Spare Tire Mount location Options

[OldCarBum]

Originally Posted by D W

The caveat here is that although the receiver is rated for 300 lbs, you have to consider the capacity of the bumper. It doesn't take much to break the welds on those 4" tube bumpers. Most folks invest in support bracket kits to support the bumper in order to use those receivers. They are bolted to the frame.

Thanks,
The bumper and the hitch on my TT are two separate items.
The bumper is a thin metal 4X4 bumper welded to the frame, however the hitch is a standard 2" receiver welded to the frame mounted below the bumper.
My generator is only 97 lbs, so I think I'll be good.

[D W]

Originally Posted by OldCarBum

Thanks,
The bumper and the hitch on my TT are two separate items.
The bumper is a thin metal 4X4 bumper welded to the frame, however the hitch is a standard 2" receiver welded to the frame mounted below the bumper.
My generator is only 97 lbs, so I think I'll be good.

Understood.

[ppine]

Carry the spare in your cargo carrier.
Or put it in your truck.

[Tundra 2014]

The BAL is what I used. Just make sure you have enough ground clearance. I worked well, but I was also cautious, but we only had 14" wheels on our trailer.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by OldCarBum

This morning I pulled the plug and purchased a Lippert RV Spare Tire Carrier with Winch, Item # LC159041 from ETrailer.
This carrier will mount the spare tire up under the trailer and I won't have to worry about it.
Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

My trailer came with the winch type carrier (not a Forest River). The rod for the winch actually extends though the frame and uses a 3/4 inch socket.

[gw1800]

Moving the spare to the front on the tongue will increase the tongue weight.
I also agree that the 300lb rating is misleading unless the hitch is welded to the frame and not just bolted to the bumper.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by OldCarBum

We just purchased our new 2022 Flagstaff Microlite 22TBS.
It came with the spare tire mounted on the rear bumper.
The trailer also came with a 2" hitch receiver mounted on the rear of the trailer.
I want to install a small cargo carrier using the 2" hitch, but all the cargo carriers I found will hit the spare tire where it is located.
I've considered having a custom cargo carrier manufactured which would allow us to carry just our generator on the carrier.
Another problem became apparent when I tried to attach our bike rack into the hitch receiver and it also hit the spare.
Does Forest River offer a spare tire mount from another model which will allow me to mount the spare tire under the trailer?
What about the aftermarket under the trailer spare tire mounts?
Are they any good?
Thanks in advance!

What ever you end up with if the tire is not inside or under the RV be sure to cover it with something white or you will be baking the life out of the tires.

[dsjohns71]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

What ever you end up with if the tire is not inside or under the RV be sure to cover it with something white or you will be baking the life out of the tires.

That’s odd, in over 7 years I have had 2 different Black covers ( cuz white just would look like shiot on my rig) and never have I had an issue with cooking the tires in full sun, perhaps I’m just lucky? Mind you I’m in Alabama, it’s hot here 9 of 12 months..

[Atlee]

Originally Posted by OldCarBum

We just purchased our new 2022 Flagstaff Microlite 22TBS.
It came with the spare tire mounted on the rear bumper.
The trailer also came with a 2" hitch receiver mounted on the rear of the trailer.
I want to install a small cargo carrier using the 2" hitch, but all the cargo carriers I found will hit the spare tire where it is located.
I've considered having a custom cargo carrier manufactured which would allow us to carry just our generator on the carrier.
Another problem became apparent when I tried to attach our bike rack into the hitch receiver and it also hit the spare.
Does Forest River offer a spare tire mount from another model which will allow me to mount the spare tire under the trailer?
What about the aftermarket under the trailer spare tire mounts?
Are they any good?
Thanks in advance!

The spare on my Coachmen Freedom Express 20SE was mounted under the tongue of the trailer. I didn't like it there because it would be exposed to all the crap on roadways.

I removed it from the tongue and put in the front pass through storage.

[SL1]

I removed the tire from the mount and put it the front pass through storage. Then took the bracket off completely. I didn't trust the bracket or the 4x4 tube it was attached to at all.

