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Old 01-19-2015, 09:26 AM   #1
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Necessity of a Spare Tire?

Greetings!! -

The DW and I are about to take delivery on a new Itasca 37F. One of things that surprised us about the coach was that a spare tire is not included.

Is this simply a acknowledgement that normal humans cannot change those tires and we must call a truck tire guy anyway? It appears that a lot of big rigs no longer have spares as well.

We are concerned about the situation where we are stuck outside of some remote location with a flat. Based on the experiences in this forum, how real is that fear?

How do others mitigate the lack of a spare?

Thanks,
Jerald Pendleton
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:36 AM   #2
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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Use our search feature and you'll find that this topic has been discussed in depth. There are two schools of thought.

1) A spare tire in a fairly large rig takes up a great deal of space, is very heavy, probably can't be changed by the user and results in there being one more tire to replace every 8 to 10 years. A good road service plan is the better approach.

2) A spare tire is necessary for the comfort level of the owner. They want to always be prepared, and even if they can't change the tire themselves, they will have it available for the road service folks. They may or may not have the spare mounted on a rim but won't run the risk of the mobile tire guy either not having the right size or charging them too much money for a replacement tire.

For my 40DP I was in the first camp.

Best of luck

Rick
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:36 AM   #3
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I would get the spare, or at least find one that fits from your local tire shop (might be cheaper). I have heard horror stories of people getting a flat on their trailer without a spare and spending days waiting for the road monkeys to find something that fits. I wouldn't want to be those people...
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:36 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrpend View Post
Greetings!! -

The DW and I are about to take delivery on a new Itasca 37F. One of things that surprised us about the coach was that a spare tire is not included.

Is this simply a acknowledgement that normal humans cannot change those tires and we must call a truck tire guy anyway? It appears that a lot of big rigs no longer have spares as well.
We are concerned about the situation where we are stuck outside of some remote location with a flat. Based on the experiences in this forum, how real is that fear?
How do others mitigate the lack of a spare?
Thanks,
Jerald Pendleton
I carry an up to date CoachNet membership card and a charged cellphone that I'll use if I have a tire problem.
BTW, I also tow a car in case there's no cell service in some remote location.
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:42 AM   #5
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I don't think any of the Class A's with large rims (22.5") have spares. I've had a couple of flats on the road and have had no trouble getting road service. Of course, I was in reasonably well-populated areas at the time, so don't know what kind of response you'd get in a remote area out west somewhere! I would suggest getting a road service policy (i.e. Good Sam or Coach-Net), who will guarantee a response in such an event. Those wheels/tires weigh a ton; mounted underneath the chassis, they would be a bear to get off. You'd also have to carry tools, including breaker bar to loosen lug nuts, an air compressor to inflate the spare to required pressure, etc.... My flats were due to my ignorance in not changing out-of-date tires. If you keep track of your tires' age, and do good preventive maintenance on them, you shouldn't have to worry much about flats.
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:52 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrpend View Post
Greetings!! -

The DW and I are about to take delivery on a new Itasca 37F. One of things that surprised us about the coach was that a spare tire is not included.

Is this simply a acknowledgement that normal humans cannot change those tires and we must call a truck tire guy anyway? It appears that a lot of big rigs no longer have spares as well.

We are concerned about the situation where we are stuck outside of some remote location with a flat. Based on the experiences in this forum, how real is that fear?

How do others mitigate the lack of a spare?

Thanks,
Jerald Pendleton
:welcome: Let me be the first to welcome you to the forum.

About your question. This has been debated time and again. In most cases we can not change the tire because of the torque of the bolts and the weight of the rim and tire. Besides that, which wheel are you going to bring as a spare? If you carry a skin it is only as good in life length as the tires on the ground. And what of the storage area it consumes? Is that worth the sacrifice to a spare?

Going to a Alaska or some remote area may be the exception. Carrying a skin with you in your size is not a bad idea.

Checking your tire pressure and condition each day before leaving is the best rule of thumb. A TPMS is a good idea to help alert you when something is going wrong. Stopping before a tire blows prevents a lot of damage. I didn't have a TPMS on my last coach and I had a blowout. Big damage to the side of the coach. And a spare would not have helped. The tire changer truck had me back on the road in about an hour.

I hope my thoughts are helpful. Please go to the Users CP (Control Panel) if you have not been there yet and finish updating your profile. Knowing what you have for equipment makes answering questions a bit easier.

Happy trails,
Rick Y
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:53 AM   #7
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It takes some serious tools to remove the tires on a Class A. The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) membership includes a plan for Goodyear and Michelin Tires with reasonable discounts. When you buy under the FMCA program it looks a lot like a large fleet agreement and tires should be available or worst case within a few days. Remember that Class A's look a little like a semi. Service shops are set up to get them back on the road as quickly as possible. Can you find yourself someplace where there are no tires of your size? Yes. But it should not take more than a day or two get tires delivered to your location. One of the reasons that we have a Class A is that home is where we park it. It is part of the RV lifestyle.
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:56 AM   #8
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Here is a good solution to carrying a mounted spare tire ready to use if needed and it does not take up storage space.

Simpson Tire Mount - Carry a spare without a care.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jrpend View Post
Greetings!! -

The DW and I are about to take delivery on a new Itasca 37F. One of things that surprised us about the coach was that a spare tire is not included.

Is this simply a acknowledgement that normal humans cannot change those tires and we must call a truck tire guy anyway? It appears that a lot of big rigs no longer have spares as well.

