Spare tire mounting, cover

scottydl · 09-21-2015, 10:11 PM

I got my spare tire + wheel ordered, which will be nice to have for the next trip (last of the season). My Wildwood has the spare tire carrier (url=http://www.amazon.com/Stromberg-Carlson-TR-1-Universal-Carrier/dp/B002SSKFWU/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&qid=1442891281&sr=8-26&keywords=spare+tire+trailer+mount]looks like this[/url]) already installed on the rear bumper, but the previous/first owner did not get the tire itself when ordering the trailer new. What hardware will I need to securely mount the actual tire to the carrier?

Also I was thinking of having a custom tire cover made for the rear-facing spare. Anyone recommendations on who makes those? I'd like to have lettering of our RV's name... "Comfort Zone II"

scottydl · 09-24-2015, 08:34 AM

Spare tire arrived, and is ready to mount... the carrier is already attached to the rear bumper but I wasn't given any of the hardware from the previous owner of my trailer. Anyone know exactly what I need to make this work? Compared to the new mount from Amazon, I am missing a small lateral bar that fits in with a couple bolts + nuts. When connected, what purpose does that bar serve and how does it attach (looks like a hole through the middle)? Hopefully that will help me determine what I can buy or substitute in for that portion.

5picker · 09-24-2015, 08:58 AM

I had a carrier like that once.

In both slotted holes in the carrier was a carriage bolt. (round head w/square area underneath that fits in the slot to keep from turning). The carriage bolt was held in place by a push nut. (very thin steel - looks something like a washer and keeps the carriage bolts from falling out once you remove the main nuts)

The upper bolt made a stud that the wheel slides over through one of the lug holes in the wheel.

The bar you referred to is about 3-4" long and had two holes towards each end.
Once the wheel is slipped onto the upper stud, the bar slides onto both studs to hold the wheel.
When the wheel is on the carrier, the bottom stud will be inside the large center hole of the wheel.
The bar simply straddles the lug hole and center hole and keeps the wheel from moving.
Both carriage bolts had nuts (to hold the wheel and bar) that were the same size as the lug nuts. (so a separate wrench or socket wasn't necessary)

I have also seen carriers like this where the slotted holes in the carrier were spaced far enough apart that no bar was needed as the two studs spanned far enough apart that both were able to go into lug holes in the wheel.

scottydl · 09-30-2015, 08:28 AM

I stopped by my local Fastenal store the other day and left with less than $6 in hardware... (2) appropriate size 2" lag bolts, (2) nylock nuts, and a small 3-hole steel plate. Spare tire is attached and firmly secured! I feel pretty good about my tire situation now with the spare added, plus the 4 new Towstar radials (upgraded from factory bias ply originals) installed all around yesterday.

5picker · 09-30-2015, 08:53 AM

Attaboy, Scotty! Job well done!
Just remember if the nuts holding the spare are sized differently than the lug nuts on the trailer, make sure you have something along to remove them.

scottydl · 09-30-2015, 10:16 AM

I tried to get carriage bolts with the same thread that lugnuts would fit for simplicity's sake... but that proved to be impossible without placing a special order (and paying a premium). So I took the recommended size bolts and nuts from the Fastenal guy and found that my 5/16" deep socket was the right fit. Lo & behold I think that's actually same size as my lugnuts! Either way, I always carry my Craftsman socket set with me on trips, so I'm set there.

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