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Old 06-20-2020, 02:32 PM   #1
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Is a trailer spare necessary?

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
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Old 06-20-2020, 02:39 PM   #2
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What else would you carry on the rear end? Do you not have a spare in your tow vehicle? Yes you need a spare, otherwise you will be leaving you expensive mobile home along the highway, who knows what will happen to it unattended, I do not want to find out.
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Old 06-20-2020, 02:40 PM   #3
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The tire is very easy to replace, just drive up on some blocks which you carry to raise the bad tire off the ground and replace. I have done it.....
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Old 06-20-2020, 02:43 PM   #4
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And what was the cause of your tire failure? Could it have been temporarily resolved with a can of tire repair?
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Old 06-20-2020, 02:56 PM   #5
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I have only needed a trailer spare once in 20 years. We had apparently picked up a nail or something in a parking lot and a few miles later another driver flagged us down, our tire had gone flat and fortunately we stopped before it completely shredded and damaged the trailer. The tire was trashed, though, and without a spare we would have been stranded on the side of the road, so I was very happy to have a spare.

Some minor punctures can be handled with a can of fix-a-flat, but anything more major usually results in irreparable tire damage. I'd hate to be out in a remote area without a spare - even though it is needed very infrequently, I will always carry one.
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Old 06-20-2020, 03:16 PM   #6
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The one flat I've had in almost 50 years of driving was a blow out ont he Escape, after 2 or 3 years of getting it, a Sunday at 5:00 in the dark on a rainy highway. I called Good Sam who sent out a wrecker to change it, they used the spare to replace the totally shredded tire and beat up rim. For the wreckers price I could of had them bring a tire if I didn't have one, don't know about a rim if I had needed one. In this case the rim was still usable. I bought a new tire for the now spare a few hours later when they opened.


With roadside service I could have gotten away with no spare, would have cost a pretty penny and a long wait.
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Old 06-20-2020, 03:36 PM   #7
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I've used mine once, and at a campground, lent it to another so they could get their trailer to a tire dealer. While I have AAA, and have never had a blowout, I'd not travel without a spare.
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Old 06-20-2020, 03:51 PM   #8
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I had a screw in mine, it had gone flat and I did not notice it until stopping for gas. As far as fix a flat, I would not use that in my trailer tires nor my truck tires. On the trailer, it can go flat again and you would not know it, then a blow out happens when the bad tire overheats. I put on the spare using my ramp to raise the good tire. Pulled out the screw and plugged it with plugs I carry. That tire became my spare.
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Old 06-20-2020, 03:55 PM   #9
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I’ve had to change a few trailer tires out due to blow out and picking up debris that left a hole too big to patch or use a can of fixaflat. It’s overkill n takes up some weight but I carry 2 spare tires for our 21 one on the back n one in the truck bed Been thinking of mounting the 2nd under the tongue of the 21. Any thought on that approach for my 2nd spare
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Old 06-20-2020, 03:57 PM   #10
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Rob,
You do not mention your tow vehicle....
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Old 06-20-2020, 04:00 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
I’ve had to change a few trailer tires out due to blow out and picking up debris that left a hole too big to patch or use a can of fixaflat. It’s overkill n takes up some weight but I carry 2 spare tires for our 21 one on the back n one in the truck bed Been thinking of mounting the 2nd under the tongue of the 21. Any thought on that approach for my 2nd spare
I believe Jim Bennett mounted his up front using a kit and winch down, similar to what is on trucks. He then installed a big box in the rear.
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Old 06-20-2020, 04:08 PM   #12
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Ahhh yes remember that thread Ty Jim
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Old 06-20-2020, 04:10 PM   #13
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I have seen at least 100 trailers on the side of the highway with blow tires. A spare is absolutely essential.
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Old 06-20-2020, 04:20 PM   #14
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I rented a cargo trailer once to haul one of my kids stuff home from college. It was 600
Miles one way. After I rented the trailer and got ready to hit the road I realized there was no spare. The place where I rented the trailer was closed and when in contacted the manager at home she said “we don’t have spares for the trailers we rent.” I made the trip without a spare round trip without incident. I promised myself I would never tow a trailer without a spare again. My current setup on the 21 is with all five tires in rotation so when they wear out I don’t have an aging spare but rather 5 tires that I got the full good out of. Working for me at about 37,000 miles and rotating at 8 to 10,000. The most worn tire on the trailer started out on the right rear and is now on the left rear. It will end its life as the spare having made the circuit and I’d guess about 42,000 miles when all 5 get replaced. Or somewhere around 34,000 on each tire. I have a utility trailer with 14 inch wheels but 15’s will fit under the fenders. It has good but older rubber. So I’m planning to buy three 15 inch rims with my stimulus debit card and have an unending supply of not so old, in still relatively good shape, tires for the utility trailer. The furthest I’ve towed this trailer on one trip is 250 miles round trip. Usually it’a only 20 or 30 miles. And I’ll still have a spare with me. When I took the F-1 to Idaho in 1970 I didn’t have a lot of money but I had good brakes and good tires on the ground and three spares. Only had one go flat all summer. It was in the Bitterroot mountains, 11:00 at night coming back to my lookout. But that’s another story. Spare tires, always. Dead in the water, never.
YMMV
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Old 06-20-2020, 04:33 PM   #15
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Seriously? And the second spare was unusable because the flailing cords from the first cut it up.

There are a lot of things that can be left at home but a spare isn't one of them.

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Old 06-20-2020, 04:38 PM   #16
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Test fate.

Try running without a spare. Given my fate, I'd for certain have a tire incident. Carry a spare, and I'll likely rarely need it.


Test your luck. Empirical testing is always valid.
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Old 06-20-2020, 07:13 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
As far as fix a flat, I would not use that in my trailer tires nor my truck tires.
I’ll second that. I wouldn’t use it in a bicycle tire. I might use it on a riding mower/lawn tractor because the likelihood of injury when it fails to work properly isn’t very high on slow moving yard maintenance equipment.
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Old 06-20-2020, 08:01 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
It’s overkill n takes up some weight but I carry 2 spare tires for our 21 one on the back n one in the truck bed Been thinking of mounting the 2nd under the tongue of the 21. Any thought on that approach for my 2nd spare
The spare tire fits real nice within the rails of the tongue. Keeps someone from driving it through the back of your trailer.

More information on how I did it can be found here:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post278711
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Old 06-20-2020, 08:53 PM   #19
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You should carry a spare in case this happens to you. Yes, I should have changed out this tire before leaving home, but I didn't, and having a spare saved me from my mistake.
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Old 06-21-2020, 04:57 AM   #20
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I wouldn't risk going without a spare and always have a good bottle jack, tire plugs and compressor along also. Good peace of mind especially on less traveled roads where services are sparse.
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