Class C spare tire & wheel

[Florida Ranger]

Do any of you carry a spare tire & wheel with your 2018 or newer Class C motorhomes ?

[cherv]

we only carry a spare tire no rim. store tire in a plastic bag in the over head bunk. use road side assist .GFB.

[houstonstroker]

I bought a used spare tire from a tire guy and just bought a refurbished rim from Loves. The tire shop at Loves mounted the tire for me. I just ordered a Roadmaster hitch tire carrier. The carrier also has a receiver so I can still flat tow my Jeep. I do have road side assistance but having a rim and spare tire gives me options. I'll take a picture when I get it all installed.

[Superseneca]

I have just mounted a spare tire on the back of my seneca. I just don't want to be stranded somewhere or be forced to find a 19.5 tire on a weekend or off hours. Keep in mind you will also need a capable jack and a wheel wrench. Me wheel studs require 460 ft/lbs of torque.

[Berjr]

here is a link to a post just other day ,

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ion-70463.html

[alazear]

I'm working on this right now. I've got a new 2020 Redhawk 24B. Thank to help from others on this forum, I've sourced a spare wheel from Ebay here.

https://vod.ebay.com/vod/FetchOrderD...&ul_noapp=true

And a spare tire to match from TireRack here.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...omCompare1=yes

Need to get them mounted and balanced at Les Schwab.

I plan to mount the wheel under the rig just forward of the gray tank and behind the rear axle. It looks like there is space. I plan to either buy this

https://norcoind.com/bal/products/co...-a-spare.shtml

or custom weld something myself to accomplish this undercarriage mounting. This is probably going to be a pain to do whichever way I choose to mount it...there are always challenges with RV's.

Then it'll just involve a breaker bar and a 6 to 12 ton bottle jack if I need to change a tire. Ya, it's heavy and a pain, but at least I'll have options. Or if I'm not up to the work at that moment, I'll call for roadside assistance to do the grunt work for me.

[alazear]

I completed this install today using the parts listed in my post above. It worked well. I found on the BAL "Retract A Spare" I didn't need the second bolt on rail at all. Just the main rail with the cable + 2 cross braces were necessary. I even needed to cut that shorter by about 4".

I installed the main rail [w/cross braces that stabilize the tire] sitting on top of the huge frame rails that run the length of the RV. It ends up just under the gray tank on my rig forward of the hitch. I chose on top of the rails for better clearance, but there are other options.

I had to cut some zip ties and be careful of wiring while welding. Prepped the weld areas, welded it up, black touch up paint... good to go.

It works well and I'd do it again.

Retract A Spare = ~10 lbs.
Balanced Tire+Rim = 77 lbs.
Difference In How It Drives = 0%
Piece of Mind = 100%

Now to get a 12 ton bottle jack...

Recommended mod if you need a spare tire/wheel. Thanks to those who blazed this trail prior to me.

[GABob]

Pros and cons to having a spare, but I prefer to carry a full spare and not have to worry about it. Wifey would kill me if we got stuck somewhere because I didn’t opt for one. Wheel from eBay and spare 10 ply from Mavis.

[onsite]

Nice job,, I would like to install one of these myself, still looking for the wheel,Found a tire, I tried the link above but Ebay will not let me look at it when I logged in. Where did you place the crank to lower the tire? Looks like you welded two brackets from the picture, then bolted the bar across Correct? Is the tire more to the left when up inside?
Also any issues with the tank above?
Thanks

[Berjr]

nice work


Not sure you need a jack if you have the levelers I think they would work just fine in an pinch

[Florida Ranger]

Found New wheels on Amazon for $ 83.00...

[alazear]

Originally Posted by onsite

Nice job,, I would like to install one of these myself, still looking for the wheel,Found a tire, I tried the link above but Ebay will not let me look at it when I logged in. Where did you place the crank to lower the tire? Looks like you welded two brackets from the picture, then bolted the bar across Correct? Is the tire more to the left when up inside?
Also any issues with the tank above?
Thanks

Ebay Tire: I retried the Ebay link above as well and it froze the first time, probably like what you're experiencing.... Then, I tried it a couple additional times [leaving the first one still trying to open] and it opened up just fine on some of my other tries??? That Ebay seller has more to sell if you want one for $68.99. Mine arrived in the mail [free shipping] and balanced fine at the shop I took it to. Took a standard amount of weight to balance rim+tire. It's not a new rim, but mine was is good shape.

