move it to the tongue if possible. Any thoughts on this? At this time welding is not an option as part of the solution. I am attaching a picture of the current tongue. I have a few ideas in mind, but wanted to hear from the group first. Pictures would be greatly appreciated.

You can buy a bolt on tire carrier that will go on the tongue. Not very sexy, but functional.

At this point it's all about function. Thanks.

Can't you just toss it in the back of the TV when traveling and just store it on the Etrac inside when not using the camper. It would be better off out of the sun and etc. long term.?

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There's a lot of mounts you can use but the short trailer tongue limits space. I had the same issue and used one of these mounts, which I bolted onto the outside wall above the curb side fender and through the wall struts.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-R-P-Alu ... ount&rt=nc

Ya had a good time then. Excellent. Gets a little cold at night eh? But the weather was awesome and the crowds much lighter than previous years.
Here's a link for e trailer spare tire racks. https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Spare+Tire+Carrier
I just recently mounted mine to the ramp, but it did take some welding to reinforce the ramp frame and some precise placement to keep it from binding or contacting the ground before the ramp was fully lowered. Not a huge job, but the ramp was all apart so I also insulated and installed the black diamond flooring. The weight of the spare is now behind the axle, taking a good chunk off the tongue weight.
Glad you enjoyed trip and new trailer,

McDave

McDave wrote:Ya had a good time then. Excellent. Gets a little cold at night eh? But the weather was awesome and the crowds much lighter than previous years.
Here's a link for e trailer spare tire racks. https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Spare+Tire+Carrier
I just recently mounted mine to the ramp, but it did take some welding to reinforce the ramp frame and some precise placement to keep it from binding or contacting the ground before the ramp was fully lowered. Not a huge job, but the ramp was all apart so I also insulated and installed the black diamond flooring. The weight of the spare is now behind the axle, taking a good chunk off the tongue weight.
Glad you enjoyed trip and new trailer,

McDave

Yea, I took a space heater and we used it a little while one morning, but not too bad. I ended up running the AC at night, overall just kept it more comfortable. It was a great trip and I was happy with most everything I built. Still room for improvement, but can't wait to go again. The crowds were lighter. I have no idea why. We went to Sturgis Weds. Still a pretty good crowd there. Always is I guess. Looked at some Tallboy handlebars for the Tri-Glide. Should have them before we back.

flboy wrote:Can't you just toss it in the back of the TV when traveling and just store it on the Etrac inside when not using the camper. It would be better off out of the sun and etc. long term.?

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Agreed ... this is what do... because it is my understanding that UV rays from the sun are extremely harmful to tires

featherliteCT1 wrote:

flboy wrote:Can't you just toss it in the back of the TV when traveling and just store it on the Etrac inside when not using the camper. It would be better off out of the sun and etc. long term.?

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Agreed ... this is what do... because it is my understanding that UV rays from the sun are extremely harmful to tires

Well, you could put a cover on it I suppose, but you still have to lock them or they could walk away. Just thinking it is no big deal to toss in back and then when in storage is is locked inside and weather is not an issue then either.. That is how I used to do mine in first CTC, now I have room to just leave inside on Etrac.

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I recently had to figure out what I was going to do with the spare and the only place that made sense was a back door mount. I used some 80/20 aluminum extrusion I had here, turned a plate on the lathe for the rim backer and spaced it off the correct distance with two short 80/20 sections. .

In order to make sure bumps would not jar the assembly loose, one long bolt in the middle captures all of the components and serves as a lock point.

I mounted it with 4 bolts on the top rail and two on the bottom. The top rail bolts go thru the door into T-Nuts, just beyond the doors aluminum studs because they are only 1" x 1", and drilling thru them could weaken the ramp.

My first 12 hour drive left it in the exact shape it was when I mounted it, giving me confidence that it will forever stay put. Now all I need to do is get a tire cover.

Wow, very nice. I like it.

That does look like a good job on the ramp mounted spare. I went a different route and welded plate steel to the ramp frame members and welded the studs to the plate. This way the weight is spread out between 3 vertical and the bottom horizontal frame members. Placement was critical as you don't want spare to bind or contact the ground before ramp is fully lowered. Couple road trips, 1200-1500 miles no problems so far. I need to cover the tire as well. On the list...

McDave

Fitting a spare tire on a teardrop is one of my pet peeves. So almost no decent place for one! I like your solution. A rear-mounted spare tire seems to be the best design as long as your door can handle the strain. Yours looks beefy, so I have no doubt the tire will stay where it's told

Has anyone tried to mount one under the tongue of the trailer? My trailer sits pretty high considering, it would be rather easy to junk yard find a GM cable hoist for the tire to roll up and down on.


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This one came on mine from the factory. It's never in my way, never has come loose on long dirt roads or highways, and its easy to remove the tire by loosening two lugs. (Spare lugs too!) I have used a spare tire cover in the past, but it usually gets worn and tore up from all the travelling I do. About a push cost-wise.
Now I just use the spare as one of the replacements when I wear out a set of tires, and keeping the spare fairly "new" since I need tires every two to three years.