No spare tire

[HappyCamper1]

.......HI...I knew this a head of time, but the Roadtrek Simplicity I am purchasing has no spare..going cross country later this year I feel this is a must...where would I get a spare and mount for it that hooks into my hitch..I also know that if I do get one, the back doors cannot be opened..right? Thanks

[mkguitar]

there are hitch mounted carriers which swing down when a locking pin or mechanism is pulled


on some roadtrek models they have a regular "tow" hitch centered, and a 2nd receiver offset on the driver's side which holds the spare.
some are made to swing down & become a table or surface for an outside grill ( run off the van's propane tank)



ez lift is one name, although a recent thread says no longer available


there are front mounted which gets the spare out of the way- this may be a custom mount you could call around ( not uhaul)

and some rv's will accomodate inside under the bed


you need a spare, an E load rated tire is not always something you can find in every town ( for me in Phoenix it is a special order at my costco taking 7~10 days- although discount tire had next day)


mike

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by HappyCamper1

.......HI...I knew this a head of time, but the Roadtrek Simplicity I am purchasing has no spare..going cross country later this year I feel this is a must...where would I get a spare and mount for it that hooks into my hitch..I also know that if I do get one, the back doors cannot be opened..right? Thanks

I'm torn on the question of carrying a spare. I've always carried one, yet haven't used one in 40 years (not since the late 1970's). I 've wondered if it due to improved tire construction, or just dumb luck.

I'd probably drive without one if my van did not come with one. Yet, I feel I'd be tempting fate to remove the one on the rear of my class b. So I'm leaving it there, even though it blocks easy access to the left reat door.

Yeah, you can say I'm torn on this issue.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I'm torn on the question of carrying a spare. I've always carried one, yet haven't used one in 40 years (not since the late 1970's). I 've wondered if it due to improved tire construction, or just dumb luck.

I'd probably drive without one if my van did not come with one. Yet, I feel I'd be tempting fate to remove the one on the rear of my class b. So I'm leaving it there, even though it blocks easy access to the left reat door.

Yeah, you can say I'm torn on this issue.

Yes, fate will probably pay you a visit if you remove it.

Have needed my RT spare 3 times in 10 years. One tire failed while driving; don't know what happened. One had a slow leaking valve that required valve replace while 3000 miles from home. One failed at semi-remote trailhead; picked up a screw along the way and deflated tire while we were on 5 hour hike. Was REALLY glad l had a spare each time.

Only one other tire problem while on the road in my 47 years of driving.

Just seems like a good thing to have. And I do a 5-tire rotation if I have put 5 new tires on so the spare doesn't rot away without use.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by HappyCamper1

.......HI...I knew this a head of time, but the Roadtrek Simplicity I am purchasing has no spare..going cross country later this year I feel this is a must...where would I get a spare and mount for it that hooks into my hitch..I also know that if I do get one, the back doors cannot be opened..right? Thanks

If you do that you probably won't need a spare. Otherwise, call AAA or Coach Net.

A good roadside service will tow you to the nearest place or bring a spare to you.

Unfortunately, a lot of newer rigs don't come with a spare. Not being able to open your rear doors is something I would never find acceptable. And, it's ugly to boot and a lot of wheels mounted on the back of vehicles get stolen.

Skip it and just rely on roadside assistance.

[HappyCamper1]

.......Thank you all for the info....

[hbn7hj]

Originally Posted by HappyCamper1

.......Thank you all for the info....

Roadmaster has one.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by HappyCamper1

.......HI...I knew this a head of time, but the Roadtrek Simplicity I am purchasing has no spare..going cross country later this year I feel this is a must...where would I get a spare and mount for it that hooks into my hitch..I also know that if I do get one, the back doors cannot be opened..right? Thanks

To me opening the rear doors was crucial. Fortunately my Simplicity came with the undermount rear tire. (my rig was a special order and I asked for a spare though it wasn't standard with the Simplicity) The drop hitch mount style didn't seem convenient to me either. When I was looking for a tire mount I found this company... Landed Gear. They make a door mount so you have full access. I would definitely want someone who knows what they are doing to install this, but check it out:

https://landedgear.com/products/prom...vU4cztirBb4VvA

[Roadtreker357]

I have had two blow outs on rear tires and was happy to have a handy spare. Got a new spare at the first sizable town, but had to get another brand than Michelin.

In a similar vein, even though I have not had a home fire, I still keep fire extinguishers in the house!!! However, maybe I don't really need them and should let the fire department take care of fires for me????

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Roadtreker357

I have had two blow outs on rear tires and was happy to have a handy spare. Got a new spare at the first sizable town, but had to get another brand than Michelin.

In a similar vein, even though I have not had a home fire, I still keep fire extinguishers in the house!!! However, maybe I don't really need them and should let the fire department take care of fires for me????

I agree with you 100 percent, it's very handy. Thankfully, in four years, I've never had to use it.

I have put over 36,000 miles on my rig in 4 years and the spare is brand new.

We do have a fire extinguisher on board, but, never needed that either.
Those Michelin Defenders are great, but, I'll get the Agillis next time.

Do you have a tire pressure monitoring system? I highly recommend it and they are not very expensive relative to everything else on the rig. It's definitely a great safety device.

