Is a trailer spare necessary? - Page 4

rotorbudd · 07-01-2020, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I do not know if it’s the flexing of the sidewall, the thickness, the composition or whatever but even years ago when we used to fix tires, sidewall repairs did not hold. For customers who Severely damaged a tubeless tire in the tread area we would use a very heavy duty patch called a “boot”. The boot was applied with an adhesive and then sealed with a electrically heated c clamp looking device and was said to be Vulcanized in place. Then a tire tube of the correct size was put inside the tire for additional strength and air holding capability. It was pretty difficult to balance that combination so the admonition was usually, “it might get you by for a spare but I wouldn’t get too far out of town.” This was before the term “litigious society” became commonplace. When a buck was still silver and a joint a bad place to be.
Iowa Dave

I remember my uncle cleaning the tractor tubes with gas, putting the glue on, lighting it for a few seconds,and when he slapped the patch on it wasn't coming off!

Iowa Dave · 07-01-2020, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotorbudd

I remember my uncle cleaning the tractor tubes with gas, putting the glue on, lighting it for a few seconds,and when he slapped the patch on it wasn't coming off!

There’s that field expediency again.
I remember seeing that done too. We worked where we had the tools so it wasn’t necessary but you’d see it often, especially in small town gas stations. Vulcanizing, cleaning and excitement all in one, couldn’t beat it.
Iowa Dave

a602pmcc · 07-01-2020, 03:35 PM

On our last trip before this hiatus -- 34 days, 6,000+ mi. last fall -- we had two shredded tires and picked up a nail at a boondock campsite. Changed the shreds on the side of the road and got back underway reasonably expeditiously. Were able to air up the tire and make it to a repair shop for the puncture.

Bought a new tire after the first shred. Bought a new set of four after the second, in Farmington, NM. (Trying to find, schedule, and install a new complete set of tires on a travel day and still make it to your campsite by evening is no fun, but we were able to do it.) So we ended up with four new on the ground and a new spare on the back.

I wouldn't be without it.

Paul

Glens · 07-01-2020, 05:39 PM

I had an interesting experience yesterday where I went over a curb. I ended up slicing the side wall. Fortunately I was at home and just had the tire replaced. If I had been camping without a spare I probably would have had a long drive to get a new tire. Why risk not having something you might need.

PamErikson · 07-01-2020, 05:49 PM

YES! Or I would still be sitting on the side of the road 20 miles from Santa Fe, NM after a blow out. (And my husband takes care of our tires.). An Anderson ramp, a battery operated ratchet wrench and a spare and we were on our way in 10 minutes.

mizterwizard · 07-01-2020, 05:56 PM

There are lots of different ideas on how safe you have to be to be safe. It often depends on the situation.

My family came from Fairbanks, AK to Pocatello, Idaho in 1958. We left Fairbanks with 4 brand new tires on the '56 Buick Century and 9 tires later, arrived in Pocatello without a single original tire. If you have to drive 3000 miles of Alcan highway before it is paved then there is no such thing as enough spares. Today that would be like driving Baja, twice.

The trouble with trailer tires is you don't know when they are getting low in route. A tire monitoring system would help but few of us have one and even if we do, sometimes the tire goes flat so fast that there is little you can do about it. When a tire is run low it flexes the sidewalls excessively. Flexed sidewalls get hot and then they tire blow out. Alternatively the tire will completely shred. We've all seen the results. A can of what ever has no chance in that case.

I replaced all of my tires last year because they were no longer flat across the tread. They were still round and holding air but I am sure the belts were coming apart.

If you are just going to a campground 50 miles from home and the drive is all on pavement then it would be reasonable to go spare-less. We did that last week, but kept the spare in the RV all the same. If the trip is into the wild, no cell phone service, sharp rocks, etc, then a spare is more important than most other things on the trailer.

The setup of the trailer makes a big difference too. If you have a single axle rig and it loses a tire then you could be in big trouble even before you get stopped. The tire will almost certainly be ruined beyond use. If you do get it off the side of the road safely then you really want a good spare. Better to have the option of changing it yourself, getting someone else to change it, or drag the flat to a safe location (sacrificing the tire and wheel in the process) at low speed so that you can get it taken care of.

If you have a multi-axle trailer you could do what mobile home movers do and chain up the bad axle, running on what ever that side has left, to get to the shop. Of course the remaining tire(s) will be grossly overloaded but it can take it if you keep the speed down.

In the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" Burt Munro was on his way to the Bonneville salt flats when his trailer wheel fell off. He found a log, tied it to the axle and went to the next repair location dragging the branch on the road. He had to do that because he didn't have what he needed to fix it there. We can do similar things when worse comes to worse. Considering the cost of a tow from the outback to a repair facility, destroying a tire and wheel to get to town is a cheaper option in many cases.