[OldCarBum]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

What ever you end up with if the tire is not inside or under the RV be sure to cover it with something white or you will be baking the life out of the tires.

One of the major safety factors is the age of the tires on any trailer, vehicle, or our daily drivers.
Tires should be replaced every five years no matter how few miles are on the tires, the condition of the sidewalls or tread, or whether the vehicle is stored in a building or parked outside.
Every tire is stamped with a date code by the manufacturer for the month and year the tire was manufactured and can be found on the inside side wall.
This also includes spare’s.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by dsjohns71

That’s odd, in over 7 years I have had 2 different Black covers ( cuz white just would look like shiot on my rig) and never have I had an issue with cooking the tires in full sun, perhaps I’m just lucky? Mind you I’m in Alabama, it’s hot here 9 of 12 months..

Heat is not the biggest culprit to the tire aging. The UV from the sun is the worst. Any cover will prevent UV damage.

[dsjohns71]

Originally Posted by gw1800

Heat is not the biggest culprit to the tire aging. The UV from the sun is the worst. Any cover will prevent UV damage.

Very true. That’s why they’re covered.. not too much worried about the heat, rather the UV rays

[scott S]

See attached photo. I cut in and framed in a new 3 foot by 2 foot luggage door and installed a sliding battery tray. Tray had 300lb capacity for my 2, 50 pound generators. Move the 2 spare tires farther to each side of the bumper. The spare tires blocked the tail lights do I added new ones a little higher. Locked the generators down with a huge chain bolted to the floor and frame. I added a line to the campers propane system to run the generators. The campers 30 amp power cord plug directly into the bridging adapter for the generators. Just finished it last week. Works good in the back yard😉. Also made panel to put between generator and camper to keep rain and exhaust out

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by gw1800

Heat is not the biggest culprit to the tire aging. The UV from the sun is the worst. Any cover will prevent UV damage.

Sorry but UV cannot penetrate to the belt edges which is the most critical part of a steel belted radial. As such UV only attacks the surface.
Heat definitely penetrates deep into the tire structure.

Here you can see the data from heat from the sun. The chemical reaction (aging) of rubber results in a loss of both strength and flexibility. Many "Blowouts" occur because of the breaking of the molecular bonds in the belt skim rubber.
In my 40 years as a tire engineer I do not recall ever seeing a tire fail due to UV light but I have seen thousands fail due to a weakening and subsequent fracturing of the rubber at the belt edges.


If you doubt my statements I suggest you contact a Polymer or Chemical engineer and ask about the effects of high heat on rubber strength and elasticity.

[RRSCOTT]

I just modified the tire carrier to mount in front of the bumper and raised it up. Now the tire sits on top of the bumper. Now I have room. But the receiver sticks out even with the bumper.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by scott S

See attached photo. I cut in and framed in a new 3 foot by 2 foot luggage door and installed a sliding battery tray. ...

Nice design and execution. Judging from the floorplan of the RV in your profile, does that go into the middle of the rear passthrough?

[Guspech750]

I put my spare under our bed. Cost me $0.

[OldCarBum]

Originally Posted by scott S

See attached photo. I cut in and framed in a new 3 foot by 2 foot luggage door and installed a sliding battery tray. Tray had 300lb capacity for my 2, 50 pound generators. Move the 2 spare tires farther to each side of the bumper. The spare tires blocked the tail lights do I added new ones a little higher. Locked the generators down with a huge chain bolted to the floor and frame. I added a line to the campers propane system to run the generators. The campers 30 amp power cord plug directly into the bridging adapter for the generators. Just finished it last week. Works good in the back yard😉. Also made panel to put between generator and camper to keep rain and exhaust out

Those were well planned out modifications for your cargo carrier and spare tires.
That would be a nice mod on our trailer if we had the space.
Thanks for sharing.

[OldCarBum]

[QUOTE=Guspech750;2725962]I put my spare under our bed. Cost me $0.
In our floor plan, have very little extra storage area under the bed, which is actually our basement up front.
Placing the spare in that area, really wasn’t an option.
Thanks for sharing.