Thanks everyone for this thread. I did it! Heavy plastic tubing on the u-bolts, some neoprene shoe sole material to protect the jack pole, all stainless steel fasteners from Fastenal store. You made it possible!
Edited for picture resizing.
2017 Tab 320 S 2014 Mazda CX 5 Traveling very light to be kind to my transmission.
I've had my new-to-me 320 for about a month. Today, it was finally warm enough to work on the tongue mount for the spare tire. Wow, what a pain to get it off the back! I'm sure glad this is happening in my driveway and not on the side of the road somewhere!
Laura
2017 T@B 320 S / 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Santa Fe, NM 3 nights and counting...
@PoodleMayhem, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your trailer! Our dealer didn't even install the tire, just left it lying on the floor. We keep it with us, but stow it different places depending on the type of travel we're doing. We hesitate to put it on the tongue, as that increased weight is an obstacle to maneuvering our trailer into and out of our yard. I'd bet you didn't imagine that owning a t@b would be part of your workout routine.
Hi Dale, What a great idea! Do you simply use the muffler clamps without any kind of additional rubber pads or tubing? I don't see any thing like that in your pictures. Thanks, -Ruby
Lisa, Nelson, and Ruby in NE North Carolina 2019 T@b 320S - 2003 GMC Yukon XL
Hi Dale, What a great idea! Do you simply use the muffler clamps without any kind of additional rubber pads or tubing? I don't see any thing like that in your pictures. Thanks, -Ruby
@Ruby, I used regular U-bolts--they were a little loose, so I covered them with rubber sleeve made from a piece of heavy cable insulation. Others have incorporated various types of padding--do a search and you'll find many iterations.
Pretty much anything works, but I do think Dale's muffler clamp is probably the most elegant and solid solution. Unless you are super-concerned about scuffing up the jack tube, I don't think the padding is necessary.
I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to put a layer of tape under that muffler clamp, if just for the aesthetics should you decide to change things around. I'm still wondering: spare tire or bike rack? ...hmmm
2019 T@B CSS, 2012 Tacoma. Located in northern Vermont.
Thanks everyone for your suggested mounting bracket ideas. I finished the project in about an hour once I had all needed parts. I chose to not protect the crank tube. All went smoothly!
Bill and Barb 2018 T@B 320s (Named "KC") TV: 2013 Subaru Outback Kansas City, MO
Lil_Lucy keep an eye on the rubber. I used the same thing but the clamps actually squeezed the rubber until it cut through and then the clamps were loose.
RollingBnB. Thanks for the heads up on the clamps loosening up. At every gas stop, rest area, etc., I walk around the whole unit and check things like the spare tire bracket, wheel hubs and sewer hose carriers. I’ll keep a closer look at those clamps each time. I’ve always been concerned about the rubber drying out from the UV rays. They’ve been on for two years now with no problems so far.
2016 T@b 320 Max-S (Silver/Red Trim) / TV: 2019 Ford Flex "Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
@dragonsdofly, I can see wanting to keep the spare in a different location depending on travel circumstances. I’ll see how my preference evolves once I get some miles under my belt.
Laura
2017 T@B 320 S / 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Santa Fe, NM 3 nights and counting...
This is what my wife and I just completed. I bought a spare tire carrier from Harbor Freight and exhaust clamps from O’Riley’s and it seems nice and secure. I weighed the tire and it’s less than 40 lbs. my TV has a 300 lb tongue weight, so now I’m at 240 lbs.
Got mine done today! It took me four days (and a recommendation to use PB Blaster from a fellow forum member, thank you sir) to break the rust off the lug nuts to get the tire off the bottom.
Thanks, Jerry
2019 Honda Pilot AWD and 2018 T@B 320-CS hanging out on the left edge of Lake Erie.
Just curious...........has anyone tried mounting a Boondock 15" Spare in the manner described in this thread, on the Boondock platform, which has the area adjacent to the jack tube for storing a spare tire or generator?
So far, the only carrier I have found that I believe will work is one made by Fulton, which I found on eTrailer.com (see link below) and Amazon for slightly less cost. It has a 7" offset, which is the distance from the tube mount to the plate that attaches to the back side of the wheel. The rear of the Boondock wheel is about 5" deep, so it requires a carrier that will extend further/deeper into the back of the wheel. By my measurements, 7" should be just about perfect. The MAXXHAUL 70214 carrier appears to have a shorter offset (maybe 4 1/2" to 5"?) Thanks.
so, do you let the spare tire touch the trailer frame to brace everything, or do you avoid the pressure point on your spare tire and leave a little bit of clearance? I just installed mine on a new 2020 T@B320, and left a quarter of an inch or so clear. seems plentry strong. and does it really make sense to get a tire cover? I've heard I should replace the tires every three years, and I would guess that would include the spare as well. So... advice, dear sage T@BBers?
Yanni Lazarus 2020 T@B320S, 2018 RAV4 Adventure, Central CT
Mine sits on the frame--I'd rather put the load there then have it bending on the jack post, especially as things go bouncing down the road.
I haven't removed mine since installing it on the tongue five years ago. Maybe it has a few indentations and maybe I'll pop it off and check some time, but generally I have better things to worry about. :-)
I've never bothered with a cover, either. My tires are in their sixth season and they still look fine (i.e., no weather checking or other visible defects). I'll replace them when they need replacing.
Comments
Edited for picture resizing.
2014 Mazda CX 5
Traveling very light to be kind to my transmission.
Santa Fe, NM
3 nights and counting...
Draco dormiens numquam titilandus.
2016 NuCamp 320 T@B Max S
T@bbey Road
Appleton, WI
What a great idea!
Do you simply use the muffler clamps without any kind of additional rubber pads or tubing? I don't see any thing like that in your pictures.
Thanks,
-Ruby
2019 T@b 320S - 2003 GMC Yukon XL
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
2018 T@B 320s (Named "KC")
TV: 2013 Subaru Outback
Kansas City, MO
Alan & Patty
Southern Az
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
Santa Fe, NM
3 nights and counting...
Richmond, MI
2019 T@B 320 S
Thanks, Jerry
2019 Honda Pilot AWD and 2018 T@B 320-CS hanging out on the left edge of Lake Erie.
So far, the only carrier I have found that I believe will work is one made by Fulton, which I found on eTrailer.com (see link below) and Amazon for slightly less cost. It has a 7" offset, which is the distance from the tube mount to the plate that attaches to the back side of the wheel. The rear of the Boondock wheel is about 5" deep, so it requires a carrier that will extend further/deeper into the back of the wheel. By my measurements, 7" should be just about perfect. The MAXXHAUL 70214 carrier appears to have a shorter offset (maybe 4 1/2" to 5"?) Thanks.
https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/Fulton/FHDSTC0101.html
(Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePo4; Solar: Renogy 100Ah Suitcase; Victron BMV-712; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)
2021 T@B Boondock CS-S
2018 Nissan Pathfinder
Ontario, Canada
2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014