Spare Tire Rack Modification - Page 2

Wavery · 02-12-2011, 06:14 PM

I don't know why but my 15" Maxxis spare fit on my spare tire rack without issue.

scrubjaysnest · 02-12-2011, 07:00 PM

The one time I took mine out I didn't see any issues with the spare tire either

It will be coming out again this week to check tire pressure before next weekend camping trip so I'll look closer.

**Bill** · 02-12-2011, 07:55 PM

Quote:

I didn't see any issues with the spare tire either

I think that the 2011 models came with 15" wheels, so the spare tire rack would have been appropriately sized. It is models that originally had 14" tires that needed the mod.

Bill

OneMoBear · 04-13-2011, 05:28 PM

Gene modified our spare tire modification today.

There was NO WAY our original spare could have been inflated to anywhere near ok pressure before our first modification. Going to 15", it took both of us to rack the spare even with the modification and it would have caused the same sidewall deformity as the factory design. We hope everyone familiarizes themselves with this issue before they are facing it on the side of an interstate . . .

Malinda

Steppy · 04-15-2011, 02:32 PM

I've upgraded to 15" Maxxis and verified my spare tire rack is an inch shy of fitting the new tire on my TM. I think I'll use Bill's mod, but I'll need 1.5" channel iron and I don't even know if it comes in that size. In the meantime I bought 2
3/8" , 1.5" long hex bolts, 2 lock washers and 2 wingnuts for a quick fix until I can effect a more permanent solution.

**Bill** · 04-15-2011, 07:01 PM

If I can suggest ...

Your mod ought to be perfectly fine, at least for normal travel. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to drill a small hole right through the bolt, just above the wing nut. Run a piece of wire ( a paper clip is a good choice) through the hole and twist it so it can't come out. This keeps the wing nut from backing off under vibration.

The military and aviation guys call this safety wire ...

Bill

Steppy · 04-15-2011, 09:02 PM

Bill,
Great point. As an old Army (Vietnam era) Air Cav fling wing pilot (UH-1 & AH-1G) I diligently checked all safety wires and most certainly on the rotor head during pre-flight inspections especially on the "J***s" nut that held the main rotor on. No blasphemy intended but if that came off in flight it was "Oh J****!" I don't intend to take the rig on the road in this configuration, but just in my driveway as I move the rig around until I can obtain the channel iron I need.

If I were to take this on the road, I'd substitute a locking nut rather than the wing nut & lock washer & make sure I have the proper wrench in my TV to remove it if needed.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my posting. I really have benefited greatly from this super forum. As a newby TM & RV owner trying to refurbish a seven year old rig, I've benefited immensely from the collective knowledge and helpfulness of the members in this forum. I am very grateful for the kind assistance I've been provided and will endeavor to provide the same whenever I can to those members seeking assistance.

lorianne6 · 07-03-2014, 07:36 PM

This is my first post. I bought a 2008 2720 SD this past month and I love it. It is in excellent condition, in fact it must not have been used much at all and kept in a garage. Maiden voyage with me and my sister went well, traveled almost 1000 miles with it and learned plenty from other campers, and reading the manual and hands-on. So, even the tires look fantastic, but from reading through this forum I found out that they are time bombs. Their date is from 2007. So they are being replaced and I'm going to 15 inch rims and tires. Now I have to get the spare tire carrier mod done, and my question is: Why are the mods only adding 5/8" or 9/16" and not an inch. The 14'' tire in the spare carrier now is totally snug to bottom of the trailer. Aren't 15 inch tires an inch wider than 14 inch tires. Maybe a dumb question, but I'm not doing the mod myself (since I'm a girl ha! and bending steel and drilling holes in it is way beyond me) and will be having it done somewhere. Thank you everyone who posts here. If I hadn't read this forum I'd still be taking the TM out with these 2007 14" Goodyear Marathons. I think I was lucky they got me home safe on my first trip.

Padgett · 07-03-2014, 09:07 PM

Depends on the tire. the first numbers are the section width in mm, the second the aspect ratio in % (section width x aspect ratio =diameter) and the third the wheel diameter.

So my 205x75R15 LRD (2150 lbs at 65 psi) are 10mm or about 4/10" skinnier and 8/10" taller than the 215x75R14 LRC (1850 lbs at 50 psi) that came on it.

15" wheels are an inch taller than 14" and mostly come in two widths for 5x4.5 trailer wheels, 5" and 6". I would want at least 6" wheels rated for the same load as the tires.

Wheels, tires, and axles are an area that I feel that TM may have cut a few corners & am seriously thinking about swapping in a 5k #11 Dexter axle with a 22.5 degree drop (stock is a 3500 lb #10 axle with what appears to be a 10 degree drop and does not leave enough clearence in the wheel wells IMNSHO). This may require 6x5.5 wheels. I do not believe in just raising the coach .

lorianne6 · 07-04-2014, 04:23 PM

Thanks for the info. I will figure out a way to add the appropriate space. And I am hoping the 15" tires will be an adequate fix for me. From reading all the posts on here, the 15" tires seem to be performing better, and I haven't seen much of anything about them failing. As for me, this is where I'm drawing the line, no new axle for me.