Additional Bracket Mounting Info: The frame members on my Redhawk 24B are close enough together I did not need all the parts that came in the BAL "Retract A Spare" kit. I only needed the main bar [the longer side with the crank integrated into it and the bolt on cross stabilizers - the 2 short ones at 90 degrees to the main bar w/crank - for stabilizing the tire]. What I did not need at all was the secondary [bolt on] bar that is for spanning longer distances for wider spaced frame members on other rigs. In fact I needed to cut down the main bar 4" shorter for a clean look, although I could have left it full size - I cut it down for a cleaner look; fast, with grinder and cut off wheel... I then set that 4" shortened main bar on top of the two frame members of the Redhawk 24B with the lowering bolt toward the passenger side of the vehicle [for road safety when changing a tire rather than driver's side], and welded it on. I ignored the bolt on options the Retract A Spare came with as I didn't feel like drilling numerous holes through my frame members to attach it to the frame. Also, this would have mounted the tire lower to the ground which I did not want. Additionally, the 24B frame members are 1/4" steel. So much easier to weld it on instead rather than plasma cutting holes or spending hours drilling. Plus if you decide to put the Retract A Spare on top of the frame members - like I did, the included brackets are pointing upward and sideward [rather than downward - as needed in that application]. Welding seemed fast and easy. I'd recommend you find someone to do it, if you cannot yourself. It makes the install easy.

This positions the tire slightly - by maybe 2", toward the passenger side of the 24B. Still plenty of room on all sides of the tire.

No issues with the tank clearance above. There is enough clearance there for no contact at any point. If I ever need to drop the tank [hopefully not] the welds are all easy to get to, I can zip them free with a cutoff tool in no time and reweld it back up when done with a tank fix.

[Steve1152]

just carry your spare in your toad, a lot easier.

[alazear]

Originally Posted by Florida Ranger

Found New wheels on Amazon for $ 83.00...

Make sure whatever wheel you order from Amazon has the correct numbering for the E450 chassis. I read somewhere on this site, it was buried in another thread, that not all aftermarket new wheels fit correctly on the front, maybe due to the disc brakes??? I hope I'm not repeating incorrect information here, but wanted to say sometime before you pull the trigger so you can investigate yourself.

I'm not sure about any of this - the aftermarket ones may work fine... I don't know. I did not want to chance it, so ordered the used original Ford rims off Ebay above. The part # is 8C24-1015-GA-6RY-HA-WHY if you go searching for them. My local Carson City, NV. Ford dealer wanted $528 for that rim and refused to give the part number. I thought $69 Ebay used was a good gamble. It paid off.

[alazear]

Originally Posted by Steve1152

just carry your spare in your toad, a lot easier.

True, much easier install to just dump it in the back of the Jeep. That's what I did bringing the tire home. If I was in a pinch... sure. Not a long term solution for me though for the following reasons:

1. Don't always plan to pull the Toad
2. Hassle every time I go kitesurfing, mt. biking, climbing etc. and want to use the far back of the Jeep and not get black tire all over everything
3. "Harbor Freight tire smell" in the Jeep driving around
4. There is a great space sitting unused under that 24B rig that says.... "mount me here."

[Steve1152]

put it in a plastic bag and put in the trunk. tires underneath any vehicle get forgotten and dont fare well. i always take my toad so thats not a problem for me. nice job on the mount!!

[alazear]

I agree, tires underneath are easy to forget. I'll have to remember to check it with the others. Glad the trunk works for your set up. It can be a clean solution.

I have a Jeep Wrangler. It has no trunk.

[elcheapo]

I carry a spare tire. Also have a 120V electric torque wrench, just have to crank up my generator to use for tire changing.

[tom463219]

Originally Posted by elcheapo

I carry a spare tire. Also have a 120V electric torque wrench, just have to crank up my generator to use for tire changing.

X2

[Johnynorthland]

I carry a full spare on my RedHawk 25R. I wouldn’t travel without one!Did a bumper mount with reinforced support so hopefully the welds don’t break off on the bumper. I do like that under mount job that was posted. Would have rather done that if I thought about it! But my spare is easier to access and check the air pressure. I’ve taken flat spares out of my trunk before! Lol!