Matching the truck and trailer tires/wheels is a good idea and worth considering if it can be worked out but I think I would still want a spare for each. Honestly, I just don't see the logic that would convince me to leave a spare behind. It is certainly more important than the folding chairs, ground mat, tools and other things I have in my RV. Unless one plans to run completely empty, the first thing to put into an RV that isn't nailed down is a spare tire.

Roger C H · 07-01-2020, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Globetrotter

Folks,

I would appreciate pro's and con's of the following:

Why should I carry a spare tire for my trailer?
-Tire failure rates seem very low
-The Escape manual suggests that you shouldn't change it yourself
-A can of inflation repair could limp you to the next town
-It is fairly heavy (obviously re-balance tongue wt as necessary)
-It takes up space that could be used for a daily use item

Thoughts please,
Rob

Only if you have a flat/shredded tire.
While driving my front tire ran over a steel bar about .5x4x6. The bar kicked up and went directly into the rear tire. I thought the same as you. I had just bought 4 new tires and didn't get the road hazard insurance and so had to buy another new tire.

Tam2004 · 07-02-2020, 08:31 AM

Thanks for asking this question - we always would carry a spare -- but I still learned a lot. This is the best about this site. I loved the driving up on blocks for our dual tires to change the bad one. Nice.

AndyWillowbee · 07-17-2020, 09:28 PM

When I ran over a box of nails in the middle of nowhere Wyoming (about 30 miles north of Devil's Tower, I was very grateful for the spare. And the tandem jack that made changing that tire SO MUCH easier than on the pickup...

Globetrotter · 07-22-2020, 01:57 PM

Thanks all for the thoughts. Would the following change the spare tire consensus.
-All trips are short haul, low mileage, less than 5 hours from home.
-Fairly heavily populated area's; no ALCAN highway (yet)
-Fairly meticulous about pressures, inspection, hub care etc
-Meticulous about under loading trailer and TV (thus desire to shed 50# when bracket is included)

-Modern tire design/materials have a pretty low failure rate (recall when filling stations had service bays too (with tire racks)? Most things really are more reliable.)
-Statistically, there are many other potential dark night failures that could have similar impact on a trip that I don't carry backup for

Thoughts appreciated!

tractors1 · 07-22-2020, 02:14 PM

I'd never roll without a spare for any reason. Period.

Wife bought a 2016 Mazda Miata convertible; I was astounded it did not come with a spare, nor was there any space in the trunk for one. Also did not come with a jack! It came with a can of fix-a-flat type sealant.

Totally useless when she hit a pothole and bend the rim enough to blow the seal on the tire bead. Fortunately, we have towing insurance. Wasted a few hours on the side of road.

She sold it - drives a RAV-4 now.

Iowa Dave · 07-22-2020, 02:26 PM

Always a spare, first married I had four tires on the ground, one on a sidemount, two in the box of my pickup. Then I went on the road but not before. Used two that summer and came home with one. Spare tires are like cash, water and my go bag, I don’t leave home without them. I also always have a tow strap, jumper cables, a bottle jack, a roll of quarters, first aid kit, insurance papers and a couple credit cards. I’ve worn out the material in front of my right front pants pocket on about 60 pairs of jeans over the years because I always have a pocket knife with me so I can open a bottle of beer. I do not fly and rarely enter a government building where knives are prohibited. When Escape camping I take my 12 volt booster pack too. Any time of the year, for any length trip.
Living the Scout motto I am:
Iowa Dave

Centex · 07-22-2020, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Globetrotter

Thanks all for the thoughts. Would the following change the spare tire consensus.
<snip for brevity>
Thoughts appreciated!

Nothing in your post changes the equation for me. Every time I've been glad I always carry a spare it's been because of "road hazard", a totally random and unpredictable circumstance.

Risk assessment / risk tolerance / nuisance tolerance are all highly individual matters - do what you will

Chotch · 07-22-2020, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Globetrotter

Thanks all for the thoughts. Would the following change the spare tire consensus.
-All trips are short haul, low mileage, less than 5 hours from home.
-Fairly heavily populated area's; no ALCAN highway (yet)
-Fairly meticulous about pressures, inspection, hub care etc
-Meticulous about under loading trailer and TV (thus desire to shed 50# when bracket is included)

-Modern tire design/materials have a pretty low failure rate (recall when filling stations had service bays too (with tire racks)? Most things really are more reliable.)
-Statistically, there are many other potential dark night failures that could have similar impact on a trip that I don't carry backup for
Thoughts appreciated!

😂.Lucky you, guess you never got a flat. Nowhere do I see mention of the 8” screw driver, sheet metal screw, sheet rock screw, glass bottle neck and my favorite, the curb that jumped outa nowhere and ripped a chunk of sidewall out of a tire on an almost brand new car. The wife called me at work asking where do they keep the jack on these things? She was game to give it a shot but I told her just put the hazards on ,I’ll be right there. These are flats that I remember probably in the last 15 or 20 years. But hey the casinos are full of people who think they’re lucky. The sheet rock screw did in an Escape tire, had it patched from the inside and it’s now the spare.😎