We are concerned about the situation where we are stuck outside of some remote location with a flat. Based on the experiences in this forum, how real is that fear?

How do others mitigate the lack of a spare?




Thanks,
Jerald Pendleton
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Old 01-19-2015, 12:52 PM   #9
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Thank you all for kind and quick responses.

Jerald Pendleton
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Old 01-19-2015, 01:34 PM   #10
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Agreed with all, takes too much space and a good road service plan is a must. Happy trails
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Old 01-19-2015, 06:18 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by road dogs View Post
I would get the spare, or at least find one that fits from your local tire shop (might be cheaper). I have heard horror stories of people getting a flat on their trailer without a spare and spending days waiting for the road monkeys to find something that fits. I wouldn't want to be those people...
Perhaps on a trailer, if the size tire is unusual. But in ten years of full timing, I've never heard of a Class A driver with a roadside plan ever having any difficulty other than dealing with the price.
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Old 01-19-2015, 07:13 PM   #12
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Why gamble away days of a vacation waiting for a speciality size Rv tire when carrying a spare is easy. I just checked out the new Roadmaster spare tire carrier here at the Quartzsite Rv event. Yes, receiver mounted and you can still tow. I talked to the designer and he sold the product to Roadmaster. I've got a spare for myself or for another Rv'er if they are stranded.
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Old 01-19-2015, 07:54 PM   #13
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Good opinions on both sides of the issue. For me, I'd carry a spare, and do. If weight is an issue, I'd at least carry a spare tire consistent with the brand and model of what you are running all the way around. While one person mentioned that home is where the motorhome is parked, next to a busy roadway or highway would not be something I'd like, especially at night, where some driver might home-in on the back of your motorhome with disastrous results. And while the typical road service might be good, depending on where you are could be a real problem in getting the correct tire to get you back on the road, to say nothing if for some reason you are on a schedule. -RT
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Old 01-19-2015, 08:34 PM   #14
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cell phone is better than a spare even in Mexico...5th year full timing
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Old 01-19-2015, 08:50 PM   #15
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We haven't had a spare tire in our RV's since 1997 and have never needed one either. I keep good tires (Michelins) on all my RV's and check pressures every day. Have never had a flat nor blowout unless you count a leak from the TPMS and it just needed reinflating which I did with my air compressor
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Old 01-19-2015, 08:51 PM   #16
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Good opinions on both sides of the issue. For me, I'd carry a spare, and do. If weight is an issue, I'd at least carry a spare tire consistent with the brand and model of what you are running all the way around.
In our case we have 275/70's on the rear and 305/70's on the front so that won't work for us. A lot of rigs don't have the same size tires all the way around either.
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:49 PM   #17
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Another issue, at least for diesel pushers, is, the inner duals are usually steel rims, the remaining 4 are aluminum.
The new hitch-mounted spare carrier solves the storage issue. I wonder if it will carry an unmounted tire?

OTOH, how many flats do you have a year, on anything?
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Old 01-19-2015, 10:15 PM   #18
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Another issue, at least for diesel pushers, is, the inner duals are usually steel rims, the remaining 4 are aluminum.
The new hitch-mounted spare carrier solves the storage issue. I wonder if it will carry an unmounted tire?

OTOH, how many flats do you have a year, on anything?
Not a real problem as the steel wheels fit any position.
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Old 01-20-2015, 06:59 AM   #19
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Not a real problem as the steel wheels fit any position.
I think you may be in error here. Please consider the design of the outer wheel as compared to the inner one on the dualies. The outer is a deep well and the inner is shallow. You can't put the inner on the out side.

On a DP the issue has been expressed by many of us. Different rims in different positions, often different sizes front to rear and even different applications front to rear; steer or drive style.

The op has asked a very good question and the correct answer truly depends on the type of RV. Is it practical to carry a full spare on a tag-along, 5th wheel or 4 wheel RV? If you do a lot of adventurous camping or put may miles on each year, yes in my opinion. Any rig with a mix of tires and rims? Not too practical as I see it.

But to every rule (which this is not , just opinions) there is an exception. Good planing for travel on known bad roads way off the beaten path is always needed. An emergency skin is a good idea in this scenario. Some logging camp might come to the rescue.

Great discussion. Great ideas.

Rick Y
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Old 01-20-2015, 07:14 AM   #20
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I think you may be in error here. Please consider the design of the outer wheel as compared to the inner one on the dualies. The outer is a deep well and the inner is shallow. You can't put the inner on the out side.

On a DP the issue has been expressed by many of us. Different rims in different positions, often different sizes front to rear and even different applications front to rear; steer or drive style.

The op has asked a very good question and the correct answer truly depends on the type of RV. Is it practical to carry a full spare on a tag-along, 5th wheel or 4 wheel RV? If you do a lot of adventurous camping or put may miles on each year, yes in my opinion. Any rig with a mix of tires and rims? Not too practical as I see it.

But to every rule (which this is not , just opinions) there is an exception. Good planing for travel on known bad roads way off the beaten path is always needed. An emergency skin is a good idea in this scenario. Some logging camp might come to the rescue.

Great discussion. Great ideas.

Rick Y
In almost all cases the offset of the mounting plate on the rim is the same for front, rear inner, and rear outer wheels. The inner duals and front tires are mounted with the plate offset to the outside. The outer duals are mounted with the offset to the inside.
As for the difference between the thickness of steel and aluminum wheels, they will all fit on the wheel studs. If you replace an aluminum wheel with a steel one you just crank the lug nuts down a few more turns.
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