Tongue Jack install/spare goes where

[Modstock]

I've installed a new tongue jack and not sure what I should do with the spare.
Old fold up jack wasn't working here.


New jack in but not sure if I should put the spare here. It would require more welding.
Suggestions are open but need to get this done tonight. Whatcha think ?

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[John61CT]

Not tonight, but mounted to the face of a taller box fitted under the existing one

[Modstock]

Well after some measuring that wouldn't work without hitting the jack and the budget is getting thin.
Thought of putting it under the tongue but what a PITA if I ever had a flat.
Plan C I thought of using the frame bracket behind the axle using a piece of angle iron to mount it on the side.
Or may just stick to the original plan. (2nd pic)
I have some angle I can weld, just need to come up with a long u-bolt to hold it down.

Let's see other's unique spare mount locations.

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[mary and bob]

Get a tongue jack with the side wind handle and turn it so the handle doesn't hit the tire.

[working on it]

Well after some measuring that wouldn't work without hitting the jack and the budget is getting thin.
Thought of putting it under the tongue but what a PITA if I ever had a flat.
Plan C I thought of using the frame bracket behind the axle using a piece of angle iron to mount it on the side.
Or may just stick to the original plan. (2nd pic)
I have some angle I can weld, just need to come up with a long u-bolt to hold it down.

Let's see other's unique spare mount locations.

Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk

• Well, my set-up is pretty unique; it's my solution to fix my trailer balance problem, without having to re-mount my spare tire, too. I had originally thought to carry all my extra gear (spare parts, electric extension cords and adapters, peripheral equipment, etc.) in the rear of the trailer along with battery, generator, Coleman gear, and Aquatainer jug, and place my spare tire in front, for easy access. I had looked for a small-ish tongue box for the extra gear (hoping to free-up room in the rear to try to use it as a "galley", instead of storage only), but couldn't find one for under $200 (at that time, when my build was a no/low budget affair). But, I soon discovered that I needed to move some weight forward to the tongue, as an interim fix for the rear-bias weight distribution I had.
• I "engineered" it for carrying heavy coolers inside, as an offset for that imbalance, but it wasn't enough, so the battery, at least, could go to the tongue. I first tried using a Husky toolbox from Home Depot (it was black diamond plate, and looked nice) that I bought, and put the Optima Yellowtop AGM battery inside, along with some tools and spare hardware. But, as heavy as it was, it left me 40 or 60 lbs short of balance (per calculation, and per scaling). Either way, it was too little. Then, a fellow forum member (Prem) found and suggested a small/cheap aluminum box he spotted on E-bay, that I could use. It was the solution I had needed, but I had no desire to move the spare elsewhere, and it was already an integral piece of my weight puzzle, situated where it already was.
• I measured the space I had available in front of the spare, and behind the removable jack, and found I had just enough for that new box, with around 5-6" to spare. I purchased the aluminum box, and test-fitted it, and then decided to make a slide-mount for it, so as to use it to block access to the spare, until I needed it. I found a boat-seat slider on E-bay for $10 (I think), and bought two sets (spare parts, you know), and rigged it up. It works great, and has since worked well for me for 5 years so far, loaded with bout 150+ lbs of stuff I no longer had to carry in the galley, anymore. And the spare remained in front, and the jack stayed there too. See this http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67730&hilit=slide+tonguebox#p1194100

• 

  first box, replaced with a slide-mounted larger one.jpg (252.27 KiB) Viewed 1980 times

• 

  aluminum box, good for many trailer applications.jpg (174.96 KiB) Viewed 1980 times

• 

  aluminum box, inexpensive purchase from Amazon.JPG (145.27 KiB) Viewed 1980 times

[mary and bob]

Very last picture in previous post shows a side wind jack like I suggested

[working on it]

Very last picture in previous post shows a side wind jack like I suggested

• True, but even with the current jack he's using, if there's enough room fore-to-aft, and with the spare tire mounted to the side, then a top-wind jack could be used. On my top-wind jack, the original handle was too long, and I made my own to keep from hitting my knuckles...then I swapped the handle with the shorter-length handle, from my other top-wind jack (located on my car-hauler trailer, less than 15 feet away, which I had never bothered to compare it with). No problem! Even if there would be some interference, the handle still works if lifted slightly while in use, so there's really no need to get another jack to fit, if the dimensions are OK.
• I had bought an offset spare tire mount, prior to mounting my spare to the front wall, but gave it away when I decided to use the beam itself to support my 14" tire's weight, instead of a side-mount from the longitudinal beam. But, it would work well, on the OP's A-frame trailer, hanging from and supported by the frame, not the box. My trailer's "A" frame pieces were only installed to provide lateral support/stabilization for my tongue box(s), where the main weight load was already supported by the 3" x.1875" thick square tubing.

• 

  topwind jack & offset tire mount, both from Northern Tool.jpg (124.13 KiB) Viewed 1916 times

[les45]

I do not mount my spare on my trailer. Keep it stored indoors (away from sunlight) and throw it in the TV when I'm towing along with the tool box.

