Spare Tire moved to Tongue - detail and pics

melpeter

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.

Sharon_is_SAM

Sweet!  Now you need to cover the tire to protect from UV.  

PoodleMayhem

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!

Homebodyatheart

@PoodleMayhem and that’s why I had my spare moved, too. 

dragonsdofly

@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.

TerryV6

Nice Work @melpeter. 

Ruby

Dalehelman said:

A 2 1/4” muffler clamp fits perfectly.

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

Dalehelman

Ruby said:

Dalehelman said:

A 2 1/4” muffler clamp fits perfectly.

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

I didn’t use anything, but some have.

ScottG

@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. 

TomB

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

Lil_Lucy

I used these to put behind the clamps. I got them at Home Depot in the plumbing dept.

Lil_Lucy

Oops. Photos didn’t attach.

riverrunnermo

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!

RollingBnB

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.

Lil_Lucy

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.

PoodleMayhem

@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. 

rjgors

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.

JP2558

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.

Bayliss

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.

https://www.etrailer.com/Spare-Tire-Carrier/Fulton/FHDSTC0101.html

 

YanniLazarus

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?

ScottG

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.

I guess I like to live dangerously. YMMV!  ;-)

TomB

A T@B monogrammed spare tire cover ...wouldn’t that be sharp !

ontheroad

@jkjenn...what/ how is your full size spare mounted on M@ttie Ross?

jkjenn

ontheroad said:

@jkjenn...what/ how is your full size spare mounted on M@ttie Ross?

it is an add-on order for the Boondock package. I cannot remember the additional cost.

tinglebells

Great for tiny tires but is too small for the larger boon dock tires and the aluminum framing is in the way.