Leave the spare at home?

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by Firetiger

I'm seeing message threads indicating that they are leaving the RV spare tire at home. I could use the 100 lbs or so for something else to bring along.

Pros & Cons

All comments appreciated!

I'll swim upstream, if you are talking 16" rim and tire or less probably good idea to have a spare with you. They don't weigh over 100 lbs and probably don't inflate to 90+ psi. However if you are in a big gas rig with 22.5 inch rims and 235 tires or a DP with 22.5 and 275 tires and rims, they are over 100 lbs and require 90 psi air or more. Not many units like this carry the 6 ton jacks and have college football players on board to be able to change that tire. Truck tire companies claim they carry or can get replacements quickly and change them on scene.

What do you have? can change yourself? , there's your answer.

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by jimh

i usually carry two spares.

If you don't have a tire pressure monitoring system, this makes sense. I've seen many a tandem trailer beside the road with 2 flats on the same side. Why? One tire went down, it was not detected, the second tire got overloaded and overheated, it blows, now you have 2 flat tires. Happens all the time.

[jimh]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

If you don't have a tire pressure monitoring system, this makes sense. I've seen many a tandem trailer beside the road with 2 flats on the same side. Why? One tire went down, it was not detected, the second tire got overloaded and overheated, it blows, now you have 2 flat tires. Happens all the time.

actually i do. decided to do two when the sensor said one was going down. 15 minutes after changing it, the replacement went down. had to call road side assistance (in Little Rock) at 5pm. it took abt 30 min to find someone that would come out. they had to locate a replacement tire. i was back on the road in just 2.5 hrs total. the second tire failed because the stem broke. was trying to air it back up and the stem broke off completely. i insist on metal valves stems but that one got by me.
the monitors caught both going down so they saved my trailer and the other tire on the same side from overload.
i experienced exactly what u described in 2005 along with $2k in damage. that's all it took to get a monitoring system.

[fast murray]

I haven't been camping for too long but in the short time I picked up a nail. Luckily I was stopping for gas and it wasn't yet flat but I was happy to have a spare. I always carry a breaker bar and a good socket set that had the right deep well socket in it. The spare asn't that great so I stopped and had a new tire mounted and put the spare back in the truck. After changing 2 tires in a day I picked up a DeWalt 18V impact gun. I haven't had to use it for that yet but its there.

[JFM-jr]

I actually carry a spare and a plugging kit along with a recently purchased 12 ton bottle jack (most TV jacks will not work on the TT) and a 12 volt air compressor along with an accurate quality gauge. Also not a bad idea to have a set of reflective triangles.

[12vdzl]

Call me lazy, but my snap on impact gun serves dual purpose. I use it to operate my stabilizer jacks and save my behind while changing a tire on the side of the busy express way.

1) tool kit with sockets for jacks, TT lugs, TV lugs.
2) spare lugs for both TT & TV.
3) bottle jack that will support the weight of heaviest part. Of rig.
4) safety items, triangles, blocks, chocks
5) 24 - 36" pry bar - could be used to help lift the heavy spare or remove pieces of tires wrapped in places they don't belong.

Originally Posted by fast murray

I haven't been camping for too long but in the short time I picked up a nail. Luckily I was stopping for gas and it wasn't yet flat but I was happy to have a spare. I always carry a breaker bar and a good socket set that had the right deep well socket in it. The spare asn't that great so I stopped and had a new tire mounted and put the spare back in the truck. After changing 2 tires in a day I picked up a DeWalt 18V impact gun. I haven't had to use it for that yet but its there.

[fast murray]

Originally Posted by 12vdzl

Call me lazy, but my snap on impact gun serves dual purpose. I use it to operate my stabilizer jacks and save my behind while changing a tire on the side of the busy express way.

1) tool kit with sockets for jacks, TT lugs, TV lugs.
2) spare lugs for both TT & TV.
3) bottle jack that will support the weight of heaviest part. Of rig.
4) safety items, triangles, blocks, chocks
5) 24 - 36" pry bar - could be used to help lift the heavy spare or remove pieces of tires wrapped in places they don't belong.

It's a good idea to carry most of that stuff. I also carry my 18V drill for the stabilizers as I'm not a huge fan of all the rattling at the campgrounds as people pull in and get set up. I've also loaned it out a few times for repairs.