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Old 06-15-2015, 08:45 AM   #1
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To carry a second spare tire or not

For three years with my Casita, I read many postings about tire problems. Though I never had an issue with mine, a friend with a new airstream had two blown/flat tires in one day last summer. When we picked up our new 21 in Chilliwack in April, I contemplated purchasing a second tire/rim set-up but opted not to. The 4000-mile trek back to NY went smoothly fortunately . While I am not a worry-wort about this, I do have back-up plans, ideas or some parts in case of some issues. Yesterday I searched the Escape forum subject area of towing and hitching back about 4 years to see what was written and discussed about tire issues. What I noticed was compared to Casita, there have hardly been any tire problem postings with Escapes. Maybe I am not looking in the right area. I do agree with the keeping tires balance, at proper pressure levels and protected from UV degradation as much as possible as well as replacing after 6 years regardless of tread depth. But our next trip out west and anywhere more than a day’s drive from our home base provokes the thought of whether to carry a second tire. So what are Escape owners’ thoughts?
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Old 06-15-2015, 08:57 AM   #2
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I wouldn't carry a second spare... too much weight and space. We've had our 17B for 10 years... we did have a blow-out once (not a fun thing to experience), but our single spare took care of that for us and we went and got the blown tire replaced. For me, I just don't think there is a high-enough risk/reward payoff to justify carrying a second spare.
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Old 06-15-2015, 09:12 AM   #3
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I haven't used the single spare I have in over 6 years now. I would never want to add a second one, taking up more space and adding weight.

If there ever was that rare occasion that I got two flats before the first couple be repaired.....oh well.
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Old 06-15-2015, 09:14 AM   #4
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Do you have Roadside Service with Good Sam or some such? They will pickup a spare if you need one and deliver it to you, you pay the price of the new tire. Sounds like a decent backup plan.
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Old 06-15-2015, 10:22 AM   #5
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Tires on older Casitas were overloaded. Tires on the TA, 19, and 21 are underloaded.
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Old 06-15-2015, 10:46 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamman View Post
Tires on older Casitas were overloaded. Tires on the TA, 19, and 21 are underloaded.
I agree; watching my Casita 17LD cross over speed bumps put a lot of flex on the sidewalls. Our 21 has less load per square inch of footprint than the Casita, what with 4 wider bigger tires than our Casita. I run a TPMS on mine and noted that the temps don't seem to go up as much as they used to in the Casita, so probably less flexing on the road, too.
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Old 06-15-2015, 01:04 PM   #7
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Get Good Sam or some other roadside assistance and let them worry about it instead of you.

We had a Casita for 6 years and I thought about tire problems every time we were towing. I purchased special LT tires and was always worried about tires especially in really hot weather.

I don't hardly think about tires anymore with the Escape although I do still have the TPMS from the Casita and can say that the Escape tires run much cooler than the ones on the Casita did and have 1/2 the load per tire as the Casita.

Just check air pressure the lug nut torque as it states in the manual but we have already had that conversation here until we beat it to death.
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Old 06-15-2015, 01:32 PM   #8
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If your not going to carry 2 auto spare tires why would you carry 2 trailer spare tires?
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Old 06-15-2015, 01:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J Mac View Post
If your not going to carry 2 auto spare tires why would you carry 2 trailer spare tires?
Plus an earlier post said "Tires on older Casitas were overloaded. Tires on the TA, 19, and 21 are underloaded."

What a great thought(s)! I am convinced now not to buy a second spare and hope this ends this thread and needlessly taking up folks time. Thanks for the comments!
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Old 06-15-2015, 02:01 PM   #10
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Geez, I'm in the middle of the Alaska highway and you bring up this topic now.

No, I wouldn't carry a second spare but we met John and Sherrie, Escape 17, who were returning from Inuvik and they had second spares and used them because the road is made from shale bits that cut tires.

One thing I'd like to have though is a "proper" spare, not the limited use one that came with the truck.

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Old 06-15-2015, 02:19 PM   #11
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Why not carry a can of Fix-A-Flat to ease your mind?
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Old 06-15-2015, 03:14 PM   #12
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I might trust Fix-a-Flat if I discovered a slow leak but a blow out is another story.
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Old 06-15-2015, 03:17 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by subagon View Post
Why not carry a can of Fix-A-Flat to ease your mind?
I have heard that a lot of tire shops will not repair a tire once that stuff has been used plus if the hole is a little bigger or it is a cut, that will not work. Loren
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Old 06-15-2015, 03:25 PM   #14
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And, if that can of Fix-A-Flat goes off in your tool bag ( likely because of heat ), you will have a sorry mess to clean up. I threw out my bag and some of the tools.
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Old 06-15-2015, 03:56 PM   #15
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I don't think it was a waste of time, as it is a reasonable concern for travel trailer owners. Fortunately, the tire loading explanation (which I completely agree with) has already been provided by more than one member. Enjoy travel with one less thing to worry about!
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Old 06-15-2015, 03:57 PM   #16
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Many years ago I read an article on how to prepare for a driving trip to Alaska. These recommendations stuck in my mind:
- Carry two spare tires
- Have a spare starter solenoid
- Drive a vehicle with a manual transmission so you can push start if necessary.

Well, nowadays I don't know if vehicles still have separate starter solenoids. I guess I should look. And due to the use of electric fuel pumps now, I don't know if you can push-start a vehicle, even with manual transmission. You'd need enough battery left to run the fuel pump, at least. But you can still take along two spare tires.
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Old 06-15-2015, 04:02 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
One thing I'd like to have though is a "proper" spare, not the limited use one that came with the truck.
I'm surprised that a pickup (assuming this is a 2011 Ford Ranger as shown in Ron's profile) has a compact temporary spare. Will a tire identical to the regular tires not fit in the spare carrier?

While the compact spare is common in cars and SUVs (and some don't have a spare at all) due to space and weight issues, this is very rarely the case for trailers. Escapes have a spare identical to the other tires, although if the others are on alloy wheels and the owner did not pay for a third or fifth alloy, the spare will still be on steel - not a functional issue.
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Old 06-15-2015, 04:38 PM   #18
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I was under the impression that a "Trailer Package" on a vehicle included a standard sized tire, maybe on a steel rim but still standard load. One can not tow with a compact spare.
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Old 06-15-2015, 04:39 PM   #19
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Well, sometimes you can answer a question truthfully but still be mis-leading. When I bought my truck I asked the salesman if the spare was a full size spare and he said "yes". Just before I left I checked it for air. I was mildly annoyed to find that it is indeed "full size". Actually the wheel size is 1" larger but the tire, while looking heavy duty is limited by speed and range. If I'd have had time to do so I'd have gone to an auto wrecker and gotten a regular wheel and tire. I'll still do that before my next trip.

Hope I don't need one sooner, driving over the "top of world highway" tomorrow.

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Old 06-15-2015, 04:44 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I was under the impression that a "Trailer Package" on a vehicle included a standard sized tire, maybe on a steel rim but still standard load.
In some models perhaps the package does change the spare, but for many vehicles (such as my Sienna) a full-sized spare simply won't fit in the spare tire well or carrier - it is not included in the package.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
One can not tow with a compact spare.
I agree that if the spare is a temporary-use tire, then it would be at least prudent to drop off the trailer, limp to where ever one can get a replacement tire for the tug, and then come back and hope to find an intact trailer.
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