[markoch]

We have a Simplicity with no spare. 60k miles so far. Had a slow leak once--pumped it up and drove to tire shop. Last used a spare tire back before the first gulf war on a car. Changing a tire on the Simplicity can be difficult or impossible. I rotated the tires once and will never do it myself again. RT eliminated one of the four jack points. I have the tire goo kit too. I could not imagine adding a spare underneath or on the back now. It's just too likely that it will never be worth the effort.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by markoch

We have a Simplicity with no spare. 60k miles so far. Had a slow leak once--pumped it up and drove to tire shop. Last used a spare tire back before the first gulf war on a car. Changing a tire on the Simplicity can be difficult or impossible. I rotated the tires once and will never do it myself again. RT eliminated one of the four jack points. I have the tire goo kit too. I could not imagine adding a spare underneath or on the back now. It's just too likely that it will never be worth the effort.

My 2012 RS Adventurous came delivered with the spare mounted underneath the chassis.

[Bertiboo]

Since this post is in the B+ discussion area, Some readers with B+’s may not realize they have two spares they didn’t know about. The majority of B+’s have duallies, and in an emergency you can drive carefully with only one rear wheel, allowing you to use the outside wheel as a spare for a front. While I don’t think anyone would recommend driving large distances or high speeds, it can get you out of a bind. For that reason, I carry a jack and lug wrench to change a tire, even though I don’t have a true spare.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Bertiboo

Since this post is in the B+ discussion area, Some readers with B+’s may not realize they have two spares they didn’t know about. The majority of B+’s have duallies, and in an emergency you can drive carefully with only one rear wheel, allowing you to use the outside wheel as a spare for a front. While I don’t think anyone would recommend driving large distances or high speeds, it can get you out of a bind. For that reason, I carry a jack and lug wrench to change a tire, even though I don’t have a true spare.

My advice is call for roadside assistance.

[jerrysimps@aol.com]

I have a new Airstream 19 for which I paid a lot of money. I am afraid that if I got a flat tire I could ruin the wheel and possibly have a terrible accident. If, however, I simply had a normal flat tire and had to pull off the road, I would have to call a tow service to tow my Airstream to a tire store, wherever that might be. I do not like either of these possibilities. So, I am probably going to buy a Wilco off-road swing away spare tire and bike carrier. It fits into the rear 2" towing hitch receptacle. Yes, it is expensive and adds weight to the RV, but it will provide some peace of mind. Additionally, I have a Progressive insurance policy with towing and an extended warranty policy with Easy Care for roadside service. Is this overkill, perhaps so.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by Bertiboo

Since this post is in the B+ discussion area,

Oops... ended up in the wrong area since there is no way that a Simplicity is a "B+" but then in my (and RVIA) opinion that is a Class C anyway. lol (get out the dead horse whip)

My Class C LTV Libero came without a spare, but they informed me of the fact that I could use one of the rear duallies to cautiously get to the next town to replace a flat. Of course, I would have had to call Roadside Assistance for the transfer. Not an option that I had with my 170, and my Simplicity has a spare.

[avanti]

Every time this topic comes up, I ask the same question:

Why are folks so passionate about carrying spare tires, when the cost, space, weight and hassle could be used to carry many other spare parts that are at least as likely to be needed on the road? My poster child for this is a spare alternator. Over the years, I have had more alternator failures than I have had flats (even back when tires were far less robust than they are today). In most vehicles, replacing an alternator is not much more involved than replacing a huge, heavy tire. Costs are in the same ballpark. They are equally likely to leave you by the side of the road if they fail. Alternators take less space and weight less. It is harder to source a particular alternator than it is a particular tire. You can't carry a can of "fix-an-alternator" to repair minor failures. Alternators have a much longer shelf-life than tires. Wouldn't one get more "peace of mind" by carrying one of those instead?

I hope it is clear that I am not actually recommend carrying a spare alternator. However, this isn't just a straw-man argument -- I honestly believe that it would be more rational to do so than to carry a spare tire. IMO, the obsession with spare tires should be filed right next to needlessly-frequent oil changes: under the category "because Dad did it".

[pacificstar]

We have a Winnebago Solis and we purchased a Landed Gear back door mount for our van. Landed Gear in located in San Diego, CA however folks have bought the mount and had it shipped and either mounted it themselves or had someone do it. We mounted ours on the passenger side and our back doors swing all the way flush with the van but now on that door we have a bumper and the door swings open great, just not all the way back. Our Solis group is very active on Facebook and another member of our group got new tires and offered up their 3,000 miles tires and were grateful to be a recipient of one of their tires. We just returned from a 2,500 mile trip through Nevada, Utah and Colorado and such peace of mind having a spare!

[Lostwolfak]

I refuse to buy any new truck or RV without a spare tire; this provides options, even if you do call AAA/roadside assistance. I mentioned not including a spare was a deal-breaker and the salesperson immediately vowed to take care of that, which he did by the time of delivery. I had a Wilco Offroad swing-away spare tire carrier on a prior camper van and also intended to use it on the new Travato. This tire carrier works great and does include another receiver to use for a bike rack or trailer hitch, so that feature is still available. I added a Rotopax mount which allows me to carry a 3.5 gallon fuel can on the swing away behind the tire. Wilco makes a good product, but customer service is lacking. I have had two units now (one was badly bent in a rear-end accident and was replaced with a new one); their production time is prolonged and they do not believe in providing updates on the status which requires you to call and inquire after a number of weeks have passed. If I were to do this from scratch, I would choose the RIGDsupply unit to gain the advanced securing latch and hopefully, a longer-lasting finish - this one is starting to rust after 2 years.