[tony.latham]

I keep mine bolted upright in my truck's bed during camping season.

However, I'm toying with build #4. And my thought at this point is to install a (used) spare hoist just forward of the axle and use one of those funky "compact spares." Nice and skinny. The challenge might be finding one with a 5-4.5" lug pattern that will fit over the hub.

We'll see.

Tony

[working on it]

I do not mount my spare on my trailer. Keep it stored indoors (away from sunlight) and throw it in the TV when I'm towing along with the tool box.

• That's a good idea, especially if using no-name Chinese tires. I've had countless tires over the years, with two dozen currently mounted on vehicles/trailers exposed to sunlight daily, and a dozen or so still sitting in a pile in the yard (behind my garage), waiting for me to dispose of (garden cart tires, mower tires, and automotive & trailer tires). Of all the tires I have used and are still using, exposed to sunlight and never garaged, only the last set of Chinese ST radials I bought for my car-hauler have actually come apart, from sitting in the sunlight.
• There are some Denman and Carlisle ST tires out there, that are 20 years old, with rubber checking, but still hold air (my TTT's current spare is a Carlisle ST that's at least 12-14 years old, that I used as a road tire, until last year), and 10 year old tires still on our GMC truck (Dayton) and Puma trailer (Taiwanese-made, Loadstar ST's). No problems with those, not even checking. Those disintegrated no-name ST radials must have less UV-inhibitors in their make-up than the others, and specifically less than American name brand tires.
• It seems to me that if you buy a tire these days, with the Chinese products supplanting Made-in-the USA products, then a safer bet would be to get brands that have a familiar name, and good reputation, instead of buying generic no-name offshore tires. The brand-name tires are more likely to have at least some US professional oversight, in the Chinese manufacturing plant, to keep their product up to US standards (product liability laws!), than no-name brands. And some offshore brands of Chinese tires, may be OK too, if they have a reputation to uphold. Some Goodyear Marathon ST Radials, made in China in the past, may be an exception (many failures of these tires, over the years).
• My squareback TTT resides in my garage, next to my Chevelle drag car, out of daily sunlight exposure, so their tires will last longer than if outside. And their tires are USA-name brands, anyway: General Grabber AT2's & a Carlisle USA Trail ST spare on the TTT, and M/T slicks & Moroso front runners on the Chevelle. They should last while, IMHO.

[Modstock]

I was able to make it work in that mocked position, just tilted the tire back at a slight angle. May have to modify my tire cover a bit.
So tonight I need to paint and then I can start sewing up the mattress cover.
With a trip looming overhead, time is running out quickly and other idea's I wanted to do will have to wait till next winter.

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[John61CT]

some offshore brands of Chinese tires, may be OK too, if they have a reputation to uphold.

I've heard good things about Sailun's S637T series

[woodywrkng]

I haven't installed it yet in this photo, but my spare tire is now mounted underneath the tongue box, between the two A-frame rails. It's held up with two 3/8" bolts with nylon locking nuts, through the reinforced bottom of the tongue box. I need to take some more recent pictures I reckon.

[gudmund]

"compact spare tire"?? a year or so ago when I was visiting a "pick-a-part" auto wrecking yard, there were many a compact spare's laying around and something that caught my eye was that some of them had a "duel" bolt pattern - 10 lug hole total with 2 different 5 lug bolt patterns. Do not know what brand of vehicle they used on or if they were in "SAE" or 'Metric' ?? but they are or were out there. Maybe something to do a bit of research on? being I never got around to it - and of course the other problem would be 'how old' this spare tire combo would be now a-days being the possibility of ever getting a NEW fresh re-placement tire for this rim maybe impossible to find.
The one I item I have been carrying the last few years and have never, so far had to use is a "wheel adapter" that make's it possible to use my 6 lug Chev PU spare on my 4,5 inch 5 lug trailer hub. When I bought it years ago, I did a fit check and YES it all fit and would work - the only problem I dread would be the "just the having to do it" and where-ever the flat happens, it would be a very time consuming process considering the 'day-nite' 'type of weather elements' of where flats seem to happen. I still am carrying the adapter being it takes up no space/weight's so little, but also carry the regular spare tire in the back of the truck (used to be mounted on the tongue of the trailer but made it just too heavy.(being most trailer's use the same 4.5 inch hub - I guess it is there for the 'one' that may need it - that's if I would be willing to loan/give up the truck spare - trouble is, the older I get - the more 'take care of your own self attitude' I get

[tony.latham]

"compact spare tire"?? a year or so ago when I was visiting a "pick-a-part" auto wrecking yard, there were many a compact spare's laying around and something that caught my eye was that some of them had a "duel" bolt pattern...Do not know what brand of vehicle they used on or if they were in "SAE" or 'Metric' ?? but they are or were out there. Maybe something to do a bit of research on?

Exactly.

Tony